Anderson Hits Pay Dirt Again in Giant Win

All Morten Andersen wanted in his 300th game was a chance to do what he’s done for 20 NFL seasons--win a game.

Andersen got it in overtime, and he didn’t let the slumping New York Giants down.

Andersen kicked a 42-yard field goal with 7:48 left in the extra period, and the Giants rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit to beat the Dallas Cowboys, 27-24, Sunday.

“They gave me a paycheck,” said Anderson, who was signed by the Giants just before the start of the season. “I guess I earned it.”

The kick was Andersen’s 29th game-winning field goal, including his fifth in overtime.

Moments before the final drive, the 41-year-old Anderson stood on the sidelines and spoke with quarterback Kerry Collins and halfback Tiki Barber.

“Just get me down there; we’ll win this thing,” Andersen recalled saying. “You have to instill confidence. I can do that being around a long time. I’m not a big rah-rah guy. You show by example.”

The Giants (4-4) showed a lot about themselves in ending a three-game losing streak and ending a two-game winning streak by Dallas (2-5).

“It definitely was a relief,” said Collins, who completed 24 of 34 for 280 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns as New York fell behind, 24-7, at the half.

“Whether this catapults us in the second half is another issue,” Collins added. “It certainly can’t hurt. We’ve been struggling to find ways to win.”

The loss was brutal for the Cowboys. Their locker room was almost silent after the game.

“We had an opportunity in the second half to put it away and we didn’t,” Cowboy Coach Dave Campo said. “That’s a learning experience.” The defending NFC champion Giants made all the big plays in the second half in staging their best comeback since rallying from a 17-0 halftime deficit to beat San Francisco, 21-17, on Dec. 1, 1986.

New York picked off Clint Stoerner four times, and they blocked a punt to set up Collins’ nine-yard touchdown pass to Ike Hilliard that tied it in the fourth quarter. The defense also stopped Dallas on the first possession of the overtime, allowing Collins to drive New York 61 yards in eight plays, the big one being a third-down, 33-yard pass to Hilliard. Collins also threw touchdown passes of four and 34 yards to Joe Jurevicius.

Stoerner, replaced late in the fourth quarter by Ryan Leaf, threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Joey Galloway on a day Dallas showed some signs of having the old Doomsday Defense of the glory days, at least for a half.

Linebacker Dexter Coakley scored on a 29-yard interception early in the second quarter, and Mario Edwards returned another interception 71 yards late in the half, giving the Cowboys a big lead.

The momentum changed after a touchdown pass from Stoerner to Jackie Harris was nullified by a questionable pass interference call against Raghib Ismail for an illegal pick. Will Peterson intercepted Stoerner’s next pass, giving the Giants new life.