DMN: 5 thoughts from Cowboys' thrilling 36-35 win over Giants

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Well, that was certainly a more exciting outcome than anyone could have expected. Instead of it being similar to a preseason game, like most thought, the Cowboys turned in one of the more entertaining finishes of the season, defeating the Giants 36-35.

Here are my thoughts on the Cowboys ending the regular season at 10-6.

1. Jerry Jones said before the game that he wanted to "see a lot of Dak Prescott." The Cowboys owner and general manager got his wish. Despite Tyron Smith, Zack Martin and Ezekiel Elliott being inactive, Prescott played the entire game. And he was impressive, especially when the game was on the line. The Cowboys have to feel good about how he finished that game going into the postseason. Prescott threw four touchdown passes and no interceptions. Over the Cowboys' last two games against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, Prescott is 47 of 74 passing, 719 yards, 7 TDs, 0 INTs with a 127.0 passer rating.

2. So, about the defense. For the first time this season, the Cowboys allowed 30-plus points. The Cowboys were hoping to build some momentum going into the playoffs. The defense certainly didn't do that. Eli Manning and the Giants did whatever they wanted in the second half. New York scored touchdowns on four of its last six possessions. The other two ended with field goals. Now, DeMarcus Lawrence didn't play in the final two quarters. Leighton Vander Esch also exited with a shin injury. But there's no way they can be happy with how they finished the regular season. It'll be easy for Rod Marinelli and Kris Richard to find errors to get on the group about heading into their Wild Card game.

3. Blake Jarwin is obviously getting a game ball after that performance. The tight end hasn't been a huge part of the offense since Jason Witten retired, but Jarwin's three-touchdown outing is a good sign entering the playoffs. He's a player teams will have to be aware of coming off that breakout game.

4. Can a team really build momentum off a "meaningless" season finale? The Cowboys might have proved that you can. If you had to pick between resting all of your starters and basically having a bye week or have that type of win, I think everyone would pick the way the Cowboys came out on top Sunday afternoon. Despite the defense's lackluster performance, that game was about the offense building confidence. I think they accomplished that.

5. The biggest win might be that so many starters played the entire way and none appeared to suffer any serious injuries. Xavier Su'a-Filo injured his left ankle. Leighton Vander Esch appeared to injure his left shin, according to Jason Garrett. But both players were moving around well on the sideline and it appeared like they could've returned if needed.