VIDEO: Black Cat Interrupts Awful Cowboys Start at Giants

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - Do you believe in Halloween jinxes and bad omens? Or do you simply recognize bad Dallas Cowboys football? The first half here at MetLife against the New York Giants features both.

As a black cat was running around the field, teasing too-slow security people, the Giants were forging a 12-3 lead with 2:35 left in the first half. At just about the same time, Dallas receiver Amari Cooper was on the sideline, testing a knee that wasn't allowing him to get full medical clearance, at least for a time, from the Cowboys medical staff.

And as a topper, in total, the Cowboys have given up a touchdown, given up an interception, given up a fumble and a missed 54-yard field goal. So far, the 4-3 Cowboys in this outing seem very reminiscent of the team that visited this very stadium a couple of weeks ago to suffer one of the NFL season's most embarrassing losses, a 24-22 defeat at the hands of the lowly New York Jets.

And here sit the lowly Giants, at 2-6 giving the Cowboys more than they can handle ... maybe with the help of a jinx or a bad omen or just cruddy football.

UPDATE: Has a cat-astrophe beeb averted? Amari has returned to the game to close the first half following a Blake Jarwin TD catch from Dak Prescott and then a Xavier Woods interception. Dallas has the ball with 25 seconds left in the first half, trailing 12-10.

UPDATE 2: A Brett Maher field goal salvages "crummy'' and Dallas leads 13-12. Somehow.