ARLINGTON, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys beat the Philadelphia Eagles in overtime 29-23. With the win, the Cowboys keep first place in the NFC East and only need one more W this season to clench the title heading into playoffs. Dallas swept the season series against Philadelphia for the first time since 2012. The Cowboys upped their record to 4-1 in the NFC East in 2018 and 7-3 in the NFC. Tonight, this Dallas team showed their resilience until the final whistle blew in OT.
The Cowboys’ offense could not find its rhythm through the first three quarters. The offense had five trips to the red zone and only game away with nine points after three successful field goals by Maher, one unsuccessful attempt, and an interception in the end zone.
The defense held the team until the fourth quarter. They kept the Eagles pointless until the third quarter, and kept Philly to 124 total net yards through the third, when Dallas accumulated 309. The hotboyz held Philly rushers to 34 total yards on the ground. This is the 12th time in 13 games the Cowboys’ D have held the opposing team to under 100 yards rushing. Several players made key stops on third down, forcing the Eagles to punt, including Tyrone Crawford’s performance in the second quarter with a sack on Wentz and forced fumble.
The passing game exploded in the fourth quarter with Amari Cooper stealing the show. He had two touchdowns, including a 75-yard TD pass from Dak Prescott.
Following the game, Cooper talked about that play and how he switched routes. He was supposed to run a “stop route” but once Prescott accessed the field, he motioned for Cooper to run a “go route.” Cooper instantaneously took off down the field for a perfectly executed deep pass by Dak. That play showed the chemistry between Prescott and Cooper and Dak’s ability to read the defense and make a change at the line of scrimmage. Cooper easily got around CB De’Vante Bausby when he failed to cut in on the route, and took full advantage of the separation making his way down the field.
In OT, Prescott’s connection with Cooper on a 15-yard TD pass sealed the victory for the Dallas Cowboys at home. Prescott finished 42 of 54 for 455 passing yards, three TD’s, and two interceptions. Cooper finished with 10 receptions for 217 receiving yards, an average of 21.7 yards after the catch, and three TD’s. Cooper’s 217 yards are the most receiving yards by any NFL receiver this season. He is the first player in league history to post three go-ahead receiving TD’s in the fourth quarter/overtime of the same game. Nine of Cooper’s 10 receptions went for first downs to tie a career-high. Prescott set career-highs in passing yards (455), completions (42), attempts (54), passing first downs (23), and tied his career-high in passing TD’s (three). His 455 yards are now tied for third-most passing yards in a single game in team history behind Romo with 506, Meredith with 460, and Aikman also with 455.
After the game Jason Garrett stated, “ It was a hard fought game on both sides. Something we try to emphasize to our team is mental toughness and being your best regardless of the circumstances and playing through success and playing through adversity. I think if you look at the game, we controlled the game. We had the ball I think for 45 minutes. I don’t think I have ever been in a game where that happened. We had a lot of success doing things in all three phases of our team, but it wasn’t being reflected on the scoreboard. Give them credit for fighting and scratching and clawing and doing the things necessary to stay in the ballgame…they play with a relentless spirit. It’s inspirational for me to be around these guys. “
The team fought for each other tonight and came away with the victory. They are now on a five-game winning streak high and will have to re-focus and gear up to face the Indianapolis Colts on the road next Sunday. The biggest issue the team will have to face is their o-line. The offensive line has done surprisingly well the past several games with all the injuries and new faces. In the NFL it is hard to find good lineman and the Cowboys were able to find that in Joe Looney at center, Xavier Su’a-Filo at guard, Cameron Fleming at tackle, but now that the team is also probably going to loose Zack Martin, it will be difficult to keep sustaining these injuries and balancing out the line.
