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A few weeks ago, I noted that the Dallas Cowboys were in the driver's seat for their 2011 NFC East destiny. Play well, and win the games they were supposed to, and a playoff berth was all but a lock for Dallas. Play lackluster football, and nothing was guaranteed. Depending on who you were rooting for on Sunday night, the season ended either in embarrassing fashion or in a way eerily similar to the last championship season for an NFC East team.

Credit: Alan Maglaque-US PRESSWIRE

Needing a win to clinch a spot in the playoffs, the Cowboys offense showed up late, and their defense didn't show up at all. Tony Romo had a solid game, but the Giants’ pass rush necessitated quick, short passes and few shots downfield. Dallas' offensive line was consistently outclassed by Osi Umeniyora (fresh off of an injury), and the superhuman Jason Pierre-Paul. Pro Bowlers DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff were consistently double-teamed, while the Dallas secondary couldn't cover their own mouths if they sneezed.

While the Giants made big plays on third down, the Cowboys faltered and punted the ball away. While the Giants made the most of their opportunities, Dallas did not — including missing a field goal, and a shot at three separate loose ball turnovers. While the Giants seemed confident and poised, the Cowboys were disorganized and confused.

Tom Coughlin had his team ready to play at the top of its game this weekend. Jason Garrett, on the other hand, looked like a deer in headlights.

Terrence Newman, long over-paid and overmatched after a few injury-plagued seasons, and Gerald Sensabaugh, recently given a big new contract by Jerry Jones (doing his best "WTF AL DAVIS?!" impression), gave up big play after big play to Victor Cruz. Cruz, despite his meteoric rise as one of the top receivers in all of the NFL, should hardly have been a surprise to the Cowboys, assuming they prepared for the game. They had zero plans and zero execution to neutralize the Giants' best player.

Tom Coughlin, who many in New York wrote off when the Giants tanked in the standings during a 1-5 stretch, coached with the same consistent and steady hand he always has. Never bragging, never talking a big game, and always one to rip apart a player with a "Me first" attitude, Coughlin had his team ready to play at the top of its game this weekend. Jason Garrett, on the other hand, looked like a deer in headlights, and ran an unbalanced play selection. Rob Ryan ran his mouth and followed his brother's wildly overhyped and unsuccessful game plan of blitzing more players as the score deficit increased.

Now Ryan, his brother Rex, and the entire Cowboys team can sit around and boast about how well they watch legitimate teams play in the postseason from their overstuffed couches.

Maybe Tony Romo can play golf.

Credit: Jim O’Connor-US PRESSWIRE

In comparing the Cowboys with the New York Giants, both in their head-to-head matchups and during the course of their separate seasons, the two teams could not be any more different. The Giants this season have tended to play down to their competition, but could still turn up their effort and their performances in the big games against the Cowboys. As they have for years, the Giants didn’t just talk (I'm looking at you, Justin Tuck) about the Cowboys being a hated rival—they played like it too. It was almost as if the Giants made the statement, “We don't care if we're 15-1 or 1-15, we will not lose to the Cowboys.” They willed themselves to win.

There was no do-or-die attitude on the Cowboys' sideline or on the field. With time winding down in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys actually punted the ball away trailing by two scores. Yes they were in their own territory, but there were only five-plus minutes left in the game. Give the ball back to the opponent? It's as if the Cowboys quit right then and there, if they didn't already before the opening kickoff.

Bear Pascoe hurdled defenders. Hakeem Nicks sealed off big blocks on two touchdowns—one rushing for Ahmad Bradshaw and one passing for Cruz. Eli Manning stood tall in the face of pressure—when he saw it—and made huge plays on third down to keep his team moving.

Worth emphasizing on Manning: despite the well-deserved praise for Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady all making history or breaking franchise records, Manning had one of his best and most consistent seasons of his career. Manning continues to throw, in this writer's opinion, the best deep ball in the NFL. He also did this behind an offensive line that was revamped about a week before the season started, an injured and underachieving running game, and the loss of two of his top receivers from the year prior.

Romo had a good year statistically in his own right, but will continue to take undeserved flak for the Cowboys floundering at the end of the season. Miles Austin, hurt some weeks and losing a ball "in the lights" in the last game against the Giants, had a few awful drops in the season finale. No one player stepped up and took it upon themselves to rescue the season for Dallas. Many, if not most, contributed to its loss.

The Giants enter the 2011 playoffs with a dangerous amount of momentum, clicking at the right time on offense, and getting healthy on defense for maybe the first time all year. The last time the Giants made the playoffs was as self-proclaimed Road Warriors, the 2008 Super Bowl winning team. That year, they defeated a highly-praised team, handing the Patriots their first and only loss of the season in the championship game. This year, before the playoffs have even begun, the Giants sent another hyped team home for the season—this time one that wanted all of the accolades but earned none.