It might not have been the prettiest win of the season, but Dallas' 20-19 win over the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving Day moved the Cowboys into a half game lead in the NFC East over the New York Giants. The Cowboys currently hold the tiebreaker in the NFC East over the Giants as well, with Dallas owning a 2-1 record in the NFC East, while the Giants are a mere 1-2. Still, that's a bit irrelevant with the two teams meeting twice between Weeks 14 and 17.
The Giants, though, have to be feeling pressure to win. New York has lost two straight games since upsetting the Patriots in New England, losing 27-20 in San Francisco before losing 17-10 last Sunday night to the Vince Young led Philadelphia Eagles.
New York's next two games are against tougher opponents than the Eagles, as the Giants head to New Orleans to take on the Saints on Monday night, before playing host to undefeated Green Bay Packers in Week 13.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys have a week and a half to prepare for an anemic Arizona Cardinals team. If the favorites hold true and win the next two weeks, then the Cowboys will find themselves up two full games games on the Giants when they meet in Week 14 -- including holding the division record tiebreaker.
It's certainly possible that the Giants can upset either the Saints or Packers, but it seems unlikely. Tom Coughlin's Giants simply might not be as good as they appeared to be when they were 6-2 leaving Foxboro. New York ranks 31st in the league in rushing, averaging just 83.2 yards on the ground per game. Against Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers, the Giants will need to be able to control the clock and keep the ball out of their hands -- that type of running game won't be helping the Giants out.
Tony Romo and the Cowboys looked anything but great on Thursday. Still, it's imperative to win ugly in the NFL, especially in the NFC East. It's not the type of win that will instill confidence in a fanbase by any means, but it's a win -- and it puts enormous pressure on the Giants to come up with a win in one of the next two weeks.