Cowboys vs. Eagles Week 14 game: Cowboys take stranglehold of NFC East with 29-23 thrilling OT victory!

Overtime

Cowboys will start with the ball. Dallas starts this overtime drive and it’s a dozy:

Play 1- Zeke for 8

Play 2- Zeke for 10...EAT!

Play 3- Dak to Schultz for 16...MOVE THEM CHAINS!

Play 4- Zeke for 1

Play 5- Tyron Smith...HOLDING!!! What happened to TRON?! 2nd & 19...UGH!

Play 6- Dak to Zeke for 10...FEED THE MAN!

Play 7- Dak to Cooper for 12...Or give the ball to Coop, that works too.

Play 8- TIME CHECK: 6:04 to play in OT...FEED ZEKE for 4 more

Play 9- Dak to Schultz for 5...3rd & 1....no fingernails left to bite...

Play 10- 4th & 1...FEED ZEKE for 2 more!!!

Play 11- Dak takes it to the Eagles-12 yard line

TIME CHECK: 2:41...Are they really running the OT clock out?

Play 12- Zeke loses 3 yards....Not again red zone woes?!!!

Play 13- 3rd & 7...Dak to Cooper...15-YARDS...TOUCHDOWN!!! Game Over...NFC East odds skyrocket to over 95%.

Fourth Quarter

As the Cowboys are driving the ball looking to get into field goal range, Joe Looney has his first bad snap of the season...because of course. Dak is sacked by Fletcher Cox on third down and we’re headed to OVERTIME!

Wentz drops a dime to Nelson Algholor to set up a 1st and Goal. Jaylon Smith gets the sack on Wentz on first down. Darren Sproles shifts his way into the end zone on 2nd and goal, Eagles tie it up again!

Eagles get one more shot and are aided by a few penalties by the Cowboys defense. The Eagles are at midfield at the 2:00 warning.

Dak Prescott...Amari Cooper...One play...11 seconds...TOUCHDOWN! What a play by Dak Prescott...What a run by Cooper. Cowboys up 23-16.

Eagles get great field position and it only takes them four plays to tie this up at 16. Cowboys will go back on offense with 3:11 left to play.

After Anthony Brown makes an incredible pass deflection to get the defense off the field again. Dak Prescott looks for Michael Gallup deep and criminally overthrows him...another opportunity missed. Cowboys punt.

Dak connects with Cooper on third down to extend the drive but we got Zack Martin down on the field and it doesn’t look good. Connor Williams takes his place and Rod Smith takes the next three plays for 19 yards and another first down. Dak goes back to Cooper for a 13-yard pick up. After Zeke adds another five...Dak to Cooper for 28-yards and a TOUCHDOWN!!! Cowboys up 16-9.

On the next drive, Ezekiel Elliott takes a shot to the helmet and there’s yellow on the field. The zebras call Zeke for lowering his helmet...like really...that call?

Randy Gregory had a nice sack in the first-half but he gets called for roughing the passer, putting the Eagles in the red zone. Ertz is called for an illegal block, backing up the Eagles to the 17. Philly can’t put the ball into the end zone as the Dallas defense holds them to a field goal. It’s a tie-game at 9 points a piece.

Third Quarter

Eagles waste no time, picking up 25 yards on 4th and 3 as the third quarter expires.

Cowboys offense returns to the field and get the ball moving with another nice connection between Dak and Cooper. On the eighth play, facing 3rd and 8, Dak is strip-sacked, Eagles recover the fumble and Dallas is insufferable to watch. Dak Prescott is playing his worst game in a Cowboys uniform.

The Eagles are back out on offense but again the Cowboys defense bottles them up and forces the punt. Of course, when you play with fire...eventually you get burned. Dak is SACKED by Fletcher Cox on first down. To make matters worse, on 2nd and 15 at his own 14, Dak throws his second INTERCEPTION. On 1st and Goal, Wentz finds Alshon Jeffrey for the TOUCHDOWN. Philly misses the extra point but they are capitalizing on the Cowboys mistakes. 9-6 Cowboys but momentum has swung.

Hooray! We get to see the Cowboys offense again! Once again, the Cowboys drive nine-plays, almost 60-yards, and nearly five minutes. At Philly’s 5-yard line, we get an incomplete pass, a two-yard run, and Dak is stopped on 3rd and 3. Brett Maher gives Dallas a 9-0 lead...Dallas’ red zone issues have defined ineptitude.

The Eagles start this second-half with the ball but it doesn’t last long. Three plays and a punt for the Eagles.

Halftime

Cowboys dominate in the stats book but it certainly doesn’t reflect in the score:

Second Quarter

Once again, the Cowboys are moving the ball with purpose, getting one last chance before the half after so many mistakes. The playcalling is not doing them any favors as they see to be playing for a field goal right after Maher missed a 45-yarder. At the Eagles 34-yard line, Tyron Smith picks up another holding call. On 4th and 11, Brett Maher redeems himself by nailing a 62-yard field goal!! Dallas is up 6-0 but so many wasted opportunities.

