How do you give the ball away three times in an NFL game (against only one takeaway) and still come up with a win? While also drawing 11 penalties for 111 yards? It takes something pretty special. In the thrilling https://www.dallascowboysfanshop.com/Travis-Frederick-Jersey , exasperating 29-23 overtime victory by the Dallas Cowboys over the Philadelphia Eagles, they came up with not just one special thing. They had a bunch.Individual records. Franchise records. Even a league first. It was a remarkable performance. Let us count the ways.Amari Cooper’s career game.He wasn’t worth a first-round pick, they said.Yep, his best game ever (the three TDs are a record for him, too). And this is just the start of his Dallas career. (Memo to Jerry: Do. Not. Let. Him. Go.) The debate about whether he was worth that 2019 first-round pick was already being drowned out by the crickets before this game. This puts an end to it. Without him on the field, this almost certainly would have been a loss for the Cowboys - and probably not a close one.He is a receiver that can take over a game now.Oh, and that first-round pick he cost just keeps sliding later and later in the round, too.Dak’s redemption.I observed in the third quarter that Dak Prescott was on the verge of giving this game away, all by himself. He threw two picks and lost a fumble. And then he caught on fire.Stop just a minute and look at that. 455 yards. This is the quarterback that has been so heavily criticized for not being able to put up big numbers, for struggling at times to even break 200 yards passing.455 is rarefied air. That is the kind of number you expect from Patrick Mahomes or Jared Goff. But on this Sunday, Prescott bested Mahomes, who had 377 yards and two touchdowns. And we won’t even talk about Goff. Or maybe we will, since he was held to 180 yards and threw four interceptions against the Chicago Bears.This is not to say that Prescott is as good as those two, game in and game out. But he is capable of putting up some impressive numbers when he has to. And don’t forget, the previous week he outplayed one Drew Brees.Dak is still young. He was a fourth-round pick. Yes, he makes mistakes. But when that pressure comes on, he is one of the best there is. With less than three full seasons in the league, he already has 13 game-winning drives under his belt. And he has also etched his name in the team’s record books.But it’s really all about the team.Don’t forget the guy who has often carried this team on his back before, Ezekiel Elliott. All he did was touch the ball 40 times and put up 113 yards rushing (including one key fourth-down conversion in OT to keep the game winning drive alive) and 79 yards receiving. And that’s not something that happens very often for any team, either.Zeke, of course, has been doing it all season.Even Brett Maher set a team record.He missed a field goal in the first half, but came back as time was running out before halftime.I don’t want to look like I’m piling on Dan Bailey here, but it is clear that the team made the right decision in keeping Maher over Bailey. There is no doubt that the 62-yarder was beyond Bailey’s range. And without it, this game would probably never have made it to overtime.But wait! There’s more!Blake Jarwin had seven catches for 56 yards. Dalton Schultz three for 37. Not a big deal, you might say.But those were career highs for both of them. OK, we’re talking really short careers so far, but more importantly is that, when you throw in Rico Gathers’ one catch (which lost a yard, but saved a much bigger loss), Prescott completed eleven passes to his tight end committee - which was every single ball he threw their way. And 92 yards from the position is certainly a level of production the team can live with.It may not have been a record, but did you notice the time of possession in OT?The Cowboys won the toss for the overtime, and of course elected to receive. The new OT is only ten minutes long. The Cowboys proceeded to mount an eight minute and five second drive on the way to the touchdown that ended it all.And if they had not gotten the deflection off Rasul Douglas that Cooper took in for six, they would have kicked a field goal and left the Eagles with less than two minutes to respond. Sure, given the way Philadelphia marched up and down the field in scoring their last 17 points, that was certainly a risky proposition. But it would have just taken one stop. It certainly was an impressive drive, but using up so much time had to have been madly frustrating for the Eagles offense and staff. There was nothing they could do but hope for their defense to get a stop - which, of course, they didn’t.There was another kind of first as well.Yep. For the first time since it was adopted, the NFL rule on leading with your helmet was called against a ball carrier.I won’t go into how this was maybe a bad call, since there were some much more egregious errors both ways in this game. Although, let’s face it Randy Gregory Jersey , the Cowboys probably benefited more than the Eagles overall with the odd decision on the fumble on the opening kickoff and the phantom offensive pass interference call that nullified a touchdown. That is balanced by Dallas having far more flags