The Cowboys had not had a running back with a 100-yard game since Tony Pollard ran for 122 yards against the Cardinals on September 24, 2023. Rico Dowdle finally broke the franchise record of 25 games on Thursday.

Dowdle ran for 112 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries to lead the Cowboys to a 27-20 victory over the Giants.

The Cowboys’ second straight win improved their record to 5-7, while the Giants lost their seventh straight game and fell to 2-10. It’s the ninth time in 11 years that the Giants have lost games by double digits.

Injuries, penalties and missed throws ruined the Giants’ surprise success. They lost defensive tackles Dexter Lawrence (elbow) and Rakeem Nunez-Roches (stinger) to injuries; They committed 13 penalties for 98 yards; and they had two turnovers, which the Cowboys used for two of their three touchdowns.

The Giants got nearly within a touchdown on Drew Lock’s 8-yard run with 2:18 left, but the Giants never saw the ball again. The Cowboys faced a third-and-2 at their own 38 after the 2-minute warning, and Cooper Rush threw a 3-yard pass to Brandin Cooks.

This allowed the Cowboys to finish in winning formation.

The Cowboys sacked Lock six times, including 1.5 by Micah Parsons, and forced the quarterback into two turnovers. Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown had a 23-yard pick-six, deflecting Lock’s pass to himself and outrunning Devin Singletary to the end zone. Overshown also recovered Lock’s fumble, forced by Eric Kendricks at the Giants’ 38th.

The Cowboys outscored the Giants 317 to 247, with Cooper Rush going 21 of 36 for 195 yards with a touchdown. KaVontae Turpin had four catches for 53 yards and Cooks, playing his first game since Week 4, had three catches for 16 yards and a touchdown.

CeeDee Lamb finished the game on the sideline, and although the Cowboys did not provide an injury update, it appeared the wide receiver’s shoulder injury aggravated in the second half.

Lock ran for 57 yards on four carries and completed 21 of 32 passes for 178 yards and one interception. Malik Nabers caught eight passes for 69 yards.