Cowboys Lose To Eagles
ARLINGTON, Texas — An up-and-down season for the Philadelphia Eagles is in back on an upswing after a wild 33-27 overtime victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.
Philadelphia quarterback Sam Bradford and wide receiver Jordan Matthews connected on a 41-yard touchdown on the first possession of overtime to get the Eagles back to .500 at 4-4.
“It’s coming your way, win right here,” Bradford said he told Matthews in the overtime huddle. “And sure enough, he ran a great route, and obviously the catch was huge.”
The Eagles not only avenged a Week 2 loss to Dallas, but they climbed back into the thick of the NFC East race. Philadelphia trails the division-leading New York Giants (5-4) by a half-game.
“We’re just trying to get wins each week, and then we’ll pick our heads up after that last game against the Giants and see if we won enough,” Eagles coach Chip Kelly said. “Our mentality is every single week we’ve got to go out and play to the end.”
Bradford completed 25 of 36 passes for 295 yards with the one touchdown and no interceptions. Matthews had nine catches for 133 yards.
Eagles running back DeMarco Murray, in his first game back in Arlington to
face his former team, had 161 total yards and a touchdown.
The Cowboys (2-6) lost their sixth in row, all without quarterback Tony Romo, in a season that began with Super Bowl aspirations.
“You’ve just got to keep going,” Dallas coach Jason Garrett said. “You’ve got to keep banging away. You’ve got to keep doing things the right way on the practice field, playing the right way.”
As in several games during the skid, Dallas had its chances.
Fill-in quarterback Matt Cassel threw for three touchdowns, two to wide receiver Cole Beasley. Cassel finished 25-for-38 for 299 yards with one interception, while Beasley caught nine passes for 112 yards.
Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant, in his second game since returning from a broken foot, produced 104 yards and a score on five receptions. Running back Darren McFadden gained 117 yards on 27 carries.
Whatever fireworks were missing early went off in the fourth quarter and overtime, as big plays were made on both sides.
Eagles linebacker Jordan Hicks jumped an out route intended for McFadden and returned the interception 67 yards for a touchdown and a 21-14 lead early in the fourth period.
The advantage was short-lived.
Cowboys returner Lucky Whitehead took the ensuing kickoff 3 yards deep in the end zone and raced 79 yards. Dallas need three plays to go 24 yards for a touchdown.
On third down, Cassel rolled right and reversed field to avoid pressure. He lofted the ball into group of five players in the back of the end zone.
Bryant was one of them, and he outjumped everyone to snag the ball for his first touchdown of the season.
“I threw it up, and I thought I would give them a chance,” Cassel said. “That’s what Dez does best is make those kind of plays.”
The Eagles and Cowboys then swapped field goals, leaving the game tied at 24-24 with less than three minutes left.
Philadelphia was in position to win at the end of regulation on kicker Caleb Sturgis’ 53-yard field goal with 1:46 left.
Cassel took the Cowboys down the field, aided by several defensive penalties, before kicker Dan Bailey knocked a 44-yarder off the left upright and over the crossbar with two seconds left.
The Eagles had the ball first in overtime and went the length of the field. Philadelphia picked up a fourth-and-1 at the Dallas 43 before Bradford found Matthews over the middle the deciding score.
“Right when I caught the ball, I saw daylight,” Matthews said.
The Cowboys, without Romo for at least another game, play the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay next week.
Philadelphia returns home to host the Miami Dolphins.
The Eagles took a 14-7 lead midway through the third quarter with a quick 95-yard drive. Bradford found Murray and Matthews for 44 and 28 yards, respectively.
Running back Ryan Mathews took it the final 6 yards on a sweep around left end.
The Cowboys answered on their ensuing possession, with Cassel finding Beasley for a second touchdown to cap a 10-play, 80-yard drive.
Conservative game plans on both sides led to a 7-7 score at halftime. Each team had more rushing yards than passing, as both quarterbacks opted for safe passes rather than take shots downfield.
The Cowboys went 93 yards on their first possession, with Bryant picking up 51 yards on a catch-and-run. Bryant beat cornerback Nolan Carroll on a short throw before cutting back across the field and racing into Eagles territory.
McFadden converted a fourth-and-1 inside the Philadelphia 10-yard line before Cassel found Beasley on third down for the game’s first touchdown.
The Eagles tied it in the second quarter by running the ball down Dallas’ throat. An 80-yard drive featured nine runs, with Murray and Mathews picking up big chunks of yardage.
Murray finished off the march by powering the ball in from the 1 on fourth down.
