The Cowboys spent all off-season trying to get over the no-show performance in the 44-6 loss at Philadelphia to end 2008. They opened the game looking like a team bent on atonement. The defense was simply dominating against the Eagles’ explosive attack, limiting them to one first down. Gerald Sensabaugh’s interception off a tipped pass put the Cowboys in scoring position early. On their second possession of the game, Dallas drove 37 yards in nine plays for a touchdown. They converted two third downs and got a big play from rookie Kevin Ogletree, who gained 21 yards on a flanker screen on a third-and-9 play. The Cowboys broke out the Razorback offense, with running back Tashard Choice taking a direct snap from center and running 2 yards for a touchdown.
Time of possessionDAL PHI 10:11
4:49
Total yardsDAL PHI 103
40
Rushing yardsDAL PHI 16
13
Passing yardsDAL PHI 87
27
SECOND QUARTERThe Cowboys continued to do a solid job on defense as they gave up no big plays and took advantage of good field position to force the Eagles to drive the field. The Eagles made a few plays, but didn’t get anything done consistently against the Cowboys’ defense and had to settle for 45- and 48-yard field goals by David Akers. The Cowboys offense wasn’t much better, rushing for 10 yards in the second quarter. They were hit and miss in the passing game as well, typified by the final drive. A 64-yard pass to Patrick Crayton gave the Cowboys a first down at the 17. A screen to Kevin Ogletree gave the Cowboys a first-and-goal at the 4. But quarterback Tony Romo twiced missed Roy Williams on slants in the end zone. He then threw incomplete to Jason Witten, forcing the Cowboys to settle for 22-yard field goal by Nick Folk and a 10-6 lead.
Time of possessionDAL PHI 5:26
9:34
Total yardsDAL PHI 93
100
Rushing yardsDAL PHI 10
57
Passing yardsDAL PHI 83
43
THIRD QUARTERThe Cowboys had controlled things for much of the first half, but Eagles showed in the third they were not going away. Ellis Hobbs returned the kickoff 96 yards for an apparent touchdown, but it was called back on a holding penalty. The Eagles were undeterred. LeSean McCoy had a 45-yard catch and run. Then quarterback Donovan McNabb toed the line of scrimmage before throwing an 11-yard touchdown pass to Brent Celek to give Philadelphia a 13-10 lead, its first of the game. The Cowboys’ offense continued to struggle, with Tony Romo throwing an interception for the first time since the Denver game. The defense, however, refused to break. Cornerback Mike Jenkins set up the Cowboys for an early score in the final period when he made a leaping interception.
Time of possessionDAL PHI 8:47
6:13
Total yardsDAL PHI 82
102
Rushing yardsDAL PHI 24
8
Passing yardsDAL PHI 48
94
FOURTH QUARTEROn the second play of the quarter, Nick Folk’s 33-yard field goal tied the score at 13-13. A defensive stand set up a go-ahead score for the Cowboys. Facing a fourth-and-1 at the Dallas 45, McNabb was stacked for no gain. The Eagles challenged the spot ruling and lost. The Cowboys took over and marched 55 yards for the go-ahead score. The touchdown came on a 49-yard pass from Romo to rising star Miles Austin, his only catch of the game. The play gave Dallas a 20-13 lead with 8:04 left in the game. The Eagles drove to the Cowboys’ 33. After two incompletions, McNabb was forced to scramble on third down and was tripped up by rookie Victor Butler for no gain. The Eagles opted for Akers’ 52-yard field goal to make the score 20-16. However, the Eagles never got the ball back.
Time of possessionDAL PHI 7:20
7:40
Total yardsDAL PHI 90
55
Rushing yardsDAL PHI 26
11
Passing yardsDAL PHI 64
44
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