The Dallas Cowboys secured arguably their most impressive victory in the last two seasons with a stunning 21-point comeback against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, sealed by a game-winning field goal from Brandon Aubrey. While the playoffs still appear distant, the game offered several remarkable achievements.
The win marked the Cowboys’ first back-to-back victories of the year, proving they can compete with the league’s elite. Quarterback Dak Prescott surpassed Tony Romo as the Cowboys’ all-time passing yards leader, and his 354 yards against the Eagles’ defense were the most they have allowed all season. Defensively, the team showed vast improvement for the second consecutive week, shutting out the Eagles in the second half and stifling the run game, holding Saquon Barkley to just 22 yards this week (after holding Ashton Jeanty to only seven last week).
Cowboys Greatest Comeback in a Generation
The Cowboys not only won but also tied the largest comeback in franchise history, a record last set against the St. Louis Rams in 2014. At one point in the second quarter, the game was 21-0 in favor of Philadelphia, suggesting another Eagles blowout. In fact, according to ESPN Analytics, Dallas had only a 3.7 percent chance of winning the game with 4:17 left in the second quarter. The Cowboys converted the impossible into reality through a fantastic team effort, spearheaded by Dak Prescott and George Pickens.
Pickens finished with 146 yards and one touchdown, his fourth game this season with over 130 yards and a score, making the Steelers look foolish for letting him go (his 1,054 receiving yards are more than all Steelers wide receivers combined). The same 3.7% chance Dallas had of winning is now roughly their chance of qualifying for the playoffs.
The biggest hero was Prescott, who engineered 24 unanswered points, threw for 354 yards and 3 total touchdowns (including an incredible rushing score), all while becoming the all-time franchise passing leader. Beating NFC East opponents at home is nothing new for Prescott; he improved his home record against the division to an astounding 22-2 (91.7%), has won 19 consecutive home games against the NFC East, and is now 7-1 against the Eagles at AT&T Stadium.
Short Week as Defining Games Await the Cowboys
While the victory was monumental, the season continues, and the upcoming schedule for the Cowboys remains incredibly difficult. It starts with a short week, as they play this Thursday against the Chiefs on Thanksgiving, with both teams desperately needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Following that, the Cowboys face a Thursday Night game in Detroit against the Lions, a team competing fiercely in its division and very strong at home. Could the Cowboys snatch a four-game winning streak? It looks challenging. They then have their final two home games: first against the Vikings, who look disjointed and are a shadow of last year’s team with J.J. McCarthy under center, and then against the Chargers in Week 16, who will surely be fighting tooth and nail for their own playoff lives.
Dallas close their season with two divisional road games against the Commanders and the already-eliminated Giants. Since these are divisional matchups, the intensity will be heightened. Both the Commanders and Giants know that inflicting a defeat on the Cowboys could very well eliminate them from the playoffs-and in the NFL, there is no love lost for division rivals.
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