Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants: 2020 Week 17 Recap

Game story

In Week 17 of the 2020 NFL season on 2021-01-03, the New York Giants took care of business against the Dallas Cowboys, pulling away with a 23–19 final that stayed a one-score game deep into the second half.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 20 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

A. Dalton (Dallas Cowboys) paced the passing game, with -6.05 total EPA, and -6.2% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, S. Shepard (New York Giants) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +5.39 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-38.9% win probability) landed in the fourth quarter when Dallas Cowboys changed the game: (1:24) (Shotgun) 14-A.Dalton pass deep middle intended for 86-D.Schultz INTERCEPTED by 29-X.McKinney [99-L.Williams] at NYG -5. Touchback.

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 S. Shepard · New York Giants · Receiving · +5.39 total EPA · 10 snaps · +0.54 EPA/play
2. 2 S. Shepard · New York Giants · Rushing · +4.05 total EPA · 2 snaps · +2.03 EPA/play
3. 3 D. Pettis · New York Giants · Receiving · +3.97 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.99 EPA/play
4. 4 D. Jones · New York Giants · Passing · +3.86 total EPA · 31 snaps · +0.12 EPA/play
5. 5 A. Dalton · Dallas Cowboys · Rushing · +3.55 total EPA · 3 snaps · +1.18 EPA/play
6. 6 E. Elliott · Dallas Cowboys · Receiving · +1.48 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.37 EPA/play
7. 7 A. Mack · New York Giants · Receiving · +1.16 total EPA · 1 snaps · +1.16 EPA/play
8. 8 L. Toilolo · New York Giants · Receiving · +0.95 total EPA · 1 snaps · +0.95 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• New York Giants — S. Shepard (Q1 56:55)
• New York Giants — S. Shepard (D. Jones pass) (Q2 36:49)
• New York Giants — D. Pettis (D. Jones pass) (Q2 30:52)
• Dallas Cowboys — E. Elliott (Q3 23:44)

Field goals

• Dallas Cowboys — G. Zuerlein (Q1 50:07)
• Dallas Cowboys — G. Zuerlein (Q2 32:18)
• Dallas Cowboys — G. Zuerlein (Q2 30:04)
• Dallas Cowboys — G. Zuerlein (Q4 14:20)
• New York Giants — G. Gano (Q4 6:32)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: New York Giants won the period 6–3. New York Giants found the end zone from the DAL 23 (Q1 56:55) — (11:55) 87-S.Shepard right end for 23 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Dallas Cowboys connected on a field goal from the NYG 20 (Q1 50:07) — (5:07) 2-G.Zuerlein 38 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-1-H.Niswander..

The second quarter: New York Giants won the period 14–6. New York Giants found the end zone from the DAL 10 (Q2 36:49) — (6:49) 8-D.Jones pass short left to 87-S.Shepard for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New York Giants added 1 points from the DAL 15 (Q2 36:42) — 5-G.Gano extra point is GOOD, Center-58-C.Kreiter, Holder-9-R.Dixon.; Dallas Cowboys connected on a field goal from the NYG 28 (Q2 32:18) — (2:18) 2-G.Zuerlein 46 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-1-H.Niswander.; New York Giants found the end zone from the DAL 33 (Q2 30:52); New York Giants added 1 points from the DAL 15 (Q2 30:45) — 5-G.Gano extra point is GOOD, Center-58-C.Kreiter, Holder-9-R.Dixon.; Dallas Cowboys connected on a field goal from the NYG 38 (Q2 30:04) — (:04) 2-G.Zuerlein 57 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-1-H.Niswander..

The third quarter: Dallas Cowboys won the period 7–0. Dallas Cowboys found the end zone from the NYG 1 (Q3 23:44) — (8:44) 21-E.Elliott right guard for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; Dallas Cowboys added 1 points from the NYG 15 (Q3 23:39) — 2-G.Zuerlein extra point is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-1-H.Niswander..

