Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Sean Lee timely in his return from a hamstring strain

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- As Jerry Jones walked through the halls of MetLife Stadium well after the Dallas Cowboys' 30-10 win against the New York Giants, he could not have grinned wider when he spoke about Sean Lee.

“I think it’s very apparent whether you have a game that we don’t have him out there or have him out there what he means,” the owner and general manager said.

With 10:38 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys were still tied with the Giants. Their offense was sputtering. Their defense could not make a momentum-changing play.

Until Lee changed everything.

The Giants called on a reverse to wide receiver Sterling Shepard on second-and-8 from their 26, but DeMarcus Lawrence’s initial pressure and Lee’s ability to know what was coming forced a 9-yard loss and an eventual punt.

“You’ve heard me say this a number of times, but if we went back and watched his Pop Warner film, he probably made a lot of tackles,” coach Jason Garrett said. “He just has an instinct for the game and a feel for the game that’s pretty unique. The other part of that is his preparation.”

In getting ready for the Giants, Lee said he noticed the Giants called that reverse a couple of times out of that formation. Given the time and score, he figured they would call it then.

“You have a feel for what they like to do and then you understand that within the defense if that does come, that’s your play to go make,” Lee said. “So I made sure I stayed on my keys. ... I saw it and I went and attacked it.”

Lee beat a Giants blocker to Shepard, corralled the receiver around the waist and brought him down for the big loss.

From there the Cowboys would score on their next three possessions to salt the game away, including one after Lee’s first interception since 2015.

“He was right where he was supposed to be,” defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said. “Exactly where he was supposed to be in that call and then we played our keys.”

Lee missed the three previous games with a hamstring strain suffered Nov. 12 against the Atlanta Falcons. In the five games Lee has missed, the Cowboys have allowed 136 yards on the ground and 23.8 points per game. Entering Sunday’s game, the Cowboys had allowed 87.7 rushing yards and just 18.3 points per game, excluding the touchdowns given up by their offense.

The Giants had 75 yards rushing and had just one play more than 16 yards -- a 35-yard catch by Evan Engram.

Lee finished with 18 tackles, which would be a season high after the coaches break down the film.

“He is so damn productive,” Garrett said. “He makes plays on the ball in the running game, in the passing game. He just always seems to be around it. Also, his leadership and the impact he has on our football team is really significant. It’s great to see him back out there.”

Availability has been Lee’s biggest issue. He has missed five games this season and has yet to play a full 16-game slate. When he sat out for a drive in the third quarter, negative thoughts entered the mind, but it was all part of a plan to make sure he stays on the field for the rest of the season.

“That’s a good thing,” Lee said. “Keep me fresh, make sure I’m ready for the fourth quarter.”

He was ready Sunday for the tackle for loss on Shepard and the interception.

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