Cowboys fans had seen this movie before. Sloppy play, lack of focus from star players, and some big, controversial calls from the referees to boot. By the time Jalen Hurts got pushed by his tush to score
his third touchdown on the day and put the Eagles up 21-0, just about every fan was checking out. It didn’t matter that the game was only 28 seconds into the second quarter, Cowboys fans had seen enough: this was over.
The players didn’t get the memo.
Philadelphia went up 21-0 early in the second quarter, and the way they got there can best be described as a comedy of errors. Dallas started with the ball and ultimately turned it over on downs right at midfield. AJ Brown caught a touchdown bomb just seven plays later, scoring on the short field.
A Dallas three-and-out was quickly matched by the Eagles, who came up short on third and long. But Dallas was flagged for roughing the punter, gifting the Eagles a first down, even though the replay review showed that Ryan Flournoy – who had been charging on a block attempt – tipped the ball before making contact with the punter. That would’ve negated the penalty had the officials caught it, but penalties are not eligible for reviews, and thus the Cowboys were dinged by the referees’ error.
A few plays later, an offsides penalty for Jadeveon Clowney erased another third-down stop, and Hurts ran in for a score just a few plays later. After that, the Cowboys started mounting a drive for the first time all day. Tragedy seemed to strike when CeeDee Lamb fumbled the ball, but the replay confirmed he was down by contact first. Tragedy remained, though, as KaVontae Turpin fumbled on the very next play, leading to the tush push touchdown.
But the Cowboys kept fighting.
Dak Prescott found Jake Ferguson on an early third down to move the chains, and when Ferguson drew a false start on the very next play, Prescott hit George Pickens twice to move the chains again and overcome the penalty. A big play to Pickens was followed by a big play to Ferguson, which set Dallas up at the 1-yard line. But a false start backed them up five and then Prescott got picked in the endzone while trying to hit Lamb. Any momentum they had built on that drive evaporated quicker than it had formed.
But the Cowboys kept fighting.
The Eagles punted just three plays – and -2 yards – later. Turpin then took a quick curl route and turned it into a 48-yard gain, completely flipping the field. A few plays later, Tyler Guyton was flagged for tripping, making it first and 25. It didn’t deter Prescott, who hit Lamb and then Ferguson for 27 total yards and a first down before finding Pickens in the endzone.
With just 21 seconds left in the first half, Philadelphia opted to take a knee and go into halftime with a 21-7 lead that felt much larger than that. But the Cowboys had seen enough: they knew the door was wide open. And in the second half, they stepped right through that door.
The defense came out with their hair on fire, forcing a punt on the Eagles’ first three drives of the second half. Two of them went three-and-out. The Cowboys offense couldn’t take advantage, punting on their first drive and then missing a 51-yard field goal on the second. The more time that ticked off the clock, the more it felt like one more touchdown for the Eagles would seal the deal.
But the Cowboys kept fighting.
Lamb, who had an otherwise very forgettable night plagued by drops yet again, helped turn the tide. On third down, he had a favorable matchup deep down the field against Cooper DeJean. Prescott launched it to him, a flag flew for pass interference, and Lamb came up with the catch anyway for a 48-yard bomb.
Two plays later, Prescott found Brevyn Spann-Ford in the corner of the endzone for a touchdown. And just like that, the Cowboys were down by one score with two minutes to go in the third quarter. That seemed to wake up the Eagles, as they moved the ball down the field on the ensuing drive, but consecutive penalties backed them 15 yards and ultimately led to a field goal. And, to everyone’s shock, Jake Elliott missed the 56-yard kick.
The Cowboys offense took the field at their own 46 with a golden opportunity to tie things up early in the fourth quarter. Prescott seemed impatient and launched it downfield to Pickens, who did what he’s done all year and made a jaw-dropping sideline catch.
That 43-yard gain set the Cowboys up at the Philadelphia 11, and Prescott went somersaulting into the endzone just two plays later to tie the game. The Cowboys were as cooked as a Thanksgiving turkey with 11 minutes left in the second quarter, but with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, they were all tied up.
From there, things got truly wacky. A promising Eagles drive ended with Saquon Barkley’s first fumble of the year in Dallas territory. Then a holding call led to the Cowboys punting the ball away, but rookie Alijah Clark jarred the ball loose on the return and long snapper Trent Sieg recovered it inside the 10-yard line.
Javonte Williams ran the ball to teh two-yard line. Prescott tried a roll-out pass but had to eventually run and got stopped just shy of paydirt, and then Prescott dropped the ball right into Lamb’s breadbasket for a should-have-been touchdown, but Lamb failed to secure the ball. Faced with fourth-and-goal just one yard out, Brian Schottenheimer opted to go for it, but Prescott was under pressure almost immediately and threw incomplete.
Yet, as they had all day, the Cowboys kept fighting.
Hurts found Brown for 11 yards, then DeVonta Smith for 16 yards. Two plays later, a checkdown to Barkley set up third and short, and a first down felt all but inevitable. But as Hurts dropped back to pass, Osa Odighizuwa came flying through to bring down Hurts for the Cowboys’ first sack of the game.
The Cowboys were getting the ball back with 95 seconds left in a tie game with a kicker who can make it from McKinney. All they needed was a couple of first downs and Aubrey would be in range for the game-winner. A 19-yard shot to Jake Ferguson on third down made that probable, getting it to the Philadelphia 46-yard line, but Pickens made it a certainty just two plays later.
The catch-and-run picked up 24 yards and allowed the Cowboys to take two knees before spiking the ball with four seconds remaining. On came Aubrey, looking to atone for his earlier miss and win the game, and he did not disappoint. After fighting all day long, the Cowboys were finally able to celebrate.
It ties the franchise record for biggest comeback win and marks a signature victory for Schottenheimer, who has had to navigate this team through uncharted territory all season, and especially in the past two weeks. Sunday’s performance was hardly ideal – there were plenty of things that need to be cleaned up, notably the failings of their star receiver – but the way the team battled through the hard times to come out the other side victorious is exactly the type of thing that can inspire a run.
And with a short turnaround to host the vaunted Chiefs on Thanksgiving, the Cowboys need all the confidence they can get. On Sunday, against the reigning Super Bowl champion, they got exactly that.
