In football, one centimeter can be the difference between a miraculous comeback and a gut-wrenching tragedy. Is anybody surprised which way the ball bounced for the Dallas Cowboys?

Was that the wildest game of the Romo era? Only the 2007 Buffalo game matches this game in absurdity, but the Cowboys found a way to win that one. Had Dez Bryant landed on his butt without putting his hand down, this game easily would have taken the cake.

Dramatics aside, consider these numbers: The Cowboys had 19 yards rushing; Jason Witten had 167 yards in the air and the most single-game catches by a tight end in NFL history; Eli Manning had less than 200 yards and no TDs; and 53 points were scored for the game. And, oh yeah, the Cowboys had six turnovers, including four Romo interceptions.

Pure drama and adrenaline. It was a game only the Cowboys can produce, as is the pain that comes from being so close​. Here are the game changers that defined this unforgettable match-up:

Roller-coaster Romo
Raise your hand if you had the "When do you bench Romo?" conversation in the first quarter. It's okay. His 13 interceptions through seven games this season is already more than he tallied in any of the past three years. More than that, his passes looked errant, and Romo looked helpless. At some point you have to think, "Screw it. Put it Orton."

But here's the better response: "Screw it. Give Romo another chance." You never know what you'll get with Romo, which is why you can't afford to take him off the field. After starting with 63 yards and three interceptions, Romo then passed for 374 yards as he picked apart the Giants defense with the greatest of ease. This is life in the Romo era Cowboys. Anything can — and will — happen.

People used to compare Romo to Brett Favre due to his wild, often erratic play. But now, with more years to put him under the microscope, Romo makes Favre look like an elderly school marm who gets her kicks from eating dinner at 6:25 rather than 6:30. After yet another indescribable performance, it's clear that Romo is a mold all to himself. Romo is a roller coaster, capable of the highest highs and the lowest lows — all in the same short ride.

Hit the road, Cat
With Tony Romo, you put up with the bad to get the great. With Felix Jones, you just get the bad. If you exclude the Carolina game — when all three Cowboys backs ran without so much as a blocking dummy to stop them— Felix has earned 72 yards at 2.4 yards per carry.

He's committed devastating turnovers that gift-wrapped the game for the opponents. With Dallas driving down the field in the fourth quarter, down only two points, Felix gave the game to the Giants with his fumble.

Combine that with failing the conditioning test in training camp and terrible play, and Felix is begging to leave the Cowboys when his contract is up at the end of the season.

But why keep him that long?

The Cowboys are now officially in last-ditch-effort mode, and cutting Felix sends all the right messages to your team: Turnovers are not acceptable. Missing the little things is not acceptable. Showing up too fat to camp in a contract year is not acceptable.

It's time to kick the cat outside.

Jason Witten: Man or machine?
What can that man not do? After playing the only two bad games of his career to start the season (with a recently lacerated spleen, mind you), Witten easily had the best game of his career on Sunday. Eighteen catches is the most ever in a game by a tight end and ties for third most in a game across all positions.

No one is suggesting Witten is some sort of superhero, mind you. It's quite the opposite: Jason Witten is a machine.

It's unthinkable that despite Witten's performance, the Cowboys still lost. But that's the way things go with these Dallas Cowboys.

Credit where credit is due
The Dallas defense played their best game of the season, if anyone cared to notice. Being pinned in their own territory three times in a row against the reigning Super Bowl champs, the Sean Lee-less Cowboys kept the Giants to only nine points.

Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne easily had their best games of the season and looked downright menacing against one of the best passing attacks in the league.

Jason Garret finally showed some guts and went for it on fourth-and-goal with a beautiful misdirection bootleg that Romo ran in for the TD. Welcome to the big leagues, coach.

Miles Austin got the Cowboys going again when they needed a little dose of consistency. With Bryant continuing to drop the easy ones, Austin is the only Cowboys receiver Romo can count on.

Shame where shame is due
Dez Bryant is like a Tasmanian devil: He brings about mayhem and miracles in equal measure. Final almost-touchdown aside, Bryant's 110 yards should have easily been 150-plus if it weren't for some terrible drops.

But the punt return fumble was as sloppy as they come. When Dez Bryant is benched for Cole Beasley on punt returns, you know something is wrong. Will Bryant ever show the consistency this team desperately needs? Probably not.

The O-line got pushed around like children, and it's amazing Romo didn't get thrown to the ground more often. Granted, they were up against the best pass rush in the league, but their effort was barely serviceable.

Last but not least, did we mention that Tony Romo threw four picks? Yeah, that deserves mentioning again, don't you think?