Giants beat Cowboys to win NFC East
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The New York Giants are headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
The Dallas Cowboys head into the offseason wondering what went wrong after a late-season collapse.
Eli Manning threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns, Victor Cruz shredded the Dallas defense for 178 yards and the Giants captured the NFC East with a 31-14 win in the NFL's regular season finale Sunday night.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Manning connected on 24-of-33 throws while Cruz had six catches, including a 74-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter.
The Giants (9-7) earned the No. 4 seed in the conference and will host Atlanta next Sunday at 1 p.m. (et).
Sunday's win came three weeks after the Giants rallied from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to shock the Cowboys, 37-34.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In this winner-take-all game at Met Life Stadium, Tom Coughlin's squad raced out to a 21-point lead in the first half and saw it trimmed to a touchdown in the fourth quarter before pulling away.
Tony Romo, despite an injured right hand, connected on 29-of-37 passes for 289 yards with a pair of touchdowns and an interception, but the Cowboys (8-8) lost for the fourth time in five games to miss out on the postseason.