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Quick Take: Cowboys get boost from unlikely source

Around the League editor Gregg Rosenthal has his takeaways from the game:

» The Cowboys faced questions all offseason about their lack of a No. 3 receiver. Kevin Ogletree answered all those questions. In a battle of supposed weaknesses, Ogletree consistently won his one-on-one matchups against a thin Giants secondary. Eight catches, 114 yards, and two scores later Dallas has a new Laurent Robinson.

» Tony Romo got poor protection, but did a great job escaping the rush to improvise plays. Even better, Romo kept identifying the blitz and changing plays at the line of scrimmage to find the right matchup. He mercilessly picked on Giants cornerback Justin Tryon when starter Michael Coe got hurt in the second half. Romo's 307-yard, three-score night showed a lot of maturity.

» DeMarco Murray was bottled up and hit by Mathias Kiwanuka and Justin Tuck before breaking out for a 48-yard run in the second half. Murray's 131 yards were about effort and talent; the blocking was poor. Dallas' star players were simply better.

» The combination of Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr paid big dividends. Claiborne did a nice job tracking Hakeem Nicks all night. Carr gave up one big play, but was solid otherwise. Cowboys fans have to be thrilled to have a suddenly competent secondary.

» Jason Pierre-Paul was fantastic, but New York's defensive line depth is lacking early this season because of injuries. They were gassed in the second half and it showed. Their last defensive stop was with 35 minutes left.

» While the Cowboys' stars mostly won their matchups, Victor Cruz struggled for Big Blue. He dropped three passes and committed two penalties.

» Tom Coughlin didn't let rookie running back David Wilson touch the ball again after an early fumble.

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