The Sports Xchange

New York Giants running back Rashad Jennings said that he was ordered not to score a touchdown on two late running plays during the club’s 27-26 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

The Giants held a three-point lead and had the ball inside the Dallas 5-yard line with under two minutes remaining when Jennings was instructed not to cross the goal-line. New York settled for a field goal and the Cowboys responded with a game-winning touchdown drive.

“On the first-down play, I was told, ‘Rashad, don’t score,'” Jennings told reporters on Monday. “On second down, ‘Rashad, don’t score.’ I was tempted to say, ‘Forget it,’ and go score because I could. But I didn’t want to be that guy. But definitely, I was asked not to score.”

Jennings said he told not to score in the huddle by quarterback Eli Manning. After the contest, coach Tom Coughlin took blame for the late-game, play-calling snafus.

Jennings asserted he wasn’t second-guessing the decision.

“I’m not mad,” Jennings said. “We’re doing this as a team, and we thought it was best for us not to score at that point. Of course I wanted to, but that’s just the football player in you.”