Cowboys Lose Grip On NFC East in 17-9 Loss To The Eagles

DALLAS (105.3 the Fan) - Coming off of arguably their most emphatic win of the season against the Rams last week, the Dallas Cowboys went into Philadelphia with a chance to both win the division title and earn a playoff spot with a single win. Instead, they crumbled under the pressure of the moment, falling to the Eagles in a 17-9 defeat.

Nine weeks ago, the Cowboys crushed the Eagles 37-10 at AT&T Stadium, completely outmatching them in every phase of the game. This time, however, with the season, as well as Jason Garrett's job hanging in the balance, the Cowboys regressed back to the same team that lost four out of its last six outings and lost its grip on the division.

The Eagles gameplan was simple enough, as they dominated the Cowboys up front, stayed balanced, attacked the middle of the field with their tight ends and hit the Cowboys with big plays down the field in the passing game.

Carson Wentz was terrific for Philadelphia, completing 31-of-40 passes for 319 yards and a touchdown. The offensive line did their part as well, keeping Wentz's jersey clean and surrendering just one sack on the evening.

Wentz utilized eight different receivers throughout the game as well. Dallas Goedert led the way with nine catches for 91 yards, while Greg Ward added four catches for 71 yards, and Zach Ertz contributed four catches for 28 yards.

Rookie Miles Sanders was also key to the Eagles' success, accumulating 156 total yards and a touchdown on 25 total touches for the game.

For the Cowboys, the offense was out of sync from the beginning, failing to get into the end zone for just the second time this season.

Dak Prescott completed 25 of 44 passes for 265 yards, with a good portion of that production coming on short to intermediate throws while the Eagles were running a prevent defense.

Ezekiel Elliott, who was 5-0 in his career against the Eagles heading into the game, was held to just 13 carries for 37 yards while bringing in seven receptions for an additional 37 yards.

Randall Cobb was the Cowboys leading receiver, catching five passes for 73 yards on seven targets.

Following the loss, the Cowboys (7-8) are now in serious jeopardy of losing their division crown, and missing out on a playoff birth. Meanwhile, Amari Cooper's road struggles continued, catching four balls for just 24 yards on the evening.

If they are going to make it, Dallas will now have to make sure they win next week against the Redskins, while also hoping for an Eagles loss when they travel to New York to take on the Giants. The Eagles took down New York 23-17 in overtime in Week 14, behind 325 yards in the air from Wentz.