Road’em Cowboys
- Updated: December 15, 2014
Dallas keeps finding a way to win, particularly on the road.
The Cowboys, after losing a 21-0 lead, rebounded to beat Philadelphia 38-27 at Lincoln Financial Field and take sole possession of first place in the NFC East.
Tony Romo passed for 265 yards and three touchdowns, all to Dez Bryant. Bryant dominated the game with six catches for 114 yards. DeMarco Murray rushed for 81 yards on 31 carries and two touchdowns.
“One of the things that we knew we had to do was win outside,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “Dez came up big.”
The Cowboys are 10-4 for the first time since 1995. Dallas is unbeaten on the road at 7-0. The Cowboys host Indianapolis next Sunday.
Philadelphia falls to 9-5.
The Eagles’ scores came on Chris Polk s 5- and 2-yard runs, Darren Sproles’s 1-yard run and Cody Parkey’s field goals of 47 and 43 yards.
Dallas built a 21-0 lead before the Eagles answered with 24 unanswered points to take a 24-21 edge late in the third quarter.
But Dallas regained the momentum with a a 25-yard touchdown pass from Romo to Bryant. The score was set up by a J.J. Wilcox interception.
Dallas held off the Eagles the rest of the way.
“I believe we have a mentally tough football team, There are a lot of things you have to deal with on the road,” Garrett said. “They’ve embraced those situations.”
The Cowboys got an early break when its opening kickoff landed untouched at the 18 and after a big pileup C.J. Spillman recovered.
Five plays later, Murray ran 1 yard for a touchdown to give Dallas a 7-0 lead. The key play on the drive was Terrance Williams’ 8-yard catch on third and 6 from the 14.
“CJ did a heck of a job making a play on the ball,” Garrett said.
After a stop and Donnie Jones’ 68-yard punt, the Cowboys put together another scoring march to build a 14-0 lead.
The Cowboys drove 88 yards in 16 plays with three third-down conversions, all on receptions by tight end Jason Witten.
The touchdown came on a 4-yard pass from Romo to Dez Bryant.
On a drive that began at the end of the opening quarter, Dallas scored on their third consecutive possession.
The Cowboys covered 56 yards on eight plays with Romo throwing a 26-yard touchdown to Bryant for a 21-0 lead at 11:56..
The Cowboys overcame two penalties and also benefited from a third-down illegal contact penalty against the Eagles to keep the drive alive. Two plays after the penalty against the Eagles, Romo connected with Bryant on the touchdowns.
The Eagles finally got in rhythm in their uptempo offense and quickly moved 84 yards in just 3:24 for a touchdown.
Polk scored on a 5-yard run up the middle to close the gap to 21-7 at the 8:32 mark. Philadelphia converted three third downs, all on passes by Sanchez, during the drive.
The Eagles got the ball back when Romo was sacked on third and 1 and Chris Jones’ punt only went 29 yards.
Starting at their 28, the Eagles used 11 plays to reach the Dallas 29 where Parkey’s 47-yard field goal made it 21-10 at the 1:48 mark.
Dallas got one more possession but didn’t threaten to score as the first half ended.
Dallas punted away its first possession of the second half.
Philadelphia followed a a big play to change the momentum of the game.
Facing a third and 12 at its 27, Sanchez connected with Jeremy Maclin on a 72-yard catch and run to the 1.
Polk scored on the next play to make it 21-17 at the 8:48 mark. The touchdown completed an 86-yard, seven play drive.
Four plays after the touchdown, Romo was sacked by Vinny Curry, fumbled, and Fletcher Cox recovered at the 14 yard line.
Two plays later, Darren Sproles scored on a 1-yard run to give the Eagles their first lead of the game at 24-21 with 5:42 left in the third quarter.
Undaunted, Dallas rebounded with a 78-yard drive to retake the lead at 28-24 on Murray’s 2-yard run.
The drive featured two 22-yard catches by Bryant and a 21-yard run by Murray. Dallas never faced a third down on the drive before scoring with 39 seconds left.
Three plays later, J.J. Wilcox intercepted Sanchez off a tipped pass at the Eagles 43 on the final play of the third quarter.
Four plays later, Romo throws a 25-yard touchdown to Bryant, his third of the game, for a 35-24 lead with 12:48 left in the game.
Philadelphia followed with Parkey’s 43-yard field goal to pull within 35-27.
After a Dallas punt, the Cowboys got another turnover when Brent Celek fumbled after a 14-yard catch and Linebacker Kyle Wilber recovered at the Eagles 34.
Dallas gained 3 yards, mainly due to a holding penalty, before Dan Bailey made a 49-yard field goal to push the Cowboys’ lead to 38-27 with 4:37 left in the game.
Dallas’ defense provided a crucial stop on the next series, including consecutive sacks by Tyrone Crawford and Jeremy Mincey to force a punt.
The Cowboys began milking the clock the rest of the way then got an interception by Bruce Carter to seal the victory.
“It goes back to will and fight,” Garrett said. “Our guys did a good job hanging in there. Their relentless spirit was alive and well.”
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