EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Eli Manning threw three touchdown passes, and the New York Giants won an all-or-nothing game to claim the final spot in the NFL playoffs, beating the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 on Sunday night.
On NFL Network
"NFL Replay" will re-air the Giants' 31-14 win over the Cowboys on Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 8 p.m. ET.
The regular season went down to the last game, and it was coach Tom Coughlin's Giants (9-7) who won the NFC East and returned to the postseason for the first time since 2008.
The loss left Jerry Jones' Cowboys (8-8) out of the playoffs for the second straight year.
New York won three of its final four games and earned a wild-card home game next Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons (10-6).
The Cowboys lost four of their final five games in their first full season under coach Jason Garrett.
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press