Penalty flags fly fast against Giants, who were set back 160 yards in overtime loss to Cowboys

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The penalty flags were flying in a hurry against the New York Giants.

Even before backup left tackle James Hudson III was penalized four times in a span of six snaps on the game's opening possession, the Giants had started at their 20 instead of the Dallas 32 after a holding penalty wiped out a 67-yard kickoff return to start Sunday's game.

New York was penalized 14 times for 160 yards in their 40-37 overtime loss to the Cowboys. That was their most penalty yards since 175 against the Boston Yanks on Oct. 19, 1947.

“Yeah, it's hard to win the game when you've got that many penalties for that many yards,” receiver Wan'Dale Robinson said. “But it was still good to see that we were able to put up that many points with that many penalties.”

And those final numbers don't even include four singular penalties that were declined by Dallas, and another play when there were three flags against the Giants defense offset by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb in the end zone.

“We had a number of them, some physical penalties, some offsides,” coach Brian Daboll said. “Far too many.”

Dallas also had a lot, getting penalized 12 times for 106 yards.

The 160 yards for the Giants were the most marked off against any NFL team since the Cowboys had 166 yards in penalties in a Thanksgiving Day game against the Raiders on Nov. 25, 2021.

New York was penalized for the last time with about 9 1/2 minutes remaining in regulation in a game that went the entire 10-minute overtime period before Brandon Aubrey's winning 46-yard field goal.

Aubrey kicked a tying 64-yarder to end regulation after the teams combined for five consecutive go-ahead TDs in the final 12 minutes of the fourth quarter. That included Dak Prescott and Russell Wilson both throwing touchdown passes in the final minute.

On the opening drive Sunday, the Giants gained 110 yards — they finished with 506 — but had to settle for Graham Gano’s 38-yard field goal. They had six penalties for 60 yards that drive alone, including two 15-yarders against Hudson.

The biggest flag on that opening possession was the second unsportsmanlike conduct call of the drive against Hudson on Russell Wilson’s 50-yard pass to Robinson on third-and-24. The flag was after a play that put the Giants at the Dallas 2-yard line, so the penalty pushed them back to the 17.

The second of two false start penalties against Hudson contributing to the drive stalling, which led to Gano’s kick.

Hudson was replaced on the second New York series. He was starting in place of Andrew Thomas, who was inactive with a foot injury. Marcus Mbow, listed as the backup right tackle, replaced Hudson.

“We were moving the ball. ... So he finished it out," Daboll said, when asked if he considered making the switch during the opening drive. “Hudson's a competitor. He's a competitive kid.”

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AP Pro Football Writer Schuyler Dixon contributed to this report.

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