Once again, the Cowboys fell behind in the first half but managed to rally for a 38-33 win over the Eagles, thanks to a balanced offense and one of Tony Romo’s better games. A pieced-together defense made enough plays in the second half to stop the banged-up Eagles offense that played without Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy.
Overall, the Cowboys did just enough and now they’re 6-6 heading into the final four-game stretch of the regular season.
Here are the grades for all three phases of the game, along with coaching, from Sunday's game:
Offense: A-
The Cowboys were as balanced as they’ve been since the Baltimore game on Oct. 14 -- ironically, that was the last time DeMarco Murray played. Murray came back Sunday from a sprained foot injury and provided some rushing yards, which opened up the middle for Tony Romo, who arguably had his best game of the season and one of the best in his career. He carved up the Eagles defense in the second half with a perfect 10 of 10 passing and three touchdowns. Previous game's grade: B-
Defense: C
Facing a rookie quarterback and rookie running back for the third straight game, the Cowboys struggled to get Bryce Brown on the ground and struggled to get Nick Foles to play like a rookie. The Eagles had success moving the ball, even outgaining the Cowboys 423-417. In the end, Josh Brent forced a key fumble and Morris Claiborne scooped it up for his first career touchdown. But the Cowboys struggled to get off the field on third downs (6 of 10 for the Eagles). Previous game's grade: D
Special Teams: D
It was shaping up to be another solid effort for the special teams units, and then came a 98-yard punt return by the Philly’s Demaris Johnson that put the Eagles back in the game. Brian Moorman’s 63-yard punt out-kicked the coverage and Johnson wasn’t even touched. Consequently, the Cowboys had to recover an onside kick and did a great job of walling off the Eagles to set up Jason Witten’s recovery to seal the game. Previous game's grade: B
Coaching: B
The Cowboys just simply can’t get out of the gates fast enough, falling behind again. That has to be on the head coach Jason Garrett, but at least they are making the necessary adjustments at halftime. The Cowboys continue to play well in the second half, and this time it was enough to get over the hump. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has tried to piece together a unit that has lost four starters for the season, along with the additional losses of Orlando Scandrick and Jay Ratliff on Sunday. Still, they were able to make enough plays to survive the Eagles. Previous game's grade: C-
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