EAST RUTHERFORD — How much time did Tony Romo have to throw on the touchdown drive that put his Cowboys ahead for good? Well, let's try this little exercise here. How much time do you have?

One Mississippi.

Two Mississippi.

Three Mississippi.

(Still with me?)

Five Mississippi.

Six Mississippi.

Seven Mississippi.

That seemed like an eternity, right? That's because it is an eternity in pro football, and that's how long Romo had to throw on his touchdown pass to receiver Dez Bryant that gave the Cowboys the lead with a minute left.

He had more than seven seconds. And, while Romo is known for his ability to extend plays with his footwork, this was not an example of that talent. The veteran Cowboy quarterback was moving in the pocket, as usual, but he wasn't evading anything. He was moving around in hopes he'd find somebody open.

He eventually did, of course, because that's what happens when a good quarterback has seven seconds to throw. That's why the Giants lost their sixth straight game at MetLife Stadium, 31-28, to their hated rivals, and while of all the offseason changes forthcoming, the most obvious is the dismissal of defensive coordinator Perry Fewell.

The Giants once had a pass rush that was a game changer at moments like this. They were up four points, with three minutes to go, with the crowd still buzzing about Odell Beckham's incredible one-handed touchdown catch and Eli Manning's throw to backup tight end Adrien Robinson that gave the home team the lead.

Romo had the ball and that's always a concern, giving his 12 game-winning drives since the start of the 2012 season. It was 1st and 5 at the Giants 43 after defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka jumped offsides, and the Giants rushed four at Romo.

One of those four coming after Romo, lined up on the left with Kiwanuka, was defensive tackle Markus Kuhn – who in his career has as many sacks as the late baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn (zero, in case I had to spell that out for you). On the other side, Jason Pierre-Paul and Johnathan Hankins were equally ineffective getting pressure on Romo, who found Cole Beasley open over the middle for 21 yards.

“We were trying to pressure with four and obviously that didn’t work very well,” head coach Tom Coughlin said. Because, if it wasn't clear the Giants weren't going to get there with four on that play, it should have been abundantly so on the next two.

Look, you pick your poison with Romo. This is a dangerous offense, and given the season that the Dallas quarterback is having, he might have burned this Giants defense had Fewell tried to bring the house.

“I know the dilemma that they have,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. “That's how it is with Romo. If they had been coming fast and hard, he would've found the open guy as well. He's certainly as good as you want to be around in those do or die situations.”

Still, it's one thing to rush four when you've got Osi Umenyiora, Michael Strahan and Justin Tuck charging at the quarterback. Pierre-Paul and Kiwanuka didn't play poorly, but a good Dallas offensive line was able to easily neutralize them in the final moments.

It was up to Fewell to find a wrinkle, an advantage, anything. To rush four linemen on four straight Cowboys pass plays was asking for a Romo moment, and while it's still to early to know for sure if Coughlin will be back for 2015, it seems clear that his defensive coordinator won't be.

Where was defensive end Damontre Moore, who had a sack earlier in the game? Why didn't the Giants try something to make Romo uncomfortable? And does anyone remember when Pierre-Paul was truly an impact player?

Mostly, though, the question was this: What can Romo do with seven seconds to throw the football?

The Giants likely already knew the answer before Sunday night, but they found out again on his final throw of the game. Their defensive coordinator might be thinking about that play, and the weak four-man rush he sent after the Dallas quarterback, for a long time.

Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevePoliti. Find NJ.com on Facebook.