The Dallas Cowboys can hardly be denied a place in the NFL playoffs. Against a completely harmless New York Giants led by hapless backup Mike Glennon, “America’s Team” will have to rely on a strong defensive performance.

New Jersey/Munich – The Dallas Cowboys took another step towards the NFL playoffs with a 21-6 (15-3) win over the New York Giants.

The win was guaranteed by the stable defence, which did not allow the Giants offence led by backup quarterback Mike Glennon to score a touchdown and forced a total of four turnovers.

Glennon, who played for the injured regular quarterback Daniel Jones, managed little with 99 passing yards, no touchdowns but three interceptions. Things went better for Cowboys quarterback Dak Presott, who with 217 passing yards and a touchdown with no interceptions but a lost fumble didn’t pull any stars out of the sky either.

Zeke Elliott benefits after first Glennon interception

An early interception by Glennon put the Cowboys on the winning track in the first quarter: The deflected pass by the backup quarterback landed in the arms of Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis. On the very next drive, running back Ezekiel Elliott scored on a 13-yard rush to give the visitors a 6-0 lead.

Giants kicker Graham Gano put the home side on the scoreboard for the first time with a field goal shortly before the end of the first quarter. His counterpart Greg Zuerlein kicked two field goals towards the end of an otherwise uneventful second quarter to give Dallas a 15-3 halftime lead. Before the second, he benefited from Saquon Barkley’s first-ever lost fumble in the NFL, which gave the Cowboys possession just before the break.

Second half: New York Giants still harmless

It was also a field goal that provided the first points of the second half: Gano brought the Giants back to within nine points. But a touchdown by tight end Dalton Schultz after a one-yard pass from Prescott made it 21-6 for the visitors and thus the preliminary decision.

In the final quarter, Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs made his tenth interception of the season on an unplaced Glennon pass into the Cowboys’ end zone. A short time later, Glennon was finished. Jake Fromm, the backup to the backup, came into the game for the last four minutes and once again advertised himself with 82 passing yards.

Sterling Shepard has to go out with injury

The Giants suffered another setback just before the end of the game when wide receiver Sterling Shepard was injured on a kickoff without any interference from the opponent and had to leave the field.

After the win, the Cowboys, with a 10-4 record, can hardly be denied the division title and a play-off spot. They host the Washington Football Team on Matchday 16.

The Giants are in last place in the NFC East with a 4:10 record and thus only have theoretical play-off chances. They will meet the Philadelphia Eagles on 26 December in the next divisional duel.