DMac and TO Struggle
Bledsoe has a field day.
I would like to welcome the Eagles to the report, but it isn't
gonna be pretty this week. Andy Reid should skip the Philly Cheese
Steaks and maybe draw up some running plays for Michael Westbrooke.
C'Mon 19 yds rushing, my grandmother is 89 years old, she could
get 19 yds. No Offesive points for the Eagles with a very potent
offense, they bye week comes at a good time. The Eagles need to
sit on thier perch and prune themselves.
Cowboys 33 - Eagles 10
IRVING, Texas (AP) -- So much for the Dallas Cowboys following
their season-long script of playing conservatively and trying
to win late. Coach Bill Parcells unleashed his team from the start
and they stomped the Philadelphia Eagles.
Drew Bledsoe led the suddenly risky Cowboys to two early touchdowns
and scores on six of their first seven drives and the defense
shut down Donovan McNabb and the league's top offense in a stunning
33-10 victory Sunday.
"You play like that, you've got a chance to beat anybody,"
Parcells said.
Dallas (3-2) had lost nine of 10 to Philadelphia and spent the
first month of this season using a ball-control approach, resulting
in every game being decided in the final minutes. Parcells hinted
to expect more of the same -- and the Eagles apparently fell for
it.
Sucking in the defense with play action, Bledsoe hit Terry Glenn
for completions of 18, 16 and 15 yards within the game's first
four snaps. The last one put the Cowboys up 7-0. Minutes later,
Bledsoe and Glenn connected on a 39-yard touchdown that made it
14-0.
After not scoring a point in the first quarter all season, Dallas
was up 17-0 before Philadelphia (3-2) even had a first down.
It was 27-3 at halftime and 30-3 after the Cowboys' first drive
of the third quarter, making for the kind of one-sided game typical
of this series the last five years, except with the twist of Dallas
sticking it to Philly.
"What happened in years past doesn't matter," McNabb
said. "This is a much better Dallas team. But we feel like
we're still the best team in the NFC. We weren't able to get things
going. We have to learn from it and move on."
Parcells was ready to shake up things because the Cowboys are
facing a now-or-never stretch -- two straight, three of four and
five of seven at Texas Stadium. They'd already lost at home to
division rival Washington and couldn't afford to lose again with
the Giants coming in next week and then their final three NFC
East games on the road.
Bledsoe finished 24-of-35 for 289 yards and three touchdowns
and wasn't sacked. He joked that "if we hadn't run those
two quarterback sneaks, I wouldn't have been hit all day."
Glenn had seven catches for 118 yards. Julius Jones ran for 72
yards but didn't play the second half because of an ankle injury.
Rookie Tyson Thompson gained 75 yards in his place.
"A win like this shows what we can be when we get out of
our own way," said Bledsoe, who blamed turnovers and penalties
for preventing better offensive showings earlier.
Although the Eagles overcame an 18-point deficit the previous
week, McNabb and Terrell Owens didn't have it in them again.
The NFL's top offense was held to 129 yards and the league-best
passing attack put up only 110. Philadelphia's offense failed
to score a touchdown for the first time in 13 games.
McNabb, playing with injuries to his abdomen, chest and groin,
was 13-of-26 for 131 yards and four sacks. Owens had five catches
for 50 yards and failed to score, preventing any celebrations
on the Texas Stadium star logo.
Eagles coach Andy Reid figures he has a lot to work on going
into the bye week.
"You could pick out anything and we probably didn't do it
well," Reid said.
Philadelphia's only touchdown came on an 80-yard fumble return
late in the third quarter that made it 30-10. Rather than spark
a late rally, all it produced was a heated sideline exchange between
Keyshawn Johnson and Bledsoe. Both later said it was over as quickly
as it happened.
The aggressiveness Dallas showed on the opening drive continued
throughout the first half.
The Cowboys went for it twice on fourth-and-1 during their second
drive. The second one didn't work, but the Eagles took over at
their 2 and the defense kept them there. Bledsoe got the ball
back at Philadelphia's 39 and immediately hit Glenn for their
second TD.
Dallas' most surprising call came on fourth-and-1 from the 12
after the Eagles made it 17-3. Bledsoe threw to fullback Lousaka
Polite for the first time all season -- and he took it into the
end zone.
The Eagles had only 18 yards in the first quarter and 80 at halftime.
McNabb was so frustrated that after a sack he spiked the ball
and then sent his helmet flying once he reached the sideline.
Was this the best Dallas has played in Parcells' 37-game tenure?
"I think so," he said.
Game notes
Parcells tied Bud Grant for 10th on the career win list with No.
168, including regular season and postseason. ... The Cowboys
were without linebacker Dat Nguyen (neck). ... Philadelphia cornerback
Lito Sheppard was picked on often but got a bit of revenge by
causing Johnson's fumble. ... Philadelphia defensive tackle Sam
Rayburn sprained a knee ligament and tight end L.J. Smith sprained
his left ankle.
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