thrown on them for the game.But why does this kind of thing always seem to involve the Cowboys? You might even wonder if, for some unknown reason, the league has a desire to target Zeke for meting out punishment. That’s just a silly idea, of course. Right, Commish?The big picture, though.The Cowboys have improved to 8-5 and swept the Eagles. They have a two-game lead over Philadelphia and Washington for the NFC East lead, and hold tiebreakers over both. Heck, they even shored up their wild card chances just in case (although that probably becomes meaningless next week). And even though this game was a lot harder than it should have been, it kept the five-game winning streak alive - now the longest win streak in the NFL.Did anyone really give Dallas a chance to pull this off when they were 3-5? I will freely admit I was ready to start arguing about who the new head coach should be. Now, we all are wondering if this team can keep the winning going into January. It was an incredible win, with a bunch of landmark performances. And it beats the heck out of losing. Right, Eagles? Fourth QuarterThe Cowboys weren’t able to ice it just yet because that Eagles defense forced a punt and Wentz got one more shot. The Eagles knock on the door but last second decision to lateral fails as the clock reaches 0:00. Cowboys season is still alive and they finally win on the road but can they carry it over to the next week? The NFC East continues to be there for the taking but ground must be made up.Facing 3rd and 2, Wentz tosses it behind the line to Clement and Leighton Vander Esch makes the shoestring tackle and it’s a loss of five. On 4th and 7, Jeff Heath made a huge save, launching himself at a high-flying Zach Ertz to stop him short of the sticks. Far from over, Carson Wentz was back on the field and the Eagles make quick work. Within a few plays, they’re at the Cowboys 30. Wentz scrambles for five yards and we’re at the two-minute warning.This drive saw many Cowboys get involved in the passing game from Dalton Schultz to Allen Hurns and Dallas was quickly in the red zone. It took several tries but Zeke punched it in to retake the lead 27-20.With the game heating up, Dak, Zeke, and Amari Cooper took over. Zeke was doing it all including making two blocks that allowed Dak to get the ball to his man. So much for the short-lived lead as Wentz heaves one deep to Nelson Agholor for 51-yards at the Dallas-8. A few plays later, Wentz to Ertz in the end zone to tie it up again. Zeke breaks an 18-yard run followed by Dak hooking up with Beasley for a 15-yard completion. On 3rd and 2 from the Eagles-7, Zeke takes the short pass in for the score! Cowboys 20, Eagles 13Third QuarterDak and the Cowboys were back to work as he finds Zeke for 13 and a third down conversion to end the third quarter.When you fail to finish on offense, eventually you get burned and that’s what the Eagles did on their next drive. With just over two-minutes in the third quarter, Wentz to Ertz for the game-tying score.Once again, you wish Zeke would have found a way to finish that one because the circus offense made it’s return. Maher misses the 42-yard field goal attempt...a failure to finish plagues them again.Cowboys go back to work by feeding Zeke to the tune of 14-yards but he wasn’t done yet:It was a quick three and out for Dallas and the Eagles’ offense started clicking again with help from the tight end, Ertz. Wentz completes an improbable pass as he’s being tackled, even though the Cowboys defender got a hand on his throwing arm. The Cowboys play tough in the short field as Xavier Woods breaks up the goal line pass intended for Jeffrey. The Eagles settle for three points and cut the lead to seven.The Cowboys start off their next drive calling a bootleg that the Eagles quickly destroyed. Dak took a shot and a half on this one from Michael Bennett. HALFTIMESecond QuarterAfter Dak finds Allen Hurns at the one-yard line, the Cowboys rush to the line with the clock ticking under 30 seconds. Prescott keeps it and he’s in for the TOUCHDOWN. Cowboys lead 13-3 at the half and they’ll get the ball back to start the third quarter.Amari Cooper gets a nice gain and a first down. On the next play, Dak bounces out of the pocket and takes an indefensible sack. Elliott is able to get some of that back and Gallup runs right behind Tyron Smith on the screen to convert. Dak fires it to Beasley on a beautiful sideline pass and Dallas is in the red zone. Eagles are getting Zach Ertz involved at the two-minute warning, trying to get points before the half. Wentz and company have a few miscues, Chidobe Awuzie makes a last-second pass breakup on Alshon Jeffery that would have been lethal. After consecutive incompletions to force 4th and 10. The Eagles think about going for it but elect for a 56-yard field goal that just gets inside to put them on the boards. 