PHILADEPHIA – The Dallas Cowboys’ storylines entering Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles wasn’t exactly positive.
The list included: A coach’s job security, a quarterback struggling to make plays, an offensive coordinator perhaps on his last chance and a defense left wobbly after its last game. All in all it added up to a season on the line.
But the Cowboys left Lincoln Financial Field with a 27-20 victory that seemed improbable after losing their first four road games of the season, and they find themselves alive and breathing if not entirely well just yet.
They left Philly with a win after Jason Garrett rallied a young team that had been rattled and a coaching staff that had been questioned.
They left after Dak Prescott threw two touchdown passes in a road game for the first time this season.
They left after Ezekiel Elliott rushed for more than 150 yards against the NFL’s second-best run defense and scored twice, including on a pass.
They left after coordinator Scott Linehan managed the offense as well as it had been managed all year.
They left after the defense did just enough with Leighton Vander Esch book-ending a first-quarter interception with a huge fourth-quarter tackle that preceded Jeff Heath’s fourth-down stop of Zach Ertz with 1:09 to play.
At times early in the game, Prescott was bad, like taking a 13-yard sack in the second quarter. He held onto the ball too long, leading to sacks.
At times Prescott was brilliant, like at the end of the first half when he connected on all five passes for 79 yards and sneaked in from a yard out with 19 seconds left for the Cowboys’ first touchdown.
And then with 7:27 to play in a tied game, Prescott was once again brilliant with a 17-yard completion to rookie tight end Dalton Schultz; a floater to Amari Cooper for 24 yards; and a critical third-and-8 completion to Allen Hurns for 23 yards.
From there the Cowboys rode Elliott, giving him the ball three straight times for his second touchdown of the game.
When the Cowboys were at their best in 2016, they rode then-rookies Prescott and Elliott. Now almost grizzled veterans in their third year, Prescott was efficient Friday and Elliott was explosive.
Prescott completed 26 of 36 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown pass. Elliott finished with 151 yards on 19 carries and the touchdown run and TD reception.
Source : ESPN