The fourth quarter: The quarter finished even at 3–3. Dallas Cowboys connected on a field goal from the NYG 18 (Q4 14:20) — (14:20) 2-G.Zuerlein 36 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-1-H.Niswander.; New York Giants connected on a field goal from the DAL 32 (Q4 6:32) — (6:32) 5-G.Gano 50 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-58-C.Kreiter, Holder-9-R.Dixon..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Dallas Cowboys (Q4 1:24) — (1:24) (Shotgun) 14-A.Dalton pass deep middle intended for 86-D.Schultz INTERCEPTED by 29-X.McKinney [99-L.Williams] at NYG -5. Touchback. [WPA -38.9% · EPA -2.70]
• Dallas Cowboys (Q4 2:32) — (2:32) (Shotgun) 14-A.Dalton left end ran ob at NYG 23 for 11 yards (29-X.McKinney). [WPA +24.1% · EPA +2.65]
• New York Giants (Q1 52:18) — (7:18) 8-D.Jones FUMBLES (Aborted) at NYG 23, RECOVERED by DAL-24-C.Awuzie at NYG 27. [WPA -11.8% · EPA -5.56]
• Dallas Cowboys (Q3 16:54) — (1:54) (Shotgun) 14-A.Dalton pass short middle to 86-D.Schultz to NYG 24 for 8 yards (21-J.Peppers). [WPA +10.7% · EPA +1.48]
• Dallas Cowboys (Q4 15:00) — (15:00) (Shotgun) 14-A.Dalton sacked at NYG 18 for -8 yards (51-K.Fackrell). [WPA -10.6% · EPA -1.15]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• New York Giants (Q1 52:18) — (7:18) 8-D.Jones FUMBLES (Aborted) at NYG 23, RECOVERED by DAL-24-C.Awuzie at NYG 27. [WPA -11.8% · EPA -5.56]
• New York Giants (Q2 30:52) — (:52) (Shotgun) 8-D.Jones pass deep middle to 13-D.Pettis for 33 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Penalty on DAL-58-A.Smith, Illegal Use of Hands, declined. The Replay Official reviewed the runner was not down by co [WPA +4.2% · EPA +3.94]
• New York Giants (Q3 28:27) — (13:27) (Shotgun) 8-D.Jones pass short middle intended for 88-E.Engram INTERCEPTED by 37-D.Wilson at DAL 43. 37-D.Wilson to NYG 42 for 15 yards (86-D.Slayton; 87-S.Shepard). PENALTY on DAL-24-C.Awuzie [WPA -5.7% · EPA -3.79]
• Dallas Cowboys (Q4 1:24) — (1:24) (Shotgun) 14-A.Dalton pass deep middle intended for 86-D.Schultz INTERCEPTED by 29-X.McKinney [99-L.Williams] at NYG -5. Touchback. [WPA -38.9% · EPA -2.70]

Quarterback report card

A.Dalton led all passers in efficiency for Dallas Cowboys, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• A.Dalton (Dallas Cowboys) · 59 dropbacks · 49.2% completion · -6.2% CPOE · -0.10 EPA/play · -6.05 total EPA
• D.Jones (New York Giants) · 31 dropbacks · 54.8% completion · +4.2% CPOE · +0.12 EPA/play · +3.86 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Both offenses finished within striking distance on EPA per play (Dallas Cowboys -0.04, New York Giants -0.04) — a true toss-up on the analytics sheet.

• Dallas Cowboys: 12 drives, -4.48 total EPA, 5 scoring drives
• New York Giants: 12 drives, -2.56 total EPA, 4 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• New York Giants leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• S. Shepard (New York Giants) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• A. Dalton (DAL) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.
• D. Jones (NYG) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. New York Giants TD (+6) — Q1 56:55 · DAL 23 · Score 0-6
   (11:55) 87-S.Shepard right end for 23 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
2. Dallas Cowboys FG (+3) — Q1 50:07 · NYG 20 · Score 3-6
   (5:07) 2-G.Zuerlein 38 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-1-H.Niswander.
3. New York Giants TD (+6) — Q2 36:49 · DAL 10 · Score 3-12
   (6:49) 8-D.Jones pass short left to 87-S.Shepard for 10 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
4. New York Giants XP (+1) — Q2 36:42 · DAL 15 · Score 3-13
   5-G.Gano extra point is GOOD, Center-58-C.Kreiter, Holder-9-R.Dixon.
5. Dallas Cowboys FG (+3) — Q2 32:18 · NYG 28 · Score 6-13
   (2:18) 2-G.Zuerlein 46 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-1-H.Niswander.
6. New York Giants TD (+6) — Q2 30:52 · DAL 33 · Score 6-19
   (:52) (Shotgun) 8-D.Jones pass deep middle to 13-D.Pettis for 33 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Penalty on DAL-58-A.Smith, Illegal Use of Hands, declined. The Replay Officia
7. New York Giants XP (+1) — Q2 30:45 · DAL 15 · Score 6-20
   5-G.Gano extra point is GOOD, Center-58-C.Kreiter, Holder-9-R.Dixon.
8. Dallas Cowboys FG (+3) — Q2 30:04 · NYG 38 · Score 9-20
   (:04) 2-G.Zuerlein 57 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-1-H.Niswander.
9. Dallas Cowboys TD (+6) — Q3 23:44 · NYG 1 · Score 15-20
   (8:44) 21-E.Elliott right guard for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
10. Dallas Cowboys XP (+1) — Q3 23:39 · NYG 15 · Score 16-20
    2-G.Zuerlein extra point is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-1-H.Niswander.
11. Dallas Cowboys FG (+3) — Q4 14:20 · NYG 18 · Score 19-20
    (14:20) 2-G.Zuerlein 36 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-91-L.Ladouceur, Holder-1-H.Niswander.
12. New York Giants FG (+3) — Q4 6:32 · DAL 32 · Score 19-23
    (6:32) 5-G.Gano 50 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-58-C.Kreiter, Holder-9-R.Dixon.