By Scott Garbarini, Associate NFL Editor

(Sports Network) - The New York Giants were able to end a lengthy playoff losing streak last week. Now, the Dallas Cowboys will be the ones attempting to break out of a long postseason drought when these two rivals square off this Sunday in an intriguing NFC Division Playoff matchup at Texas Stadium.

It's been more than 11 years since the Cowboys' last playoff victory, a 40-15 home triumph over Minnesota in the Wild Card round on December 28, 1996. Dallas has lost five consecutive postseason games and gone through four different head coaches since that win, which came under the regime of Barry Switzer.

Then again, the Cowboys haven't had a team as successful as this one over the last decade. Dallas' 13-3 record entering Sunday's showdown tied a franchise record for wins in a regular season, matching the mark of the 1992 squad which captured Super Bowl XXVII.

Dallas earned the top seed in this year's conference playoffs and handled the Giants in each of the two earlier meetings between the NFC East inhabitants in 2007. However, New York has been the more impressive of the clubs as of late.

The Cowboys closed out the regular season with losses in two of their final three games and haven't played at a championship level since recording a 37-27 decision over NFC North champion Green Bay in Week 13. In the team's most recent outing, a usually-potent Dallas offense mustered season lows of 147 yards and seven first downs in a 27-6 setback at Washington on December 30.

Dallas played that game without the services of star wide receiver Terrell Owens, who suffered a high ankle sprain in a Week 16 triumph at Carolina and could be sidelined for this pivotal encounter as well. If the game-changing All-Pro cannot play on Sunday, it would be a serious blow to the Cowboys, as Owens burned the Giants for a pair of touchdowns in each of Dallas' two victories over New York during the regular season.

While the Cowboys sputtered down the stretch, the fifth-seeded Giants have proven their playoff worth with a string of strong outings. After securing a postseason berth with a hard-fought win at Buffalo on December 23, New York delivered an inspired showing during a narrow 38-35 loss to unbeaten New England in the regular-season finale, then disposed of NFC South champ Tampa Bay in last week's opening round of the playoffs.

The Giants' 24-14 victory over the Buccaneers was led by a sound defensive effort and an extremely efficient performance under center from Eli Manning. The highly-scrutinized quarterback completed 20-of-27 passes for 185 yards and a pair of touchdowns to help Big Blue snap a four-game skid in postseason play.

Prior to last Sunday's breakthrough, New York had not won a playoff game since a 41-0 rout of Minnesota in the 2000 NFC Championship.

The win was also the eighth in a row on the road for the Giants, who haven't lost as the visiting team since a 45-35 setback to the Cowboys at Texas Stadium in the 2007 season opener.

Dallas also came through with a 31-20 verdict over New York at the Meadowlands in November, but has never defeated a foe three times in the same season. The Cowboys swept a home-and-home series with Arizona in 1998, but the Cardinals turned the tables with a 20-7 upset win in Dallas during that year's NFC Wild Card Playoffs.

The Cowboys do have history on their side, however. Since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, teams with an opportunity to earn a three-game sweep of an opponent have succeeded on 11 of those occasions.

SERIES HISTORY

The Cowboys lead the all-time series with the Giants by a 54-35-2 count, including this past year's regular season sweep. Dallas earned an unconventional split of last year's home-and-home with a 36-22 loss at Texas Stadium in Week 7 and a 23-20 victory when it visited the Meadowlands in Week 13.

Giants head coach Tom Coughlin has a 5-6 record against Dallas as a head coach, including 4-4 since arriving in New York in 2004. Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips is 2-1 against the Giants in his career as a head coach, with the defeat coming for his Bills team in 1999. Phillips is 3-0 against Coughlin head-to-head, as his Bills also scored a win over Coughlin's Jaguars during the 1998 campaign.

