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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- All Morten Andersen wanted in his 300th game was a chance to do what he's done for 20 NFL seasons -- win a game.

Andersen got it in overtime, and he didn't let the slumping New York Giants down.

Andersen kicked a 42-yard field goal with 7:48 left in the extra period, and the Giants rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit to beat the Dallas Cowboys 27-24 Sunday.

"They gave me a paycheck," said Andersen, who was signed by the Giants just before the start of the season. "I guess I earned it."

The kick was Andersen's 29th game-winning field goal, including his fifth in overtime.

Moments before the final drive, the 41-year-old Andersen stood on the sideline and spoke with quarterback Kerry Collins and halfback Tiki Barber.

		How big could a win like this be for the Giants? If the Giants lost this game, they were done. They looked dead in the first half -- even like they wanted to be done -- but they showed some character to come back after being down 24-7 at halftime. As the second half unfolded, the Giants gained confidence and momentum, with Kerry Collins making some plays (two second-half touchdown passes after throwing an interception for a Dallas touchdown in the first half). This comeback win could be a springboard for New York for the rest of the season. It was a make-or-break game, and now the Giants have a chance to put a streak together. ESPN.com's Vinny Cerrato was director of player personnel for the Redskins and 49ers.

"Just get me down there; we'll win this thing," Andersen recalled saying. "You have to instill confidence. I can do that being around a long time. I'm not a big rah-rah guy. You show by example."

The Giants (4-4) showed a lot about themselves in snapping a three-game losing streak and ending a two-game winning streak by Dallas (2-5).

"It definitely was a relief," said Collins, who completed 24 of 34 for 280 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, both of which were returned for TDs as New York fell behind 24-7 at the half.

"Whether this catapults us in the second half is another issue," Collins added. "It certainly can't hurt. We've been struggling to find ways to win."

The loss was brutal for the Cowboys. Their locker room was almost silent after the game.

"We had an opportunity in the second half to put it away and we didn't," Cowboys coach Dave Campo said. "That's a learning experience. We've got to learn how to win. We don't know how yet."

The defending NFC champion Giants made all the big plays in the second half in staging their best comeback since rallying from a 17-0 halftime deficit to beat San Francisco 21-17 on Dec. 1, 1986.

New York picked off Clint Stoerner four times, and they blocked a punt to set up Collins' 9-yard touchdown pass to Ike Hilliard that tied it midway through the fourth quarter.

The defense also stopped Dallas on the first possession of the overtime, allowing Collins to drive New York 61 yards in eight plays, the big one being a third-down, 33-yard pass to Hilliard.

Collins also threw touchdown passes of 4 and 34 yards to Joe Jurevicius.

Stoerner, replaced late in the fourth quarter by Ryan Leaf, threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Joey Galloway on a day Dallas showed some signs of having the old Doomsday Defense of the glory days, at least for a half.

Linebacker Dexter Coakley scored on a 29-yard interception early in the second quarter, and Mario Edwards returned another interception 71 yards late in the half, giving the Cowboys a big lead.

"We weren't quite to the bottom of the ninth, but time was running out for us," Collins said. "We had to start making plays."

The momentum changed after a touchdown pass from Stoerner to Jackie Harris was nullified by a questionable pass interference call against Raghib Ismail for an illegal pick.

Will Peterson intercepted Stoerner's next pass, giving the Giants new life.

Collins capped that drive with his 34-yard scoring pass to Jurevicius.

An interception by linebacker Dhani Jones set up Andersen's 40-yard field goal that made it 24-17 with 10:41 left.

Thabiti Davis set up Hilliard's game tying TD by blocking a punt by Micah Knorr at the Dallas 14.

Brandon Short's interception set up the Giants on the Dallas 18, but Ron Dayne fumbled on second-and-goal from the 3.

After Dallas took a 3-0 lead on Tim Seder's 22-yard field goal, the Giants went into self-destruct mode.

Defensive end Byron Frisch sacked Collins and forced a fumble that Brandon Noble returned 6 yards to the New York 15. Two plays later, Stoerner hit Galloway on a post pattern for a 10-0 lead.

Coakley stretched the lead to 17 just 47 seconds later, stepping in front of tight end Dan Campbell and returning the interception 29 yards for a touchdown.

Collins and Jurevicius cut the lead to 17-7, but Edwards scored on his interception late in the half.

Game notes
Michael Strahan had 1 1/2 sacks and now has 14 sacks in his last six games, an NFL record. His best season was in 1998 when he had 15. The NFL record is 22 by Mark Gastineau in 1984. ... The only other players to appear in 300 NFL are games are Hall of Famer George Blanda and Gary Anderson of the Vikings. ... Coakley and Galloway are tied for the team lead in TDs apiece for the Cowboys. ... Giants punter Rodney Williams broke his right wrist in the second half. ... Giants DE Frank Ferrara recorded his first sack in his first game.