11/3/08 Dallas Cowboys-New York Giants sidebar for Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Giants enjoy life at the top of the tough NFC East
By DENIS GORMANMost likely, Jacobs was crowing about a win against a division rival.
However, if his statement is examined further, Jacobs could be talking about taking the NFC East title away from the Cowboys.
With eight games remaining, it is highly unlikely that the Cowboys can win the NFC East. At 7-1, the Giants have a three-game cushion on the 5-4 Cowboys in the loss column. It would take a monumental collapse on the part of their NFC East rival and defending Super Bowl champions for the Cowboys to claim their 21st division title.
"It was definitely a good thing to go out and take advantage of our opportunities," Jacobs said.
The fourth-year back from Southern Illinois finished with 117 yards and one touchdown. The touchdown was his seventh of the season to go along with his third 100-yard-plus rushing effort.
"It is very satisfying to beat Dallas like that. We know what kind of team they are," Jacobs said. "They have been a solid team for years before, and they’ll be a solid team for years to come."
Defensive end Justin Tuck agreed. Tuck, who had 2 1/2 sacks and five tackles, cautioned that the divisional race is not over, despite their lead.
"Seven and one is a great starting point, [but] Washington is a pretty good foe," said Tuck, who spent time backing away from his comments about hating the Cowboys earlier in the week following the rout.
"We’re not smiling at anything. This division is tough, but we have to continue doing what we’ve done.
"Like I said, being three games ahead of Dallas is great. But we’d love to be three games ahead of everybody. We got a big one next week. Hopefully, we can continue to separate ourselves."
Wide receiver Plaxico Burress was the Giant who came closest to expressing his organization’s disdain for the Cowboys.
In the off-season, the Giants were an afterthought while the Cowboys were featured on the HBO series Hard Knocks and were expected to coast to a Super Bowl berth by the football cognoscenti.
Now, at the halfway point, perhaps the Giants should have been the odds-on pick to represent the NFC in Tampa on Feb. 1.
"It’s like I said in training camp: It doesn’t matter who you have on paper. You still have to line up and go play. I mean, this is the National Football League," Burress said.
"Nobody could have seen Tennessee being undefeated, either. It just goes to show that you have to line up every week and play."
posted by Denis P. Gorman at 1:30 PM
