SB Nation
  • Google+

SB Nation Philly

Stay connected for news and updates

Eagles Beat Cowboys 30-27, Stay Atop NFC East

Jackson is 28 yards from 1,000 receiving yards on the season while McCoy is 78 from 1,000 yards rushing.

  • Live
19 Total Updates since December 8, 2010
  • Important 9
  • Updates 19
  • All Updates 19

Eagles Beat Cowboys Behind Career Games By LeSean McCoy and Desean Jackson

In one of the ugliest days of football in recent memory, the Sunday Night Eagles-Cowboys game was as good as everybody hoped, with three lead changes and two ties in a 30-27 game. Michael Vick didn’t play his sharpest game, throwing two interceptions to blemish his 270 yards and 3 touchdowns (one rushing). His two big plays went to Desean Jackson, a 60-yarder to start the game and a 91-yard pass play that DJax took by himself all the way from the 17-yard line. Jackson caught 4 balls for 210 yards and the one touchdown, coming away from Dallas with a bum ankle that could be cause for worry over the next week. LeSean McCoy was invisible in the first half but came to play after the break, going for 149 yards, most of which came from a time-wasting drive at the end that sealed the deal. It looks like Jackson, McCoy, and Maclin will all easily break 1,000 yards this season.

Though the defense wasn’t always there, allowing Jason Witten to score twice, his 5th and 6th career touchdowns against the Eagles, they made a few big plays on quarterback Jon Kitna. Quintin Mikell and Dmitri Patterson each stole a ball from the Cowboys, with Patterson’s being a late killer that led to the Eagles two-score lead. The secondary is still definitely the weak spot, but Trevard Lindley and Joselio Hanson had pretty good games, holding Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, and Roy Williams to 4 total catches for 45 yards and no touchdowns. The loss of Stewart Bradley (dislocated elbow) in the middle is a big concern for the rest of the season, as he may end up sitting out for more than a few weeks. Rookie linebacker Jamar Chaney played solid in replacing Bradley, but I’m sure Howie Roseman is going to be looking for a few veteran additions to sub in there. Pray that it’s not Jeremiah Trotter.

Other game balls go to David Akers (who hit his longest field goal of the season at 50 yards), Darryl Tapp (his 3rd sack of the season, proving to be a great pickup just before the season started), and Todd Herremans, who led a terrific offensive line tonight, protecting Vick and creating holes for McCoy especially at the end, as well as catching a touchdown pass, the second of his career. The special teams, with the exception of Jorrick Calvin’s idiocy, was really solid today, limiting returns on punts and kicks. The field position battle is always important in games like these.

The Eagles move back into first place in the NFC East and will watch the Giants play Minnesota in Detroit (huh?) tomorrow night, hoping to keep sole possession of the division going into the New Meadowlands next week for another huge divisional battle. It’s great to beat the Cowboys any time, especially considering what they did to us in three games last season, even when their record is less than stellar. Having the Redskins lose and the Giants game in flux makes it even sweeter.

A 9-4 record with three games to play. Kudos to Andy Reid and crew for keeping this thing going.

Continue

Cowboys Vs Eagles: Missed Tackles Lead to Jason Witten Touchdown

The Eagles defense was an inch away from sacking Jon Kitna and for all intents and purposes ending the game. But three Philly defensive linemen whiffed on the sack of the ancient QB and let him run 10 yards on 4th and 8 to keep the drive alive. Then Ernie Sims watched Tashard Choice cut right by him for 17 yards. Jason Witten, who has underachieved all season long and always kills the Eagles, caught a Kitna pass, stonewalled a tackle and walked into the end zone making it 30-27 Eagles.

On the return, Jorrick Calvin scampered around the end zone trying to waste time (and failing because the clock doesn’t start on a kick off in the end zone), before taking a knee. Fine. But then he jawed at Alan Ball and things escalated to where he popped Ball in the helmet and got charged for a personal foul. Dumb.

Now we’re working LeSean McCoy and the offensive line, establishing the running game for 37 yards on three plays this drive. The Cowboys just called a time out with 2:45 remaining.

30-27 Eagles.

Continue

Eagles At Cowboys: DeSean Jackson Has A Shot At Eagles Single Game Yardage Record

With his 91 yard TD, DeSean Jackson has 210 yards from scrimmage tonight. That’s the 3rd most in team history behind Tommy McDonald, who had 237 on 12/10/61, and Kevin Curtis, who had 221 on 9/23/07 in the ugly uniform game.

There’s still about 8 minutes left in the fame. So another reception or two could give Jackson the single game franchise record.

Continue

Cowboys Vs Eagles: Desean Jackson Scores Longest Touchdown in NFL This Season

Wow.

From the 9-yard line, Michael Vick threaded the needle to Desean Jackson on the sideline, missing the outstretched fingers of Mike Jenkins by a hair. Jackson turned upfield and cut and cut and then he was gone, beating the Cowboys secondary to the end zone for his longest career touchdown at 91 yards. It’s also the longest play from scrimmage in the NFL this season. He’s got 210 yards on 4 catches today. He’s 28 yards away from 1,000 yards on the season.

