NFL game summary for 12/02/1979:
Roger Staubach connected with Drew Pearson on three scoring passes to help the Cowboys end a three-game losing streak. Pearson scored on passes of 7, 8 and 44 yards and caught five passes overall for 88 yards. Tony Dorsett became the second player -- John Brockington is the other -- to rush for over 1,000 yards in his first three seasons, gaining 108 yards on 29 carries to give him 1,071 yards on the year. The Cowboys' defense registered five sacks and held the Giants to 197 yards total offense. The win kept Dallas tied with Washington for second place in the NFC East.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 113.2 (22) | 127.2 (27) | 240.4 (28) | 27 |
| DEFENSE | 141.8 (20) | 186.6 (18) | 328.4 (18) | 34 | |
 | OFFENSE | 142.2 (12) | 231.5 (3) | 373.7 (2) | 33 |
| DEFENSE | 133.8 (12) | 157.6 (6) | 291.4 (8) | 20 |
Line: Cowboys by 10½
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants (6-8-0) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Dallas Cowboys (9-5-0) | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
( 7- 0) NYG Billy Taylor 2 yard rush (Joe Danelo kick) ( 7- 7) DAL Drew Pearson 7 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septien kick) ( 7-14) DAL Drew Pearson 8 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septien kick) ( 7-21) DAL Drew Pearson 44 yard pass from Roger Staubach (Rafael Septien kick) ( 7-28) DAL Tony Dorsett 1 yard rush (Rafael Septien kick)
NYG DAL
First Downs: 14 21
Rushes-yards: 31-99 44-166
Yards/rush: 3.2 3.8
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 9-15-130-1 11-19-174-0
Sacked-yards: 5-32 3-24
Net pass yards: 98 150
Net yards/pass: 4.9 6.8
Total net yards: 197 316
Total plays: 51 (60% run) 66 (66% run)
Yards/play: 3.9 4.8
Fumbles-lost: 2-2 1-0
Turnovers: 3 0
Penalties-yards: 5-75 4-30
Attendance: 63,787
Passing:
NYG: Phil Simms, 9 of 15 for 130 yards (1 int) DAL: Roger Staubach, 10 of 18 for 164 yards and 3 TDs; Danny White, 1 of 1 for 10 yards
Rushing:
NYG: Billy Taylor, 24 for 69 yards and 1 TD; Ken Johnson, 6 for 27 yards; Phil Simms, 1 for 3 yards DAL: Tony Dorsett, 29 for 108 yards and 1 TD; Robert Newhouse, 10 for 48 yards; Ron Springs, 2 for 6 yards; Larry Brinson, 2 for 3 yards; Scott Laidlaw, 1 for 1 yard
Receiving:
NYG: Billy Taylor, 3 for 20 yards; Gary Shirk, 2 for 66 yards; Jim Robinson, 2 for 20 yards; Ken Johnson, 1 for 15 yards; Earnest Gray, 1 for 9 yards DAL: Drew Pearson, 5 for 88 yards and 3 TDs; Jay Saldi, 2 for 21 yards; Ron Springs, 1 for 27 yards; Tony Dorsett, 1 for 17 yards; Tony Hill, 1 for 11 yards; Steve Wilson, 1 for 10 yards
Kick returns:
NYG: Steve Odom, 3 for 54 yards; Jim Robinson, 1 for 30 yards; Eddie Hicks, 1 for 21 yards DAL: Ron Springs, 2 for 45 yards
Punt returns:
NYG: Steve Odom, 1 for 7 yards DAL: Steve Wilson, 2 for 20 yards; Wade Manning, 1 for 13 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Cliff Harris, 1 for 20 yards
Punting:
NYG: Dave Jennings, 6 for 231 yards DAL: Danny White, 3 for 115 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Rafael Septien, 0/3
NYG: Phil Simms, 9 of 15 for 130 yards (1 int) DAL: Roger Staubach, 10 of 18 for 164 yards and 3 TDs; Danny White, 1 of 1 for 10 yards
Rushing:
NYG: Billy Taylor, 24 for 69 yards and 1 TD; Ken Johnson, 6 for 27 yards; Phil Simms, 1 for 3 yards DAL: Tony Dorsett, 29 for 108 yards and 1 TD; Robert Newhouse, 10 for 48 yards; Ron Springs, 2 for 6 yards; Larry Brinson, 2 for 3 yards; Scott Laidlaw, 1 for 1 yard
Receiving:
NYG: Billy Taylor, 3 for 20 yards; Gary Shirk, 2 for 66 yards; Jim Robinson, 2 for 20 yards; Ken Johnson, 1 for 15 yards; Earnest Gray, 1 for 9 yards DAL: Drew Pearson, 5 for 88 yards and 3 TDs; Jay Saldi, 2 for 21 yards; Ron Springs, 1 for 27 yards; Tony Dorsett, 1 for 17 yards; Tony Hill, 1 for 11 yards; Steve Wilson, 1 for 10 yards
Kick returns:
NYG: Steve Odom, 3 for 54 yards; Jim Robinson, 1 for 30 yards; Eddie Hicks, 1 for 21 yards DAL: Ron Springs, 2 for 45 yards
Punt returns:
NYG: Steve Odom, 1 for 7 yards DAL: Steve Wilson, 2 for 20 yards; Wade Manning, 1 for 13 yards
Interceptions:
DAL: Cliff Harris, 1 for 20 yards
Punting:
NYG: Dave Jennings, 6 for 231 yards DAL: Danny White, 3 for 115 yards
Field Goals:
DAL: Rafael Septien, 0/3