WHEN THE GIANTS HAVE THE BALL

New York has been able to achieve good balance on offense in recent weeks, with Manning's (3336 passing yards, 23 TD, 20 INT) back-to-back outstanding outings complementing a formidable running game that ranked fourth in the NFL (134.3 ypg) during the regular season. Manning has put together his best quarterback ratings of the year over the last two games, with Sunday's well- executed performance preceded by a four-touchdown night against New England. The former No. 1 overall pick also threw for four scores and amassed a season- best 312 passing yards in the Giants' Week 1 loss at Texas Stadium. Wide receiver Amani Toomer (59 receptions, 3 TD) had seven catches for 74 yards against Tampa Bay, and New York may need a similar output from the steady veteran this week. Dallas will pay close attention to the dangerous Plaxico Burress (70 receptions, 1025 yards, 12 TD) and doesn't have to worry about tight end Jeremy Shockey, who's out for the season with a broken leg.

If Manning is to maintain his recent high level of play, his offensive line will have to contain Dallas' terrific pass-rushing duo of linebackers DeMarcus Ware (84 tackles, 14 sacks) and Greg Ellis (31 tackles, 12.5 sacks). The Cowboys sacked Manning five times and forced him into two costly interceptions during the teams' Week 10 encounter, a big factor in their 11-point win. Dallas has plenty of talent in the secondary, as cornerback Terence Newman (50 tackles, 4 INT, 13 PD) and safeties Ken Hamlin (62 tackles, 5 INT, 15 PD) and Roy Williams (92 tackles, 2 INT) will all be headed to next month's Pro Bowl, but its defense has shown a vulnerability at times against the pass.

The Giants can further aid Manning by running the ball effectively with their tandem of Brandon Jacobs (1009 rushing yards, 23 receptions, 6 total TD) and Ahmad Bradshaw (190 rushing yards, 1 TD). The rookie Bradshaw has recently emerged as an excellent complement to the bruising Jacobs, as he racked up 151 yards on just 17 carries in the late-season win at Buffalo and had a team-high 66 yards in the Wild Card game. New York played last week's tilt without center Shaun O'Hara, but the valued eight-year pro is hopeful he can return from a left knee sprain for Sunday's matchup.

Dallas finished the regular season ranked sixth overall in run defense (94.6 ypg), but was a little soft in that area late in the year, surrendering 131 rushing yards or more in three of their final four games. Inside linebacker Bradie James (101 tackles, 3 sacks) and Williams are the Cowboys' top two tacklers, and each had 10 stops in the club's November win at the Meadowlands. The Giants' ground attack didn't perform badly in that game, though, as Jacobs recorded 95 yards on 24 attempts.

WHEN THE COWBOYS HAVE THE BALL

While the presence of Owens (81 receptions, 1355 yards, 15 TD) is clearly important, the Cowboys' offensive success is ultimately dependent on how quarterback Tony Romo (4211 passing yards, 36 TD, 19 INT) fares and how well his highly-decorated offensive line protects him. The celebrity signal-caller has proven that he can shred opposing secondaries when he gets ample time to throw, as was the case in both meetings with New York this season. However, Romo was constantly under heavy duress in late-season losses to Philadelphia and Washington, and responded with two of his worst games. Two of his best came against the Giants, in which Romo combined for 592 yards and eight touchdowns through the air. Owens does expect to play on Sunday, but chances are he'll likely be limited. That means either Patrick Crayton (50 receptions, 7 TD) or veteran Terry Glenn will need to step up and team with All-Pro tight end Jason Witten (96 receptions, 7 TD) as the primary receiving options. Glenn has the pedigree to do so, having four 1,000-yard campaigns to his credit, but the 33-year-old has only played in one game this year due to a knee injury.

