EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Dec. 24--The gifts weren't under the tree but strewn all about the football field. Dallas's all-world running back Emmitt Smith sat on the sidelines and watched the game with a sore hamstring. The Cowboys' quarterback, Troy Aikman, played less than a half. Later, their star receiver, Michael Irvin, found a spot on the bench. There was a sloppy mix of wind and rain, which meant it was either reindeer weather or Giants football weather.
The Giants won their sixth straight game today, beating a watered down Cowboy team, 15-10, and ending the season at 9-7. But for all the things that fell into place for the Giants, one crucial thing did not. To make the playoffs, the Giants first had to beat Dallas and then have Green Bay lose to Tampa Bay. They had one foot in the playoff door, but any time a team is relying on the Buccaneers, it is in trouble. Tampa Bay was never in the game and was beaten handily by the Packers, 34-19.
Green Bay's victory did more than knock out the Giants. It helped ensure that four teams from the National Conference's Central Division qualified for the post-season -- the Packers, Detroit, Minnesota and Chicago -- the first time any conference has sent four teams. It also set up an unusual situation where those four teams will make up the entire first round of the N.F.C. playoffs next weekend.
New York is out of the playoffs now, but the 66,943 fans at Giants Stadium (there were 11,069 no-shows) still seemed to love what they saw. As did the Giants players and coaches themselves; there was almost a joyous atmosphere in the locker room afterward.
"It was a great win for us," said Coach Dan Reeves. "We took care of what we had to care of."
Reeves, who did a great coaching job down the stretch, then noted what killed the Giants along the way: conference losses to teams like Detroit, Minnesota, Arizona and the Rams. Still, the Giants reached Reeves's preseason goal of 9-7 and took a positive step toward the future by handing the Cowboys their first loss in 15 division games.
"I am extremely happy for our team," Reeves said, "and for the way we ended our season."
Many of Dallas's offensive stars watched as the game wore on because Coach Barry Switzer didn't want them to be hurt for the playoffs. Still, the Giants could feel confident because even when they were on the field the Giants outplayed them. The Giants were up 10-3 at halftime, and that was with Aikman and Irvin in the game. True, Smith wasn't there, but a good Dallas defense was, and the Giants' offense, especially late in the game, was able to move the ball.
"We'll build on this," said running back David Meggett. "It was a great thing. We beat a pretty good team. I don't care what their situation was or who didn't play."
The Giants had 249 yards of total offense, 69 of which came on a 17-play monster drive the Giants used to run out the clock. The drive began on their own 15, with New York ahead by 15-10 and just over 9 minutes left. It ended with the crowd giving the Giants a standing ovation when Brown knelt to the ground at the Dallas 11. Some Giants -- as well as Dallas players -- said the Cowboys gave up on that final drive and were playing not to get hurt.
"I was kind of surprised," said fullback Kenyon Rasheed, "that we were able to run it down their throats like that."
Rodney Hampton finished with 91 yards on 26 attempts to cross the 1,000-yard barrier for the fourth straight season, becoming the first Giants back to do so.
He finished with 1,075 yards in what may have been one of his hardest seasons ever, a season in which he was hurt more times than he has ever been.
This Giants season, more than any other in recent years, will be remembered for its streaks. The Giants opened by winning three straight, then lost seven straight and were written off for dead before coming out of their coma and winning their last six. They put an exclamation point on it with their victory today against the Cowboys.
Strangely, the Giants showed the Green Bay-Tampa score just twice, once when the Packers were ahead 7-0 then again when it was 14-0. That was it. "We had an idea of the score at halftime but we really didn't know a final score until after the game," said linebacker Carlton Bailey. "It didn't even matter because we were focusing on the task at hand."
And that, of course, was Dallas. The Cowboys simply looked out of sync offensively. Aikman was 9 of 11 for 62 yards but there were several drives when the Cowboys killed themselves with holding calls or false start penalties. Defensively, Dallas played well early in the game, but toward the beginning of the second quarter, Dave Brown (11 of 19 for 141 yards and one touchdown) began to pick them apart.
Dallas took a 3-0 lead after kicker Chris Boniol connected from 37 yards out.
The Giants were struggling on offense, with only minus 1 yards after the first two drives. Then the Giants got on the board. Facing a third-and-6 at the Dallas 49, receiver Mike Sherrard, who has had a terrific season after saying he should get the ball more, ran a simple crossing pattern in front of a soft Dallas zone.
Somehow, linebacker Robert Jones ended up covering him. Mistake.
No way a linebacker can stick with the swift Sherrard, and after the catch he broke it wide open, heading into and through the secondary for the touchdown. Sherrard, who led all receivers with three catches for 65 yards on the rain soaked turf, then gave the ball to a fan in the stands. The Giants added a 38-yard field goal from Brad Daluiso, his 10th straight, and went into halftime with a 10-3 lead.
"He has been getting a lot of abuse from around the locker room for not having the jets to get into the end zone," joked Brown. "He did it this time. He was great today."
The Giants held onto their slim halftime lead until Blair Thomas, a former Jet and the backup to Smith, scored on a 1-yard run that was set up by a 52-yard punt return by Kevin Williams. But the Giants seized control of the game when linebacker Jessie Armstead knocked the ball loose from Rodney Peete on a blitz. The ball skipped out of the end zone for a safety. It was 12-10 and later 15-10 after Daluiso connected from 30 yards out.
The Giants won the game then went into the locker room and found out the Green Bay score. First, there was disappointment, but that quickly switched to optimism. "No one expected us to be in the playoffs but we had one foot in the door and to beat the world champions is a big accomplishment for us," said Brown.
Linebacker Corey Miller put it this way: "I can sleep very well tonight."
The entire organization can.
EXTRA POINTS
The only significant Giants injury was to safety TITO WOOTEN, who sprained his left foot. . . . With his 30 yards on punt returns today, DAVID MEGGETT became the Giants' career leader with 2,230. He moved past EMLEN TUNNELL (2,206).
