Cowboys beat Eagles again: Fortune favors the bold

The Dallas Cowboys got a lucky bounce to win against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. But it would have never happened without a bold overtime decision.

The Dallas Cowboys have all but wrapped up the NFC East following their overtime win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon. The 8-5 Cowboys now have a two-game lead over the 6-7 Eagles and the 6-7 Washington Redskins in the division with three games left in the regular season.

But Sunday’s win against the reigning Super Bowl champions didn’t come easy for America’s Team. In fact, the Cowboys inconsistent offense is a real cause for concern moving forward. Against a Philly secondary riddled with injuries, Dallas struggled to post six points in the first half and had only a 9-6 lead going into the fourth quarter.

The Cowboys offense self-corrected in the fourth quarter and subsequently in overtime, with quarterback Dak Prescott exploding for 243 passing yards and three touchdowns to help lead Dallas over their divisional rivals for the second time this season.

But tied at 23 going into overtime, fortune favored the Cowboys early as they were able to win the coin toss and elected to receive the ball first. Dallas then proceeded to march down the field behind a heavy dose of running back Ezekiel Elliott and clutch receptions by wide receiver Amari Cooper and rookie tight end Dalton Schultz.

Sitting at the Eagles’ own 19-yard line, and one-yard away from the first-down marker, Elliott was stuffed on a third-down run. That left Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett with a tough decision to make on fourth down.

If Dallas elected to kick an overtime field goal, that would open the door for Philadelphia’s offense to win the game. Plus, their rookie kicker, Brett Maher, despite having made an incredible 62-yarder to end the first half, had also missed a 45-yard field goal attempt earlier. So making the pressure overtime kick was far from guaranteed.

Ultimately, Garrett made the bold choice to go for it on fourth down and a very long one. Elliott rewarded his head coach’s faith by converting for the first down on a run that was nearly stuffed once again.

Three plays later, Dallas would secure the victory and extend their lead in the division off a lucky tipped Prescott pass that bounced off Philly cornerback Rasul Douglas‘ hand and into the waiting arms of Cooper for a touchdown.

The Dallas Cowboys made several mistakes on Sunday that could have cost them the game. But they also made the big plays and some tough decisions when they needed to in order to come away with the victory. They say fortune favors the bold. It certainly did on Sunday in Arlington.