Dallas Cowboys defeat Philadelphia Eagles, stay alive in NFC East – NFL Recap
Dallas Cowboys finally got something to cheer about as they defeated National Football Conference (NFC) East division rivals Philadelphia Eagles, 38-23, at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, November 11 and stayed alive in their division.
In a seemingly must-win game for both teams, Eagles’ woes were increased when their quarterback Michael Vick left the field in the first half owing to a concussion.
Before leaving the field Vick could only complete six of his nine attempted passes for 70 yards and one touchdown. This was the game during which Vick, after a long time, was looking very impressive.
Vick was replaced by rookie Nick Foles, who did play well on his debut, but struggled with his accuracy. He completed a total of 22 passes of 32 attempts for 219 yards while throwing one touchdown and one interception.
It was Eagles’ fifth straight defeat, the longest of head coach Andy Reid’s career with the franchise. Eagles’ playoff chances are very blurred, if not over, after this defeat.
Reid said after the game:
"The obvious is too many big plays in a very short period of time there. We went from the lead to being behind by a couple touchdowns. Between the special teams and the big plays on defence, we have to do a better job there and figure this out. The guys
are battling.”
He continued:
"I take full responsibility for our play. I'm going to do a better job. They're going to do a better job. We'll get it right."
Meanwhile, Cowboys also played well and one of the most encouraging sign for them was performance was quarterback Tony Romo who has started finding his rhythm now.
Romo was 19 of 26 for 209 yards and scored two touchdowns.
The win not only ended Cowboys’ two-game losing streak, but also saved the season for them, though NFC East leaders New York Giants still have an edge. Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said after the game:
"Critical win for us.”
Garrett added:
“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."
Both teams started the game well and got a touchdown each in the first quarter. Cowboys scored a field goal in the second quarter and entered the halftime with lead.
In the third quarter, Foles started to shine. He connected with Jeremy Maclin for a 44-yard score, followed by a field goal to take the lead. However, Romo equalised the score as he connected with Dez Bryant for a 30-yard score.
In the final quarter, Eagles made some sloppy mistakes. Dwayne Harris returned a punt for a touchdown after which Brandon Carr scored on an interception return.
With less than two minutes left in the game, Eagles scored a touchdown, but Cowboys once again stretched their lead when Jason Hatcher returned a fumble for a touchdown.
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