A lot happened in Sunday's Giants win over the Cowboys. We could watch the film for days and find things to talk about. But for this week's film observations, the first of the regular season, we're going to mainly focus on two crucial aspects of the game: The Giants' resurgent rushing attack, and the controversial final play of the game.

Before we begin, remember the two golden rules of our film/stats reviews:

1. These observations are by no means comprehensive. They are just what caught my attention as I re-watched the game. If you saw something the game I didn't mention, or disagree with something I observed, feel free to drop a (respectful) note in the comments below.

2. I am not a Xs and Ox guru. I am also not a NFL coach. I played football in high school (not particularly well), so I do understand the game and concepts. But my football knowledge is equivalent to calculus; the NFL is the football equivalent of astrophysics. So I am going to do my best to analyze, but do so within reason.

On with the review ...

RUN GAME COMES ALIVE

The Giants' running game had its negative plays here and there, but on the whole, it was an impressive performance thanks to the backs (Rashad Jennings and Shane Vereen) and the offensive line. The big men created holes up front, and the backs hit them hard and picked up yards in bunches. The Giants finished with 24 carries for 113 yards (4.7 per touch) and there were times in the game when they completely gashed the Cowboys.

Four of Giants fans' most popular whipping boys - right tackle Marshall Newhouse, right guard John Jerry and tight ends Larry Donnell and Will Tye - all made significant contributions in run blocking, as did center Weston Richburg, left guard Justin Pugh and left tackle Ereck Flowers.

Let's take a look at some of the big plays, starting with Jennings' 17-yard run in the first half, the Giants' first big run on the day and one that kickstarted an eventual touchdown drive. Pugh pulls from the left side and kicks out, while Jerry and Newhouse block down. Donnell, lined up at tight end, gets to the second level and picks up a linebacker. And Jennings has prime real estate in front of him.

Next up: Vereen's 10-yard run, his first on the series, during the eventual game-winning scoring drive. Jerry pulls this time, and handles Pro Bowl linebacker Sean Lee to give Vereen a crease. Donnell's block isn't as strong this time around, but it gets the job done to give Vereen a chance to hit the hole. Flowers also has a good block downfield.

Vereen's third and final rush on that series went for nine yards, thanks in part to Tye. The tight end lined up in the backfield, and picked off Justin Durant. He didn't fully control the linebacker, but he got a piece long enough for Vereen to get by - which is all the Giants needed to set up first-and-goal.

The last run play I'll highlight is Jennings' 11-yard run on third-and-12 at the end of the game. Pugh pulled on this one as a lead blocker, but Newhouse made the play happen by first sealing off Tyrone Crawford on a double team with Jerry, then getting low to cut off Barry Church as he tried to scrape across the play.

Newhouse was Pro Football Focus' highest-graded right tackle in Week 1, with a 83.6 grade. Jerry had a 73.2 grade, and Pugh had a 78.3. PFF stats are always going to be divisive, but no one will complain about high marks like those.

TERRANCE WILLIAMS TIME

I'm going to go back and forth between coaches tape angles and TV broadcast angles, because there are a lot of moving parts here. First, a TV shot which serves as our starting point. With 10 seconds left in the game, Williams had secured Dak Prescott's pass and has possession, in a football position, between the Giants' 47- and 48-yard lines. Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, also in a football position, is between his own 43- and 42-yard lines.

OK. From my vantage point, Williams' body is squared up downfield. Rodgers-Cromartie is leaning toward the sideline, but somewhat awkwardly. Williams' right foot is straight ahead, meaning he can easily pivot toward the sideline. Rodgers-Cromartie, on the other hand, has his right foot out in front of his left. He may have to stutter a bit with his left to get his body moving toward Williams, if Williams had moved toward the sideline.

That's why I don't think Rodgers-Cromartie made some incredible leverage play to force Williams inside. He played the man well, no doubt. But if Williams wanted to go to the sideline, I think he could have made it.

That being said ... if Williams had gotten out of bounds, he likely gets out of bounds no further upfield than the New York 44. If he even gets that far at all. The 44 is where I figure he and Rodgers-Cromartie were most likely to meet. Williams was tackled at around the 41 with eight seconds to go, so let's figure he would have been out at the 44 with eight seconds left. But that seems too conservative, so let's say seven seconds.

Seven seconds left, ball at the Giants 44. That is a 61- or 62-yard field goal try for Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey. He's good, but that is asking a lot of any kicker. Maybe Dallas tries something quick to the outside to pick up five or six yards (Bailey had made from 56- and 54-yards out already), but even then, 56-yard field goals aren't exactly automatic. And a hail mary is just that - a prayer that usually goes unanswered unless you're Aaron Rodgers. So the Cowboys were pretty much cooked no matter what Williams did. That doesn't excuse his boneheaded error, though.

QUICK HITTERS

Janoris Jenkins is going to block a PAT at some point. ... The Giants have to tighten up their cornerback blitzes, especially against mobile quarterbacks. First with Jenkins against the Bills in the preseason, now DRC on Sunday, the corner has busted in but overrun the play while the quarterback sidesteps the blitz and makes a throw downfield for a sizable gain.

Kelvin Sheppard was pretty much just there at middle linebacker. He wasn't great in coverage, and he didn't do much against the run. I'm sticking with my prediction that rookie B.J. Goodson takes over by the end of the season.

Everyone talks about Nat Berhe packing a punch at safety, but I was impressed by the way he took a punch. He had a big collision in the open field with running back Alfred Morris, and Morris got the better end of it. But Berhe was nimble enough to hold on, grab his leg and tackle him, rather than get run over en route to a big gain.

Olivier Vernon was sensational against the run, and Jason Pierre-Paul looked very good getting pressure off the edge. Big first game for the new-look defensive line, as Damon Harrison and Johnathan Hankins were stout inside.

Jonathan Casillas was all over the place making plays. Devon Kennard was another guy who was very quiet - I keep waiting for him to assert himself. I thought Eli Apple had some rough moments early on - a sentiment echoed by head coach Ben McAdoo - but he got better as the game progressed.

James Kratch may be reached at jkratch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.