NFL Game Summary - Dallas at Philadelphia
(Sunday, November 11th)
Final Score: Dallas 38, Philadelphia 23
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The Dallas Cowboys scored touchdowns in
all three phases of the game in the second half, as they came from behind to
upend the reeling Philadelphia Eagles, 38-23, at Lincoln Financial Field.
With the New York Giants losing earlier Sunday, Dallas pulled within one
game in the loss column of the division leaders despite being under .500.
"Critical win for us," Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said. "I thought we
were focused the whole game. When you have success, you have to play through
it, you have adversity, you have to play through it, and today was a good
example of that."
The Cowboys (4-5), coming off two straight losses, took advantage of the
opportunity with a memorable 2:35 stretch, starting with Dez Bryant's
highlight-reel catch in the end zone on the last play of the third quarter.
Dwayne Harris then returned a punt 78 yards for a go-ahead score 1:25 into the
fourth, and Brandon Carr picked off a Nick Foles pass and took it 47 yards for
a TD a little later.
Foles made his NFL debut after Michael Vick left in the second quarter with a
concussion. The rookie threw a touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin and completed
22-of-32 passes for 219 yards, but also lost a fumble that was recovered by
Dallas in the end zone.
"I was hoping he'd make it through without having a concussion, but that's
where we sit right now with him," Eagles head coach Andy Reid said of Vick.
Tony Romo was an efficient 19-of-26 through the air for 209 yards and two
scores, while Felix Jones amassed 93 yards from scrimmage and caught a
touchdown pass in the victory.
The Eagles (3-6) have lost five straight games for the first time in Andy
Reid's 14-year tenure as head coach.
Foles' first career touchdown pass gave the Eagles a 14-10 lead three minutes
into the second half. The third-round pick out of Arizona got plenty of time
in the pocket, rolled to his right and found a wide-open Maclin in the end
zone for a 44-yard score.
Alex Henery's 40-yard field goal made it 17-10 later in the third quarter
before Romo converted a critical third down to spark Dallas' offense. On 3rd
and-5 from the Dallas 39-yard line, the mobile quarterback twice escaped a
sure sack and completed a 25-yard pass to Miles Austin.
Three plays later from the 30, Romo went downfield to Bryant, who made a
diving catch in the end zone with cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
draped on his back.
A penalty negated a Foles interception on the first snap of the fourth
quarter, but the Eagles failed to move the chains and punted away. Harris
fielded Mat McBriar's punt at the Dallas 22-yard line near the left hash and
sprinted untouched down the sideline.
The return came with 13:35 remaining and Dallas scored again 70 seconds later
when Foles' errant pass bounced off DeSean Jackson's hands, then hit the knee
of linebacker Ernie Sims. Carr caught the carom in a crouch and went 47 yards
the other way for a 31-17 lead.
A 1-yard touchdown run by Stanley Havili made it a one-possession game under
the two-minute warning, though Henery missed the extra point and Jason Witten
easily caught the onsides kick.
The Eagles forced a three-and-out and took over at their own 11 with 53
seconds left, and on the first play Foles was sandwiched by DeMarcus Ware and
Anthony Spencer near the goal line. The ball popped loose and Jason Hatcher
fell on it in the end zone to secure the win.
A pair of penalties on third down kept the Eagles' first possession alive, and
on 3rd-and-goal from the two, Vick threw a jump ball to Riley Cooper in the
end zone. The 6-foot-3 receiver got inside position and made a leaping one-
handed catch while keeping both feet in bounds along the left sideline. It was
the first time the Eagles scored on their opening drive all season.
The Cowboys responded with a balanced 13-play, 80-yard drive that took up
nearly eight minutes and ended with Jones catching a screen pass to the left
and breaking several tackles en route to an 11-yard touchdown with 2:13
remaining the first quarter.
Vick was hit hard on consecutive plays early in the second and went to undergo
concussion tests before the next Eagles possession. Foles' first official pass
hit wide receiver Jason Avant in the helmet and fell incomplete on third down.
A Romo-to-Bryant hookup of 49 yards on the first play of the ensuing drive set
up Dan Bailey's 30-yard field goal late in the half.
Game Notes
The Eagles' last five-game losing streak came at the start of the 1998 season
... Vick finished with 70 yards on 6-of-9 attempts ... LeSean McCoy gained 82
yards on 16 carries and another 20 yards on four catches for the Eagles, who
had 23 first downs to Dallas' 14 but went 1-for-10 on third-down conversions
... Avant exited with a hamstring injury in the second quarter and did not
return ... Maclin and Witten each had eight receptions ... The Cowboys won
despite committing 13 penalties ... Romo improved to 20-3 as a starter in
November.
11/11 23:09:41 ET

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