The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys in overtime on Sunday night by the score of 33-27.
The Eagles got off to a slow start yet again.
The Eagles offense would of went three-and-out to start the game, but Jeff Heath ran into Eagles punter Donnie Jones and Philadelphia was given a new set of downs. On the next set of downs, Josh Huff was short of a first down conversion by one yard, and the Eagles punted the ball on the first drive of the night.
The Eagles had problems containing Cowboys wide receivers Dez Bryant and Cole Beasley.
Bryant, who didn't play in the Week 2 game at Lincoln Financial Field with a foot injury, made his presence known on the first drive of the game. He caught a 56-yard pass from quarterback Matt Cassel to set Dallas up in scoring position. Beasley caught his first of two touchdowns on a third-and-goal to give Dallas a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
Beasley caught another touchdown in the third quarter to tie the score at 14-14.
After a Jordan Hicks pick-six, Bryant caught a jump-ball in the back of the end zone to tie the game back up at 21-21. He also caught a pass in the waning moments of the game to give Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey a chance to send the game into overtime.
The Eagles defense also had some troubles stopping Cowboys running back Darren McFadden.
McFadden pounded the rock 27 times for a total of 117 yards and no touchdowns. He averaged 4.3 yards per carry against the Eagles defense.
Even without starting left tackle Jason Peters, the Eagles offensive line played well against the Cowboys front-seven.
Lane Johnson made the start at left tackle for the injured Peters. With Johnson playing left tackle, Dennis Kelly would start at the right tackle position. Johnson played so well against Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy that Dallas moved him to the other side of the defensive line to face Kelly.
Eagles running backs DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles combined for a total of 172 rush yards on 35 total run plays. That's good enough for a an average of 4.9 yards per carry. Additionally, quarterback Sam Bradford was sacked only one time.
Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews, who has been criticized for a dropping passes throughout the year, came away with the game-winning touchdown reception in overtime to seal the deal for Philadelphia.
The score was tied at 27-27 at the end of regulation. The Eagles won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball to start overtime. On the first play of the drive, the Eagles were called for a false start, but Murray converted a first down two plays later.
On the next set of downs, Ryan Mathews converted a fourth-and-short to keep the drive alive for the Eagles offense. On the very next play, Bradford connected with Jordan Matthews on a 41-yard walk-off touchdown to win the game for Philadelphia.
At 4-4 overall, the Eagles are now a half-game behind the New York Giants for the lead of the NFC East division. The Eagles have a home game against the Miami Dolphins next week.
The Giants beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road in Week 9 to improve to 5-4 overall. New York has a Week 10 game against the undefeated New England Patriots, who handed the Washington Redskins (3-5) a loss on Sunday. The Cowboys (2-6) have now lost six straight games without Tony Romo at quarterback.
Michael Malia is a contributing intern for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Facebook (Michael Malia) or Twitter @Michael_Malia.
