‘Cowboys need mental toughness against New York Giants,’ says former star Emmitt Smith – NFL News
Former Dallas Cowboys’ star, Emmitt Smith, said on Thursday that his team will need mental toughness if it wants to win the do-or-die game against New York Giants on Sunday.
The winner of the game will reach the playoffs as the National Football Conference (NFC) East division leader.
Smith, who was a part of team that won the Super Bowl in 1993, has praised the current team, but questioned their ability to perform under pressure.
The Cowboys have lost seven games this season. Out of them, four were given away in the last quarter.
In the first game of the season, the Cowboys had a lead against New York Jets. They increased it in the fourth quarter to create a deficit of 14 points. However, the Jets managed to score two touchdowns and a field goal to take the game away.
During the week-four game against Detroit Lions, the Cowboys were in-charge, 30-17, at the end of third quarter. The last quarter of the game saw the Lions scoring two touchdowns and a field goal and eventually winning the game.
The same happened against New England Patriots. The Cowboys had a lead, 16-13, in the fourth quarter, but with less than 30 seconds on the clock, the Patriots scored a touchdown to overcome the Cowboys.
The recent failure was registered against the Giants. The Cowboys had a 12-point lead with less than five minutes on the clock, but two touchdowns from the Giants saw them through.
The lack in the ability to maintain the lead in the final quarter is what Smith thinks the Cowboys should work on. he said:
“Do they have enough? Probably not. Can they go up to New York and be mentally tough in this situation?”
He added:
“I think Jason (Garrett) has done a very good job of preparing the guys to be physically and hopefully mentally tough, but I think mental toughness is the thing needed in games like this. Mental toughness for four quarters or five quarters, if you have to
go that far. But that's something our Cowboys have not been able to do in close games.”
On the other hand, Cowboys’ executive vice president, Stephen Jones, and quarterback, Tony Romo, have strongly opposed Smith’s opinion and said that the team is ready to face the Giants and the players are tough enough to handle the pressure towards the
end of the game.
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