The Eagles have a chance to at least tie it up before the half, with 1:34 seconds left. Wentz connects with Ertz on back to back plays to get in Cowboys territory. On 1st and 10 from the Dallas-37, Wentz is SACKED and STRIPPED by Tyrone Crawford!!! Cowboys recover!!

But...the red zone woes continue! Joe Looney gets called for a hold. Facing 3rd and 23, Dak runs the ball down to the five...HOLDING on Tyron Smith. Cowboys are forced to kick a 45-yard field goal...Brett Maher MISSES...it’s bad folks!

Dak Prescott gets another chance to redeem himself as he trots back out there. The offense is moving the ball at will as Dak finds Cooper for a nice sideline catch:

Starting at their own 18, Wentz advances the ball forward for one yard before DeMarcus Lawrence stops him. Two plays later, facing 3rd and 1, Wentz is tackled behind the line for a loss as Cowboys defense forces third straight three-and-out, bailing out Dak Prescott’s interception.

Cowboys convert a 3rd and 6 at the start of the second by feeding Zeke. The very next play, Zeke breaks off 20 yards! The Cowboys get 21-yards and a fresh set of downs with two completions to different tight ends. Dak connects with Cole Beasley for a nice catch and run to the Philly-23. As Dak is looking for Amari Cooper, he doesn’t see Rasul Douglas jumping the throw underneath...INTERCEPTED. Ugh...Why Dak?

First Quarter

The Eagles can’t get moving as Corey Clement is tackled for a loss by Maliek Collins. Clement looks hurt and he heads over to be evaluated by medical officials. Wentz is too far on 3rd and 11 as Eagles are forced to punt. Thanks to Rod Smith’s holding call on the punt, Dallas begins at their own 9.

Zeke gets the ball and gashes the Eagles on first down for 13-yards and the Cowboys are on the move. Dak Prescott finds Blake Jarwin on 3rd and 4 to keep the drive alive and then Dak connects with Michael Gallup for 10 more yards. Cowboys pick up a face mask call that puts them in Eagles territory. Two plays later, Fletcher Cox is called for roughing the passer and the Cowboys have a new set of downs at the Philly-9. Once again, questionable playcalling leads to only three points instead of 7. Brett Maher gives the Cowboys the field goal!

The Eagles pick up a 3rd and 4 as Carson Wentz puts it in the hands of his go-to guy Zach Ertz. A few plays later, the Dallas defense gets to Wentz as Randy Gregory makes the SACK on 3rd and 8 to force the punt!

One Ezekiel Elliott run...one short pass...no first downs. Cowboys punt and Chris Jones knocks a beauty, pinning Eagles at their own 15.

In a weird turn of events, the Eagles didn’t clearly recover the fumble...Dallas Ball!

The Eagles won the toss and deferred, Dallas starts with the ball. On the kickoff...Jourdan Lewis fumbles on the return...Lewis is ruled down but Doug Pederson challenges

Pregame

Inactives

Cowboys: QB Mike White, WR Tavon Austin, LB Sean Lee, LB Chris Covington, TE Geoff Swaim, DL David Irving, DE Taco Charlton

Eagles: QB Nate Sudfeld, CB Avonte Maddox, CB Chandon Sullivan, LB Jordan Hicks, OT Jordan Mailata, OL Matt Pryor, DT Tim Jernigan

Games like the upcoming one between the Cowboys and the Eagles are the reason that we go through all that long offseason and why we invest so much of our time and energy into our team. It’s so we can have moments like Sunday, when a division rival arrives late in the season with the NFC East crown hanging in the balance. If the Cowboys win, it’s almost certain they will win the East and make the playoffs. If they fail, all bets are off and it’s a sprint to the finish between Dallas and Philadelphia.

The Cowboys are red-hot as they enter the contest on a four-game winning streak and having stopped the New Orleans offensive juggernaut in its tracks. That kind of performance restores confidence in a team, and confidence down the stretch of a season is a huge thing. You got X’s and O’s, schemes, play execution, play-calling, and all that technical stuff, but if a team truly believes they can beat anyone and plays with that kind of exuberance, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Let’s hope that’s where the Cowboys are at right now.

Philly is on their own two-game winning streak and are feeling the effects of a renewed shot at the playoffs. They will do everything they can to secure a victory and keep their NFC East hopes alive. This is what we live for as NFL fans.

What You Need To Know

Important links: Cowboys depth chart | Roster

Date: Sunday, December 9, 2018

Game time: 4:25 PM EST

Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX

TV channel: FOX

Coverage Map: 506 Sports

Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews (Field reporter), Kristina Pink (Field reporter)

Radio: 105.3 The Fan | Full listings | Westwood One | SIRIUS: 78 (Phi), 83 (Dal) | XM: 391 (Phi), 225 (Dal)

Streaming: Fubo | NFL.com GamePass (audio only during game) | FoxSportsGo

Cowboys record: (7-5)

Eagles record: (6-6)

Odds: Dallas -3.5

Prediction: Dallas 20 - Philadelphia 17

Enemy blog: Bleeding Green Nation

Twitter: @BloggingTheBoys