"The Dallas Cowboys have mourned since the sudden ending to their season. Three weeks later, the pain has gotten only bigger.

As in, it now is a Giant hurt they feel.

The Cowboys essentially had two chances to eliminate the New York Giants. They didn't take care of business, and now the Giants are playing the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday.

It doesn't help that the Cowboys beat the 49ers in overtime, 27-24, in San Francisco in Week 2.

"I think it's the nature of the NFL," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "There are a lot of close games that all the teams play. The teams that are still playing are the ones that know how to win those games on a more consistent basis."

The Cowboys went 1-3 against three of the four teams left in the postseason. They blew fourth-quarter leads against both the New England Patriots and the Giants. They rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit against the 49ers.

Tom Brady ended the Cowboys' upset plans in New England in October. He led the Patriots on an 80-yard drive that culminated with an 8-yard touchdown pass with 22 seconds remaining in a 20-16 victory.

Eli Manning rallied the Giants from a 12-point, fourth-quarter deficit against the Cowboys on Dec. 11. The Giants scored with 51 seconds left and then blocked a Cowboys field-goal attempt on the final play to keep alive their postseason hopes.

The Giants then eliminated the Cowboys in the regular-season finale, winning 31-14.

As it turned out, the victory over the 49ers was the highlight of the Cowboys' season. It was their only win over a team that finished the season with a winning record."