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Quarter-by-quarter look at Cowboys-Eagles game
Cowboys’ defense rises to the occasion
Wildcat formation, Ogletree add to Cowboys’ offensive mix
Everything seemed to go right in Romo’s world
Dallas Cowboys’ go-to wideout makes his one catch count
Tony Romo delivers another complete performance in win over Eagles
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PHILADELPHIA — It was billed as a battle for the first place in the NFC East.
But it was much more than that for the Dallas Cowboys.They came to the City of Brotherly Love not only seeking redemption for the embarrassing 44-6 rout in the 2008 season finale, but also validation.The Cowboys needed to know for themselves if they were for real... if they had the character and mental toughness to get it done against a good team in a big game on the road?Mission accomplished.A fourth-down stand by the defense in the fourth quarter was followed by a 49-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tony Romo to receiver Miles Austin, sending the Cowboys to a 20-16 victory before 69,144 disgruntled Philadelphia Eagles fans at Lincoln Financial Field.“We had a lot of confidence going in,” Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said. “I think we’re getting better.”It’s the team’s first four-game winning streak since 2007, putting Dallas all alone atop the NFC East with a 6-2 record at the midpoint of the season.The Cowboys are one game ahead of the Eagles (5-3) and the free-falling New York Giants (5-4) are two games back in the loss column after a four-game losing streak.Most important, it answered some questions about the Cowboys’ character and resolve as they prepare to embark on the second half of the season and a push to the playoffs.It was a game in which the old Cowboys might have wilted in crunch time. But these Cowboys proved to be the better team when it mattered the most.That they did it here in Philadelphia makes it that much sweeter considering their awful recent history against the Eagles and the bitter memories of their previous trip here.The Eagles had won four of the past six meetings and had double-digit victories against the Cowboys 10 times since 2000. Eight of those were by more than 20 points, capped by the 44-6 game with the playoffs on the line in last year’s regular-season final.Those days are over and if the Cowboys can continue to build their success of the last month, maybe their streak of 13 years without a playoff win will end, too.Austin will be remembered as the hero as he continued the hottest streak in NFL history for a receiver in his first four starts of his career. He was held without a catch by the Eagles until a double move and a pump fake on Sheldon Brown allowed him to haul in a perfect pass from Romo. He then split the defense and raced to the end zone to break a 13-13 tie with 8:04 remaining.Austin is the only player in NFL history to have touchdown receptions in his first four starts and he became the first Cowboys player to do it in four consecutive games since Terrell Owens did it in seven straight in 2007.Romo exorcised his own demons with the touchdown throw. It was following the loss in Philadelphia last year that he uttered the infamous and regrettable quote: “If this was the worst thing to happen to me, I’ve lived a pretty good life.”It only fueled criticisms about Romo’s care-free attitude and the notion that he did not perform well in big games.
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