Cowboys news: With a 40-34 last minute win vs. Eagles, NFC East title still in play for Cowboys

Prescott, Cowboys win 40-34, make Eagles wait on top seed - Associated Press, ESPN

Not so fast Philly. With the Cowboys’ win over the Eagles on Christmas Eve, the Cowboys can keep their slim division title hopes alive with two games left in the regular season.

“Prescott finished with 347 yards passing and three touchdowns after Josh Sweat’s shocking 42-yard pick-6, Brett Maher kicked the go-ahead field goal late and the Cowboys beat the Eagles 40-34 on Saturday.

Gardner Minshew threw two scoring passes and had a TD run filling in for injured Philadelphia QB Jalen Hurts, but his second interception set up Maher’s go-ahead kick.

Four days after speaking at the memorial service of his college coach, Mike Leach, Minshew had Philadelphia 19 yards from a potential winning touchdown in the final seconds, his desperation pass into the end zone on fourth-and-10 wasn’t anywhere near a receiver.

The NFL-leading Eagles (13-2) had two of their four turnovers in the final five minutes and missed a chance to clinch the NFC’s top seed in a matchup of playoff-bound division rivals.

Dallas, the defending NFC East champ, kept alive faint hopes of catching them.”

Don’t Forget These 5: Biadasz Recovers the Fumble- Nick Eatman, Dallascowboys.com

Here are some plays that shouldn’t be forgotten as the Cowboys managed to take the victory in the closing seconds, including a key contribution from a newcomer.

“Eagles hold Hilton, drive extended – Before T.Y. Hilton made a huge game-changing play in the fourth quarter, he was held by an Eagles defender on a fourth-and-8 at the Philadelphia 45-yard line early in the second quarter. The pass fell incomplete, but the flag extended the drive and the Cowboys were able to score a few plays later for a 14-10 lead.

Fourth-down run opens up big comeback – The nail-biting finish might not have occurred if Dallas doesn’t make key plays earlier in the second half. Down by 10 points, the Cowboys faced fourth-and-1 at their own 34-yard line. The offense called a run around the right side to Elliott, who had his longest rush of the game, going 22 yards to the Eagles’ 44. That led to a field goal that got the Cowboys back to within a score.

Cowboys get the fumble back, pass to Hilton – Yes, the pass to Hilton changed the entire game. The Cowboys were able to convert a third-and-29 with a bomb to the recently signed receiver, who made his first catch of the season. But it doesn’t happen if center Tyler Biadasz doesn’t recover a fumble by Prescott at the Cowboys’ 38-yard line and Dallas down seven. A turnover there would’ve been devastating, but the Cowboys kept the ball and ended up with a third-and-forever. Prescott, though, still had enough confidence to bomb the pass to Hilton, whose catch not only flipped the field but led to a game-tying score.”

Tennessee Titans may rest players in Thursday’s game vs. Dallas Cowboys, Mike Vrabel says - Nick Gray, The Tennessean

The Cowboys, who need to win out for a chance at the NFC East, may face a Tennessee Titans team resting their starters for a pivotal game the following week.

“The Tennessee Titans’ loss on Saturday, 19-14 to the Houston Texans, guaranteed that the Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars will play a winner-take-all game for the AFC South division title on the final weekend of the regular season.

But before then is Thursday’s Week 17 game against the Dallas Cowboys. For a team with a lengthy injury list on a short week at the end of the season, the Titans are in a position to rest some players if needed. The Titans’ result on Thursday won’t change the importance of the trip to Jacksonville.

Titans coach Mike Vrabel admitted as much after Saturday’s game.

“We’ve got some guys who have played a lot of football for us that are far less than 100%,” Vrabel said. “It’s those guys that I appreciate that, no matter what, find a way to be here for this team. So we’ll try to figure out who we have and who’s available and then make some decisions.”

The Titans (7-8) could still earn an AFC wild-card berth. That would require a win over Dallas, a loss at Jacksonville and a long list of help from other teams. Realistically, the Titans’ only reasonable shot at the postseason is by winning the AFC South.”

Everything Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said after beating the Philadelphia Eagles - David Ammenheuser, Forth Worth Star Telegram

Mike McCarthy had a lot to say about his team after their thrilling win on Christmas Eve.

On what a game like this does going forward: “Love it, this is adversity and advancement. This is what we’ve been working on all along. I just think like anything, two things we got really going for ourselves is our play style, this group they bring it the whole time. I just really liked the communication today. You can see, just the short week, preparation, I thought the defensive guys, obviously with Dan (Quinn), we were getting in and out of our personnel groups, it’s just good to see the young guys, the new guys get in, based on the personnel group and just playing the flow. We knew it was going to be a tough one, they’re obviously an outstanding, outstanding football team.

I think both teams probably hope we see each other again, because you know what that means. This was a game we wanted to get and felt like we had to have, more for ourselves. Now we’re at 11 wins. I think our place is clear. We just got to make sure, really this is our toughest stretch of the season from a planning standpoint. Going into a short Thursday game you know with Christmas tomorrow, that’s really, professionally, where my focus is. I think the players have done a really good job and we got it done.”

On Dak’s mental toughness: “I don’t know how else to say it, that’s who he is. Adversity is something that he eats for lunch. He doesn’t blink. That’s such a huge part, I think it’s a huge part to be successful in group dynamics. When you work with people in a large setting like this and you have a bunch of guys that are up and down based on the day.

That’s very difficult. This guy, Dak’s the same person every day, in the fire, at practice. I just think it speaks volumes to his approach. Talk about another guy that puts in a tremendous amount of extra time. He believes in himself; he believes in this team. He wears it on his sleeve.”

Blogging The Boys Podcast Network and YouTube Channel

We offer a different show every single day on the Blogging The Boys podcast network, and on weekdays we offer two different shows every single day.

• Monday: 1st and 10 with Dave Sturchio, Tony Catalina, & Aidan Davis
• Monday: Hidden Yardage with Mark Lane and Sean Martin
• Tuesday: The Writer’s Block with Jess Nevarez and Brandon Loree
• Tuesday: BTB Roundtable with various BTB Staffers
• Wednesday: NFC East Mixtape with RJ Ochoa and Brandon Lee Gowton
• Wednesday: Talkin’ The Star with Connor Livesay
• Thursday: The Ocho with RJ Ochoa
• Thursday: Ryled Up with Roy White and Tom Ryle
• Friday: Girls Talkin’ Boys with Kelsey Charles and Meg Murray
• Friday: The Star Seminar with Danny Phantom and Rabblerousr
• Saturday: The World’s Team with Meg Murray and Paul Stewart

Also every single weekday features a roundup episodes of sorts similar to these news headlines that catches you up on everything that you need to know! Make sure to listen to Dallas Cowboys Daily hosted by Jess Nevarez from Monday through Friday. We also offer live shows every weekday afternoon on the Blogging The Boys YouTube Channel.

The Blogging The Boys podcast network is available on all major podcast platforms.

Subscribe here on Apple devices.

Subscribe here if you are a Spotify user.