Eagles vs. Cowboys 2017 live results: Score updates and highlights from ‘Sunday Night Football’

An NFC East game in primetime? That never happens! Joking aside, we were still looking forward to the Cowboys and Eagles tonight, if only to see Jerry Jones’ reaction if the Dallas offensive line doesn’t play better. Dallas held a halftime lead, but Philadelphia owned the second half in a blowout road win, improving to 9-1 to top the NFC.

Eagles 37, Cowboys 9: Philadelphia is absolutely rolling in the second half. The absence of left tackle Tyron Smith continues to hurt the Cowboys, with Derek Barnett forcing Dak Prescott to fumble, recovered by linebacker Nigel Bradham for a 37-yard scoop and score, giving the Eagles 30 unanswered points.

Eagles 29, Cowboys 9: Though emergency kicker Kamu Grugier-Hill has been pretty good on kickoffs, the Eagles opted to go for it on 4th-and-5 from the 17 rather than attempt a 35-yard field goal. The plan worked thanks to a tremendous catch by Alshon Jeffery, giving Philadelphia three touchdowns in three possessions in the second half.

Dallas had two possessions in the third quarter. Alfred Morris ran for 48 yards on five plays, including three runs for first downs. But the Cowboys’ other five plays in the quarter netted four total yards, and no points, turning a two-point halftime lead into a two-touchdown disadvantage.

Eagles 23, Cowboys 9: Jay Ajayi busted free for the longest run of his career, a 71-yard scamper to the 15.

Cowboys safety Byron Jones saved a touchdown by somehow catching Ajayi from behind, but it only delayed things, as three plays later Carson Wentz found Torrey Smith for an 11-yard TD.

Eagles 15, Cowboys 9: Corey Clement gave Philadelphia the lead back with an 11-yard touchdown in the Eagles’ first possession of the second half.

With kicker Jake Elliott hurt and linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill filling in at placekicker, Philadelphia opted to go for two following the TD, and was successful thanks to this nifty setup with four wide on the right side.

Cowboys 9, Eagles 7: With a minute left before the half, the Cowboys get the lead back, thanks to another field goal from Mike Nugent Nug3nt. Earlier in the game, we thought settling for field goals wouldn’t be enough to beat the Eagles.

Buuuuuut for right now, it’s good enough, especially when Carson Wentz has completed only two of his last 12 passes, for 9 total yards. He’s also SUPER lucky Anthony Brown has feet for hands:

Eagles 7, Cowboys 6: Eagles kicker Jake Elliott left the game to be evaluated for a concussion. Philadelphia hasn’t haven’t been in scoring range for a while, so it hasn’t had a kicking opportunity since Elliott left.

Fwiw, the Eagles’ emergency kicker is linebacker (and special teams ace) Kamu Grugier-Hill.

Eagles 7, Cowboys 6: Let’s recap the Cowboys drive real quick.

Dak sack that will definitely not make Jerry Jones happy:

Dak pick, like, wtf Dak that’s so unlike you:

And let’s recap the Eagles drive: punt.

Eagles 7, Cowboys 6: After an exciting first quarter to the game, the second quarter has turned into a defensive slugfest (or at least, let’s just say that’s what’s wrong with both offenses right now).

Each team has had the ball twice. The Cowboys didn’t stay out on the field longer than a minute on their possession. The Eagles barely did.

So if you like punts, this quarter so far is for you.

Eagles 7, Cowboys 6: The Dallas defense got the stop it needed on the Eagles’ second drive, but two plays into the Cowboys’ next possession, Dak Prescott’s pass got tipped and picked off by Rodney McLeod:

That gave Philly prime field position. But Carson Wentz, who started 5-for-5, couldn’t connect with his receivers. The Cowboys held again and Jake Elliott’s 34-yard field goal was no good.

Eagles 7, Cowboys 6: The Cowboys started off their second drive hot, but they stalled in the red zone, thanks in part to two heads-up plays (and maybe one uncalled PI) by Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby.

Mike Nugent had no problem hitting his second field goal of the game, but that’s not a recipe to beat the Eagles’ high-flying offense.

Eagles 7, Cowboys 3: Well, that was easy. The Eagles used an egalitarian system to march down the field: Two touches for Torrey Smith, two for Jay Ajayi, two for LeGarrette Blount, and two for Kenjon Barner, and just like that, the Eagles have the lead.

