After the Eagles rallied from 17 points down in Atlanta only to fall by two, the question leading into the Week 2 game against the Cowboys was whether the first half was just a slow start or if that would be the team's true colors, especially after all of the hype.
If the Eagles were looking to show that the second half was what this team is truly capable of, they didn't succeed in the slightest.
The Cowboys had their struggles, but without Dez Bryant and after the loss of Tony Romo in the third quarter, Dallas still was able to roll past the Eagles with a 20-10 win at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
The first half featured a combined 11 drives with nine ending in punts. The Eagles defense made goal-line stands on both cases to hold the Cowboys to field goals.
In the first, Dan Bailey connected from 20 yards after the Eagles made three stops on the one-yard line.
As the second quarter expired, Bailey added a 28-yard field goal. At the close of the half, the Eagles had lost linebackers Mychal Kendricks and Kiko Alonso to injury.
The Eagles first drive of the second half began with another quick drive, lasting just four plays. Donnie Jones' punt was blocked and recovered by J.J. Wilcox who returned it 26 yards for a touchdown.
The Eagles were in danger of letting the game completely slip in the third when a fumble recovery appeared to shift momentum. Jordan Hicks sacked Romo and Fletcher Cox picked up the loose ball for the recovery. On the play, Romo suffered a broken left clavicle.
From there, the Eagles offense finally started to get a rhythm, driving into the redzone for the first time in the game. But with the ball at the Cowboys three-yard line, they abandoned the run and opted for two passing plays, the second of which was intercepted by Sean Lee on a pass from Sam Bradford intended for Zach Ertz.
After another Dallas punt, the Eagles drove down the field on a drive that halted at the Cowboys 28. Cody Parkey put the Eagles on the board with a 46-yard field goal.
The Eagles appeared to grab life again on a fumble recovery by Malcolm Jenkins that gave the Eagles good field position down by 10. But on the very next play, Bradford wasn't ready for the snap as the offensive line jumped on a false start that went uncalled. The ball bounced off Bradford's chest and rolled free, recovered by the Cowboys.
In a last-gasp chance to score points and get the margin down to one score, Bradford was intercepted again, with another pass off the hands of a receiver. Ertz had the ball deflect off his hands and into the waiting hands of Wilcox.
Dallas iced the game with a 46-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Weeden to Terrance Williams.
The Eagles added a touchdown with 1:21 remaining on a fourth-down, six-yard pass from Bradford to Jordan Matthews.
Passing Summary:
Eagles
- Sam Bradford: 23/37, 224 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 65.6 RTG
Cowboys
- Tony Romo: 18/27, 195 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 87.7 RTG
- Brandon Weeden: 7/7, 73 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 149.7 RTG
Top-Performing Receivers:
Eagles
- Jordan Matthews: 6 rec, 80 yards, 1 TD
- DeMarco Murray: 5 rec, 53 yards
- Nelson Agholor: 3 rec, 31 yards
Cowboys
- Terrance Williams: 4 rec, 84 yards, 1 TD
- Jason Witten: 7 rec, 56 yards
- Lance Dunbar: 3 rec, 45 yards
Top-Performing Rushers:
Eagles
- Sam Bradford: 2 car, 9 yards
- DeMarco Murray: 13 car, 2 yards
- Ryan Mathews: 1 car, 0 yards
Cowboys
- Joseph Randle: 18 car, 51 yards
- Darren McFadden: 10 car, 31 yards
- Tony Romo: 1 car, 12 yards
Breakdown:
First Downs: Eagles – 17, Cowboys – 21
3rd Down Efficiency: Eagles – 2-for-11, Cowboys – 4-for-12
4th Down Efficiency: Eagles – 1-for-1, Cowboys – 0-for-0
Total Plays: Eagles – 55, Cowboys – 70
Total Yards: Eagles – 226 yards, Cowboys – 359 yards
Passing Yards: Eagles – 224 yards, Cowboys – 268 yards
Rushing Yards: Eagles – 7 yards, Cowboys – 109 yards
Redzone: Eagles – 3-for-4, Cowboys – 1-for-3
Penalties: Eagles – 8 penalties, 60 yards; Cowboys – 18 penalties, 142 yards
Turnovers: Eagles – 3, Cowboys – 2
Time Of Possession: Eagles – 19:30, Cowboys – 40:30
What's Next:
- Sunday, September 27, 2015: at New York Jets, 1:00 p.m.
- MetLife Stadium; TV: FOX; Radio: 94 WIP
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
