In a Week 9 prime-time battle, the Philadelphia Eagles traveled to AT&T Stadium on Sunday night seeking revenge on the Dallas Cowboys after losing to them in Week 2 at Lincoln Financial Field.
On Sam Bradford's birthday and DeMarco Murray's return to Dallas as an Eagle, Jordan Matthews scored a walk-off touchdown to secure an Eagles victory.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 7 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 27 |
| Eagles | 0 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 33 |
On the first two plays of the game, the Eagles picked up only one yard on a reception and a carry by DeMarco Murray. The Eagles were going to go three-and-out, but a running into the punter penalty gave them new life on the drive. However, they were unsuccessful on the next set of downs and were forced to punt.
A good punt by Donnie Jones forced the Cowboys to have to start their first drive from the seven yard-line. However, a 13-yard run by Darren McFadden and a 56-yard catch by Dez Bryant set the Cowboys in the red zone. Cole Beasley caught a touchdown pass form Matt Cassel, and the Cowboys took a 7-0 lead with 6:44 in the first quarter.
After a false start penalty, a four-yard loss by Ryan Mathews and a one-yard reception by Zach Ertz, the Eagles were faced with a third-and-18. Miles Austin came up with a 27-yard reception for an Eagles first down, but they were forced to punt for the second straight time.
Dallas went three-and-out on the ensuing possession after Bryant couldn't hang on to a poorly thrown pass by Cassel. A Darren Sproles fair catch set the Eagles up for shop at the 32-yard line for their third drive of the game.
Then the Eagles punted for third time in as many drives.
McFadden converted a first down on a third-and-one to end the first quarter with the Cowboys leading by the score of 7-0. The Cowboys eventually punted on that drive, and the Eagles started from their own 20 yard-line.
The Eagles converted two first downs on three runs and one catch by Murray. Mathews busted out for a 21-yard run to set the Eagles up in the red zone. Another Mathews run gave the Eagles a first-and goal.
On a fourth-and-goal from the one yard-line, Murray scored on his fourth touchdown rush of the season.
The game was now tied up at 7-7 with 9:01 remaining in the first half.
Three first down carries by McFadden set the Cowboys up with the ball on the Eagles 31 yard-line. A Terrance Williams pass interference penalty and an illegal shift pushed the Cowboys back for a first-and-25.
On the next play, Cassel tuck-and-ran for an 11-yard gain to put the Cowboys back in field-goal range. However, a Brandon Graham forced fumble on Cassel pushed the Cowboys back again and Dallas was forced to punt for the third time of the night.
On the second-to-last play of the first half, Sam Bradford was hit hard in the back by Cowboys defensive end David Irving.
The score remained 7-7 at the end of the first half.
The opening kickoff of the second half went for a touch-back, and the Cowboys started the drive from their own 20 yard-line.
The Cowboys were going to go three-and-out to start the half, but a taunting penalty called on Graham gave the Cowboys another set of downs. A Mychal Kendricks sack of Cassel on the next third-down forced Dallas to punt.
A well-placed punt by Cowboys punter Chris Jones forced the Eagles to start their next drive from their own five yard-line.
Murray ran for a first down, and made a 43-yard reception on the next play. Austin dropped a third-down pass from Bradford, but the Eagles drive was kept alive due to a holding penalty by Morris Claiborne.
On the next play, a nice catch-and-run by Jordan Matthews set the Eagles up with first-and-goal. Ryan Mathews topped the 7-play, 95-yard drive off with a touchdown run to put the Eagles up 14-7.
On the first play of the next Cowboys drive, Graham forced Cassel to fumble again, but the Cowboys recovered the loose ball for the second time of the night.
A 12-yard reception and 21-yard reception by Beasley gave Dallas a first down. Beasley caught another first down pass later in the drive on a third-and-four. On his fourth catch of the drive, Beasley scored his second touchdown reception of the night to tie the game up at 14-14.