Barner’s nifty footwork on this catch got them into the end zone, and he punched it in a play later for the touchdown:

Cowboys 3, Eagles 0: Ryan Switzer got the Cowboys into scoring position on the first play of the game with a 61-yard kick return. Dallas didn’t get a first down, but Mike Nugent was there to hit 48-yard field goal.

Before the game

The Philadelphia Eagles got a well-deserved bye week after starting the season 8-1. They now take on their division rival Dallas Cowboys, who a e still trying to navigate life without Ezekiel Elliott, on Sunday Night Football at 8:30 p.m. on NBC (live stream at NBC Sports).

The Eagles are on an absolute roll, winning their last seven teams and playing like possibly the best team in football. In his second season, Carson Wentz has broken out as an MVP candidate with 23 touchdowns to just five interceptions. His latest game was yet another strong performance, when he threw four touchdown passes in a 51-23 demolition of the Denver Broncos.

Philly also bolstered its run game with the addition of Jay Ajayi, whom they acquired at the trade deadline. Ajayi had 77 yards and a touchdown on eight carries in his first game as an Eagle, and he’s expected to play a larger role after getting the bye week to learn the offense. With an upstart offense and strong defense, the Eagles are shaping up as a true threat in the NFC playoff picture.

The Cowboys aren’t in as good of shape. They clearly miss Elliott, who started serving his six-game suspension last week. However, an even bigger loss was left tackle Tyron Smith, who sat out with back and groin injuries. Chaz Green was disastrous as a fill-in starter and the offensive line struggled in general, with Dak Prescott taking eight sacks (six alone came from Adrian Clayborn). With no offense to speak of, the Cowboys meekly fell to the Atlanta Falcons, 27-7. Smith is questionable to return this week and Byron Bell will get the start if he can’t go.

Another major concern is the absence of Sean Lee, who’s expected to miss multiple games with a hamstring injury. He left last week’s game early and the defense fell apart against the Falcons. With him out, the Cowboys’ promising defensive attack suddenly looks vulnerable.

At 5-4, the Cowboys are running out of room for error. They’re three games behind the Eagles in the NFC East, and a loss here would effectively end the division race. Meanwhile, Jerry Jones’ ongoing feud with Roger Goodell and the NFL owners is proving to be a bigger distraction by the week. Things could go off the rails in a hurry if the Cowboys don’t start picking up some wins again.

The NFL skated through mishandled scandal after mishandled scandal without much impact on the bottom line. Now, television ratings are down for the second consecutive season. Owners certainly didn’t like the president turning the sport into a new front in the culture war, and they’re divided on how to respond to the handful of players kneeling during the national anthem to draw attention to police brutality and racial inequality.

There’s plenty for team owners to be concerned with and no real certainty for what to do about it. Jones is using those things as a cudgel in his fight with Goodell.

You could make the argument that the Cowboys haven’t truly been this desperate, especially in their building, since they hosted this same team in the 2013 regular-season finale with the NFC East going to the winner. Just like 2015 two years later though, a Romo-less Cowboys squad wasn’t enough, giving Jason Garrett another out of sorts.

Part of the reason why the Cowboys are in this position of desperation is the loss they sustained in Atlanta last week, where they sure did seem to put forth a sub-par effort. You can argue that the absences of Ezekiel Elliott, Tyron Smith, and Sean Lee made matters all the more difficult (because they did), but at what point does the presence of Jason Garrett win out?

Big week for the Eagles and Cowboys, who are both missing their left tackle, a key running back, their best linebacker, and a key special teams player. Even bigger week for the media, who will not take this into consideration if Dak Prescott and the Cowboys lose. Even if he plays well and loses, Carson Wentz will be blamed. Heavy lies the crown.

It took a semi-leap of faith to proclaim the Eagles as likely favorites over Dallas before the season, but it’s more obvious now: Philly is way more prepared to handle losses of depth, and Carson Wentz reigns supreme. That’s not a dig at a certain other quarterback (see the next point), but it is a dig at Dallas’ depth chart. It’s understandable that the Cowboys are struggling without their running back, left tackle, middle linebacker and kicker, but the Eagles have lost a running back, left tackle, middle linebacker and kicker, and they, my friends, are 8-1, fresh off a 50-point game, with no signs of slowing down.