Dallas Cowboys Return From Philly In A Much Better NFC Position
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The Dallas Cowboys avoided having their playoff hopes buried, by digging deep to earn a 27-20 victory over the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night.
"We needed it." Running Back Ezekiel Elliott admitted after the game. "It was absolutely mandatory that we get this win, if we want to keep our hopes up for winning this division and making the playoffs."
Defensive End DeMarcus Lawrence agreed.
"it was very urgent, it was a must win tonight. Just to keep our focus on the season and be able to reach our goals, we had to win this."
Despite the win, the Cowboys are still in quite a hole. Dallas is 4-5 and tied with the Philadelphia Eagles for second place in the NFC East. Both teams trail the front running Redskins by two games.
Sunday's win helped heal some wounds.
It marked the first game Dallas won on the road. And it helped quarterback Dak Prescott prove to his owner that he's the right man for the job. Prescott has been the center of criticism due to his inconsistent play this season. Last week, Jerry Jones proclaimed that he was going to give Prescott a contract extension despite the critics.
Jones did not back down on Sunday night. "Dak, I just got to say, when you have those questions all around you, and you play through that, it just reinforces my support of Dak."
Before the game, some of the Cowboys and Eagles squared off in a pushing and shoving match on the field. It proved to be the perfect prelude to the type of game that would be played.
"Just some jaw-jawing. Just guys talking at each other. That's what we love about football." Is how Cowboys Defensive Lineman Tyrone Crawford described the pregame pushing match. "Yeah, maybe it got us hyped to the point what we needed."
Running Back Ezekiel Elliott proved to be on point. Elliott rushed for 151 yards, scored 2 touchdowns, and leaped an Eagles defending during the game.
When asked if that was that the best leap of his career, Elliott responded, "I'm going to leave that up to you guys."
"It means a lot. Every win means a lot. It gives us momentum, especially since it's a division game. And, it gives us confidence going into our next game."
That will take place on Sunday in Atlanta when the Cowboys take on the Falcons.