SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 14, 2014
Cowboys 38, Eagles 27: Tony Romo threw three touchdown passes to Dez Bryant as visiting Dallas rallied after blowing a 21-point lead to take over sole possession of first place in the NFC East.
DeMarco Murray rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns while Romo finished 22-of-31 for 265 yards as the Cowboys (10-4) avenged a 33-10 drubbing by Philadelphia on Thanksgiving night to improve to 7-0 on the road. Bryant made six catches for 114 yards and the career-high three scores to keep Dallas in contention for the top overall seed in the conference.
Mark Sanchez completed 17-of-28 passes for 252 yards with two interceptions and Chris Polk had a pair of short touchdown runs for Philadelphia (9-5), which has dropped back-to-back games for the first time since Oct. 20-27, 2013. Jeremy Maclin had four receptions for 98 yards and LeSean McCoy rushed for 64 as the Eagles ripped off 24 unanswered points before the Cowboys regained command.
Polk and Darren Sproles had 1-yard scoring runs three minutes apart to give Philadelphia a 24-21 lead with 5:42 left in the third, but Murray answered with a 2-yard TD before J.J. Wilcox's interception set up Romo's 25-yard strike to Bryant with 12:48 to play in the fourth for a 35-24 advantage. Cody Parkey booted a 43-year field field goal, but Brent Celek's fumble two minutes later led to Dan Bailey's 49-yard kick and an 11-point Dallas lead with 4:37 remaining.
Murray scored from 1 yard out and Romo connected with Bryant on TD passes of 4 and 26 yards as the Cowboys stormed to a 21-0 lead before the Eagles picked up their initial first down nearly four minutes into the second quarter. Polk's 5-yard run capped an 84-yard drive before Parkey booted a 47-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 21-10 at the half.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals (11-3) clinched a playoff spot with the victory by Dallas, which held the ball for 41:55. ... Murray was held under 100 yards for only the third time this season and has failed to reach 100 in all five career games against Philadelphia. ... Eagles LB Connor Barwin increased his NFC-best sack total to 14.5 while fellow LB Trent Cole exited with a hand injury. ... Cowboys TE Jason Witten made seven catches for 69 yards and reached 50 receptions for the 11th consecutive season.