Greg Hardy sacked Bradford on a third-and-short, and the Eagles went three-and-out.
The game score was locked at 14-14 to end the third quarter of play.
Connor Barwin looked to get his second consecutive sack, but Beasley was at it again with a 29-yard reception.
Two plays later, Jordan Hicks intercepted a Cassel pass and returned it 67 yards for an Eagles touchdown. The Eagles took a 21-14 lead with 12:47 remaining in the game.
On the ensuing kickoff, an 80-yard return by Lucky Whitehead gave the Cowboys great field-position.
On a third-and-short, Cassel threw up a jump-ball and Bryant scored his first touchdown of the season.
The score was even again, this time at 21-21.
Two first down carries by Mathews, a great catch by Ertz down the sideline and a Matthews first down catch set the Eagles up in the red zone. Caleb Sturgis made a 31-yard field goal attempt, and the Eagles took a 24-21 lead with 7:22 remaining.
On the next drive, the Jason Witten caught a pass for a first down on a critical third-and-eight. E.J. Biggers made a big play on third-and-six to force Dallas to kick a field goal. Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey made a 41-yard field goal attempt, and the game was tied at 24-24 with 2:53 remaining.
A 34-yard reception by Matthews put the Eagles in field-goal range on the next drive. Sturgis made a 53-yarder to put the Eagles up by the score of 27-24 with 1:46 left to play.
The Eagles defense was in position to end the game on a fourth-and-five, but Williams came up with a first down reception to keep the Cowboys chances alive. A pass interference penalty on Byron Maxwell put the ball near midfield.
On the next play, Bryant dropped a pass that would of put the Cowboys in field-goal range. Maxwell was called for another pass interference two plays later. A Bryant catch put the Cowboys in range for another field goal to tie the game up.
Bailey hit a 43-yard field goal with two seconds remaining to extend the game into overtime.
The Eagles won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff of overtime.
Lane Johnson was called for a false start on the first play of the Eagles drive, but a Murray reception and carry gave the Eagles a first down.
Mathews converted on a fourth-and-short to keep the Eagles drive moving. The call on the field was that Mathews fumbled the football, but the call was overturned after review.
On the very next play, Jordan Matthews ended the game with a walk-off 41-yard touchdown reception and the Eagles won a thriller by the score of 33-27.
Passing Summary:
Eagles
Sam Bradford: 25/36, 295 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 103.4 RTG
Cowboys
Matt Cassel: 25/38, 299 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 105 RTG
Top-Performing Receivers:
Eagles
Zach Ertz: 5 rec. 44 yards
Jordan Matthews: 9 rec, 133 yards, 1 TD
DeMarco Murray: 6 rec, 78 yards
Cowboys
Dez Bryant: 5 rec, 104 yards, 1 TD
Jason Witten: 6 rec, 43 yards
Cole Beasley: 9 rec, 112 yards, 2 TD
Top-Performing Rushers:
Eagles
DeMarco Murray: 18 car, 83 yards, 1 TD
Ryan Mathews: 11 car, 63 yards, 1 TD
Darren Sproles: 5 car, 23 yards
Cowboys
Darren McFadden: 27 car, 117 yards
Breakdown:
Total Plays: Eagles – 72, Cowboys – 71
Total Yards: Eagles – 459, Cowboys – 411
First Downs: Eagles – 25, Cowboys – 25
Penalties: Eagles – 10 penalties, 70 yards, Cowboys – 8 penalties, 58 yards
Red Zone: Eagles 2-for-3, Cowboys 3-for-3
Turnovers: Eagles – 0, Cowboys – 1
Time of Possession: Eagles – 25:42, Cowboys – 38:19
What's Next:
Sunday, November 15, 2015 vs. Miami Dolphins
Lincoln Financial Field; TV: CBS; Radio: 94 WIP
Michael Malia is a contributing intern for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Facebook (Michael Malia) or Twitter @Michael_Malia.