6-3 Cowboys with 1:33 left and shot to do something but no timeouts.Too bad Zeke couldn’t finish that run because the red zone is where this Cowboys offense moves backwards. Dak can’t punch it in on two straight quarterback runs. Dak is sacked on third down after Zeke falls down but to make matters worse, both Cooper and Gallup fail to finish their routes...Brett Maher drills another field goal but we’re all left unsatisfied.Zeke decides that he’s tired of waiting and makes another incredible play that we’ve been missing for weeks!On the punt, NOPE! It’s the G.O.A.T. Jeff Heath taking the direct snap to bail out the offense.Zack Martin is heavily taped but he’s back out there and the Cowboys pick up an easy five yards with a pass to Cooper. Dallas avoids the delay of game penalty by getting a timeout called. Dak is too far for Beasley on a makeable third down. The Cowboys indeed go for it on 4th and 1 but Dallas picks up a false start on Collins but it should be charged to Geoff Swaim. Cowboys punt and right away the Eagles pick up a nice gain on a misdirection run. Wentz is in Cowboys territory in a flash but Xavier Woods halts the Eagles on 3rd and 1. Doug Pederson elects to go for it on 4th and 1 but the run is STUFFED at the line. Cowboys take over on downs.First QuarterThe Cowboys won the toss and deferred. The Eagles first offensive possession was a three and out. On the punt, Byron Jones picked up a flag for holding, the Cowboys starting at their own 10, which is never ideal for this team. Eagles edge rusher Brandon Graham sacks Dak Prescott on first down, followed by a run up the gut into a loaded box, and lastly an incomplete pass to Michael Gallup.Carson Wentz and the Eagles were back on the field but it didn’t last long. Wentz over the middle right into the belly of Leighton Vander Esch for the INTERCEPTION!With good field position, the Cowboys drive is going well until Zack Martin gets rolled up on by a falling La’el Collins. It didn’t look good...After Dak connects with Amari Cooper to get inside the Eagles 10-yard line, he is behind on a pass to Ezekiel Elliott that would have easily been a walk-in six points. After sailing a third-down pass intended for Cooper, Brett Maher comes out to knock in a 25-yard field goal. The Cowboys get the three point lead but this offense has to start capitalizing on opportunities. On Wentz’s attempt to answer Jaylon Smith Color Rush Jersey , he gets an unpleasant meeting with Randy Gregory for the second down sack. Two plays later, it’s another three and out for the home team but the Cowboys start once again backed up near their goal line due to a special teams penalty. Dak lucks out as a batted throw that would have been a quick six points the other way can’t be completed by the Eagles defender. Dak connects with Cooper again, it saves the drive on a 3rd and 6. Just as the offense is getting out of the field position deficit, the Cowboys are called for another hold. On 3rd and 15, it’s a screen pass to Rod Smith that goes for 14-yards to end the first quarter. Will they go for it?PregameIt’s Cowboys-Eagles, it always brings intensity. In years past, Dez Bryant would have his pregame dust-ups with Malcolm Jenkins. Well, today it was the Cowboys defensive backs coach, Kris Richard mixing it up with the Eagles personnel and riling up the boo birds!Inactives:Cowboys: QB Mike White, G Connor Williams, DT David Irving, DE Taco Charlton, WR Tavon Austin, LB Sean Lee, LB Joe ThomasEagles: QB Nate Sudfeld, RB Darren Sproles, T Lane Johnson, T Matt Pryor, DB Sidney Jones, DB Jalen Mills, S Deiondre’ HallThe Dallas Cowboys will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in a Sunday night matchup. The Cowboys are desperate to get back on the winning track after dumping their game last week to the Titans and dropping to 3-5 season. Some have already written off the year, and if Dallas can’t pull off the upset against their NFC East rival, then it will be hard to argue that it’s not a lost season.The Cowboys offense is the main issue, and that leads to fingers being pointed at the play of quarterback Dak Prescott. He hasn’t been the same player he was at the beginning of his career and if he can’t elevate his play, and the team’s play, confidence in his ability to be the Cowboys QB will continue to nosedive. These next few weeks are important for Prescott, but they are also important for Jason Garrett and Scott Linehan. Their jobs are likely on the line over the second half of the schedule, so a positive showing in Philadelphia would go a long way for them.The Cowboys defense will be looking for a rebound performance after a let-down last week against a weak Titans offense. The defense was unable to stop the opposition on third down, a staple of any good defense. They have been managing to create turnovers recently, but they have to get the opposing offense off the field on the money down. Here is your info for the game.What You Need To KnowImportant links: Cowboys depth chart | RosterDate: Sunday, November 11th, 2018Game time: 8:20 PM ESTLocation: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PATV channel: NBCCoverage Map: 506 SportsAnnouncers:Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya (Field reporter)Radio: 105.3 The Fan | Full listings | Westwood One |SIRIUS: 81 (Dal), 83 (Phi) | XM: 226 (Dal), 225 (Phi)Streaming: Fubo |NFL.com GamePass (audio only during game) |NBC Sports online, | Yahoo Sports appCowboys record: (3-5)Eagles record: (4-4)Odds: Dallas +4.5Prediction: Dallas 17 - Philadelphia 24Enemy blog: Bleeding Green NationTwitter: @BloggingTheBoysA game preview:
