Today we were better at finding spaces

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Maybe instead of looking at what the Cowboys have been doing to the rest of the league, NFL teams should look at what the Giants did to the Cowboys this season.And who knows, maybe what New York could do again should they meet in the playoffs.Dallas offense ripped through nearly every opponent during an 11-game winning streak that began after a 20-19 home loss to New York in the season opener. That string ended under the powerful pressure the Giants applied on defense Sunday night: a strong pass rush; sticky coverage of the Cowboys star receivers, Dez Bryant and tight end Jason Witten; and three takeaways.Tampa Bay, Detroit and Philadelphia, the Cowboys final three opponents, surely will take note.The Cowboys have put their stamp on victories all year by jumping to leads and pounding opponents with sensational rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott. Dak Prescott has made all the right decisions and plenty of big plays. The defense has been far less dynamic, but not a liability.That formula earned them the leagues first playoff clinching last week and could have gotten them a first-round bye with a victory over the Giants at MetLife Stadium. Except the formula got squished by the Giants, 10-7.While theres no reason to panic in Big D, the Cowboys main public speaker, owner Jerry Jones, hoped the loss would provide a cautionary tale.As a team, we will react to this loss against a physical Giants team and get better, Jones said. Were not going to let this do anything but improve us.I like our players tools. We were inconsistent tonight. Im giving the Giants the credit for creating that inconsistency.Jones smiled when the inevitable question came of whether Tony Romos role will change after Prescott struggled mightily in the Meadowlands. Dallas went an abysmal 1 for 15 on third downs and gained a season-low 260 yards.No, he said with emphasis.Although the Cowboys have a big lead in the NFC with three games remaining, Jones knows they are treading a thin line when relying on rookies as major contributors. Of course, Elliott and Prescott appear to be special rookies.He was careful to praise the Giants and then emphasize the good elements he saw from his team. All of those, given the score, were on defense.We played a well-coached team and effective team out there, Jones said. A lot of the credit goes to the Giants for what we didnt do offensively like we needed to do. They had a good way to defense us, and they did.I thought our defense played as well as I have seen them play this year. Thats encouraging as we go into these last few games.And he was quick to restate his unwavering confidence in the kids.These guys are sound, Jones said. Were proud of our guys.`Weve seen Dak have a bad series or what Id call challenging series and come back and right the ship. We have no expectations that he wont come back. I like our players tools.As he should. They are, after all, 11-2 and likely to earn the top seed in the conference. They are, at the very least, a leading contender to reach their first Super Bowl since that other JJ (Jimmy Johnson) built a squad that Barry Switzer coached to the 1995 NFL title.But Jones, coach Jason Garrett and his staff also must recognize that come January, any vulnerabilities will be exposed if they havent been address and minimized, if not eliminated.We have a lot of fighters in that room, Garrett said. We have to build on the good, clean up the bad, and move forward.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Radoslav Nesterovic Jersey . In the response filed Wednesday to the complaint by 30-year-old Alexander Bradley, attorneys say the former University of Florida player is invoking his Fifth Amendment right that protects people from incriminating themselves. Jordan Bell Jersey . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. https://www.cheaptimberwolves.com/380j-joe-smith-jersey-timberwolves.html . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. Jaylen Nowell Jersey . Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought taking him out before the fifth inning was an unusual move. "Im looking up at the board and hes got two hits given up and one run, and Im taking him out after the fourth inning," Roenicke said. Cheap Timberwolves Jerseys . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. ZAGREB, Croatia -- Juventus big summer signings proved their worth as Miralem Pjanic and Gonzalo Higuain helped the Italian side to a 4-0 win at Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Tuesday.Pjanic scored one and set up another to put Juventus firmly in charge at halftime. Paulo Dybala and Dani Alves sealed matters after the break.Juventus moved top of Group H, level on points with Sevilla after the Spanish side beat Lyon 1-0. Dinamo, which lost 3-0 at Lyon in the first round of fixtures, remained bottom.After a massive outlay in the offseason on new players, a sixth successive Serie A title seemed a foregone conclusion for Juventus, while great things were also expected in the Champions League from the Turin club, which finished runners-up in 2015.Juventus leads Serie A but it has not all been plain sailing for Massimiliano Allegris team, and it drew 0-0 at home to Sevilla in its opening match in Europes elite club competition.Weve been together for 40 days and were working well, but we need a bit of time because there are new players to fit in, Allegri said.The risk this year is that we break with tradition: there could be the illusion that, having signed great players, we can easily win all the matches. Instead, we have to keep our usual attitude. Keeping our feet on the ground is the most important thing, not losing sight of our aims and working hard.Juventus is already without several key players because of long-term injuries and there were fears another would be added to the list when Pjanic, who had to receive treatment following an early challenge, was substituted at halftime.But the Bosnia and Herzegovina midfielder, who signed for 32 million euros ($36 million) from Roma in the offseason, is confident of recovering in time for the weekend.Today we were better at finding spaces, we followed Allegris instructions and you ssaw the results, Pjanic said.ddddddddddddI took a knock on the calf, but I hope to recover as soon as possible and be on the pitch at Empoli.Juventus dominated from the start and broke the deadlock in the 24th minute after Dinamo defenders Gordon Schildenfeld and Leonardo Sigali got in each others way. Sigali attempted to head Leonardo Bonuccis ball back to his goalkeeper, Pjanic nipped in behind and slotted the ball into the bottom right corner.Schildenfeld almost immediately atoned for his error with Dinamos best chance of the match but headed Domagoj Antolics free kick onto the crossbar with Gianluigi Buffon beaten.Pjanic helped Juventus double its lead in the 31st with a stunning pass for Higuain to chest down and volley into the bottom far corner.Higuain transferred from rival Napoli for 90 million euros ($99 million) after scoring 36 goals last campaign to break a 66-year-old Serie A record.Dinamo was offering little resistance and Dybala extended Juves lead with a stunning strike, sending the ball swerving into the top near corner from more than 30 yards (meters).Dani Alves, who was also signed in the offseason, had done little of note all match but he got on the scoresheet five minutes from time with a deflected free kick.Dinamo goalkeeper Adrian Semper was wrongfooted by the deflection and although the 18-year-old managed to get a hand to the ball, he couldnt keep it out.The only moment for Dinamo fans to cheer was when former player Marko Pjaca, who scored 12 goals for the Croatian side last season, came on as a substitute in the 68th minute for Juventus.Pjaca, who is yet to score for Juventus, also helped Dinamo reach the group stage with two goals in a preliminary round match against FK Vardar. 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