SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 20, 2013
Cowboys 17, Eagles 3: Tony Romo threw for 317 yards and a touchdown and Dez Bryant had 110 receiving yards as Dallas notched a road victory to secure sole possession of first place in the NFC East.
Romo was 28-of-47 passing, including eight completions to Bryant, in helping the Cowboys improve to 4-3 overall and 3-0 within the division. Romo’s counterpart, Nick Foles, struggled mightily in place of the injured Michael Vick before leaving with a head injury early in the fourth quarter.
LeSean McCoy, the NFL’s leading rusher entering the weekend, was held to 55 yards for the Eagles (3-4), who lost their franchise-record ninth straight home game and have not won at Lincoln Financial Field since Sept. 30, 2012. After Foles left the game, rookie Matt Barkley came on and threw three interceptions in 20 attempts in his first regular-season action.
Despite both teams ranking near the bottom of the league in total defense, the first half featured 13 punts and only three combined points. A 38-yard field goal by Dan Bailey with 3:17 left in the second quarter sent Dallas into the locker room with a slight advantage.
The Cowboys opened the third quarter with a 10-play drive, capped by the first touchdown of the day – a 1-yard plunge by Phillip Tanner. The Eagles got on the board on Alex Henery’s 31-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter, but the Cowboys responded with a 10-play, 72-yard drive – including 69 passing yards by Romo – that was punctuated by a 9-yard scoring pass to Terrance Williams.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Eagles coach Chip Kelly said after the game that Foles went to meet with an independent neurologist. ... The Cowboys played without star linebacker DeMarcus Ware (thigh) and starting running back DeMarco Murray (knee). For Ware, it was the first game he has missed in his nine-year career. … Dallas rookie RB Joseph Randle had a team-high 65 yards on 19 carries in place of Murray. … Romo surpassed Kurt Warner to set a new NFL record for most passing yards in his first 100 career games.