The Giants had trouble slowing down Dallas' fourth-ranked passing offense (256.6 ypg) in those two earlier games because they only sacked Romo two times. However, New York had no trouble terrorizing enemy quarterbacks throughout the year, as evidenced by the team's league-leading total of 53 sacks. Ends Osi Umenyiora (52 tackles, 13 sacks), Michael Strahan (57 tackles, 9 sacks) and Justin Tuck (65 tackles, 10 sacks) have all been disruptive off the edge, while tackle Fred Robbins (42 tackles, 5.5 sacks) often gets overlooked for his contributions in the middle. New York has some health issues at cornerback, as the battle-tested Sam Madison (67 tackles, 4 INT, 14 PD) may miss a second straight game due to an abdominal strain and Kevin Dockery (46 tackles) has been bothered by a hip flexor. Former starter Corey Webster (18 tackles, 1 INT) did step up big in Madison's absence, registering an interception and two passes defensed while shutting down Tampa's Joey Galloway a week ago.

New York was also able to neutralize the Buccaneers on the ground in last Sunday's win, limiting Tampa Bay to just 69 yards on 22 run attempts. That's been an area of strength for the Giants in 2007, having finished eighth in the NFL in rushing defense (97.7 ypg). Vocal middle linebacker Antonio Pierce (103 tackles, 1 INT, 1 sack) is the leader of a quality front seven that should have weakside starter Kawika Mitchell (76 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 INT) ready for an increased role on Sunday after he played sparingly in the Tampa game because of a sprained knee.

Although the Cowboys have been more of a passing team, their backfield pairing of Marion Barber (975 rushing yards, 44 receptions, 12 total TD) and Julius Jones (588 rushing yards, 2 TD, 23 receptions) have combined for nearly 100 yards per game on the ground, and neither lost a fumble during the course of the year. Look for Barber to play a key role as a receiver on Sunday, serving as Romo's safety valve if the Dallas quarterback is hurried into quick throws, and Dallas to accumulate more than the one rushing yard it mustered in the season finale against Washington.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Give Dallas the edge here in the kicking department, as impressive rookie Nick Folk and strong-legged punter Mat McBriar have been a better combo than New York's duo of Lawrence Tynes and 41-year-old Jeff Feagles. McBriar ranked third in the NFC with a 47.1 yard average and Folk received a Pro Bowl nod by making good on 26-of-31 field-goal attempts.

Crayton also rates ahead of the mediocre R.W. McQuarters as a punt returner, although he's hardly been spectacular in that area. Both teams have done well bringing back kicks, as the Cowboys' Miles Austin averages a solid 25.5 yards per return and Bradshaw's shown flashes of big-play ability for the Giants. New York also has Domenik Hixon, who took a kick 74 yards for a touchdown in the regular-season finale with New England.

Austin had a 93-yard kick return score in Dallas' 21-20 loss at Seattle in last year's NFC Wild Card Playoffs, a game in which special teams were a determining factor in the final outcome. The Cowboys were lined up to attempt a potential game-winning field goal in the closing seconds, but Romo mishandled the snap from center and was tackled just short of the first-down marker.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Many consider this game to be the most attractive of the four playoff matchups on tap for this weekend, mainly because there are so many questions that both need to be answered on both sides. Will Owens, who's come through big in the postseason in past years, be healthy enough to make an impact? Can Romo rebound from his December dropoff, and have his well-publicized off-field exploits been a distraction? Is Phillips, who brings an 0-3 career postseason record into Sunday's showdown, capable of winning a game of this magnitude? Can Manning continue to make excellent decisions and keep his mistakes to a minimum? Will the Giants be able to apply the heat to Romo, an essential ingredient to their upset hopes? The thought here is that Owens will play but not be much of a factor, but Dallas still manages to come up with enough points to advance. While the Cowboys' regression over the season's final month is concerning, let's not forget that they're still the most talented team in the NFC. New York has proven that it is capable of scoring on the Cowboys, but the jury's still out as to whether the Giants defense can slow down a Dallas attack that has enough weapons to prevail in a shootout, even if Owens isn't on the field.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Cowboys 27, Giants 24