Unfortunately he celebrated while still on the field, which is a bummer, but a play like that I can handle him doing that. He was penalized 15 yards for excessive celebrating but the Eagles kickoff coverage was money anyway and it didn’t matter.

Jon Kitna’s first play of the drive went to Roy Williams but got picked by Dmitri Patterson for his 4th interception of the season and Kitna’s second of the day. The Eagles are riding LeSean McCoy in the red zone now, trying to make this a two score game with almost half the fourth quarter in the books.

27-20 Eagles. That happened fast.

Continue

Cowboys Vs Eagles: Akers 50-Yard FG Ties it Up in Fourth Quarter

Colt Anderson started the post-FG Dallas drive by breaking up the return and tackling Kevin Ogletree at the 8. The Eagles defense came up with a big three-and-out, giving the offense the ball back around midfield to start the drive. Desean Jackson was being looked at on the sidelines after the punt return.

On a game-teetering third down, Michael Vick targeted Jason Avant for 13 yards and his second catch of the game. A few LeSean McCoy runs and another Avant first down later, and the Eagles were marching to the Cowboys 30 as the 3rd quarter expired. Down a field goal, Vick went deep to Jackson (back on the field) in the corner of the end zone and missed another hook-up by a few feet. A swing pass got blown up by Bradie James when Todd Herremans missed the block to open it up. On 3rd and 12, Dallas rushed three and Vick, with a ton of time, threw in between Avant and Jackson.

David Akers was sent out for a game tying 50-yard field goal and nailed it with plenty of leg, his longest make of the year. He’s got 122 points for the Birds this season.

20-20.

Continue

Cowboys Vs Eagles: Mike Vick Interception Turns into Felix Jones Touchdown

Michael Vick already threw a pick this game that netted the Cowboys a field goal and this one hurt worse. He rolled to his right, bad for a left-handed quarterback, and threw a strike to Jeremy Maclin who got hit as he tried to catch it. The ball popped up and fell into the happy hands of Bradie James. That’s Vick’s third pick of the season and his first time throwing two in one game (obviously).

With a short field, the Cowboys went to Felix Jones on an effective screen pass to take the ball all the way to the Eagles 2. Simple enough, Jones pushed the line forward on second down and put the ball into the end zone for 6. The Cowboys lead for the first time this game. Somebody on either side of the ball needs to make a play to retaliate quickly.

20-14 Dallas.

Continue

Cowboys Vs Eagles: Todd Herremans Catches Michael Vick Touchdown

Michael Vick and the Eagles offense finally started using the screen game to beat the Cowboys defense. The signature play of the drive was a 37-yard hook to Desean Jackson, who cut diagonally across the field and used a nice Jeremy Maclin block to get all the way to the Dallas 2-yard-line. Two plays later, Vick faked the handoff to LeSean McCoy and found a wide open (and eligible!) Todd Herremans for the third score of the game. That’s Herremans’ second career touchdown after lining up as a tight end. Red zone touchdowns are huge in rivalry games like this one.

News out of the locker room is that Stewart Bradley is out with a dislocated elbow. He’ll definitely miss the rest of the game and it’s a possibility he misses the remainder of the season. Jamar Cheney, rookie out of Mississippi State, will take over at middle linebacker. Sad for Stew.

14-7 Eagles.

Continue

Cowboys Vs Eagles: Jon Kitna Finds Jason Witten for Easy Red Zone Score

After a Dmitri Patterson facemask penalty bailed the Cowboys out of a 4th down, a double end-around to Miles Austin picked up 26 yards to take Dallas into the red zone too quickly against this Eagles defense which has been horrible inside the 20 this season. Tashard Choice took two big chunks of yards from the Eagles, making it first-and-goal from the 4. Another Choice carry got the ball to the 1, on the precipice of killing the Eagles red zone D again, which had given up a record-setting 26 touchdowns in 33 red zone defenses this season. But Antonio Dixon stuffed Choice before he got to the line of scrimmage, setting up a third down.

Jon Kitna lined up shotgun and easily found Jason Witten for the touchdown. Too easy. The Eagles simply have no solution to their red zone problems. Championship teams don’t give up 27 touchdowns in 34 red zone trips — that’s gotta get fixed.

7-7

Continue

Cowboys Vs Eagles: Michael Vick QB Draw Gives Philly an Early Lead

As the Eagles have done so many times this season, Andy Reid dialed up a bomb to start the game. Michael Vick rolled out after a play action and unloaded one to Desean Jackson that went for 60 yards into the Cowboys secondary. With the ball on the 16 and third down, Vick scrambled and found Chad Hall just a half yard shy of the first down. Andy took the rsk early, letting LeSean McCoy plow through the line on 4th and short.

In a goal-to-go situation, Vick took a quarterback draw from the shotgun and ran through the line easily for the first score of the game just over three minutes in. That’s his 7th rushing touchdown of the year, his most since he got 8 with Atlanta in 2002.

7-0 Eagles.

Continue