Cowboys vs. Eagles Inactives

'Never Worry'? Jalen Hurts' Philadelphia Eagles Survive Dallas Cowboys, 28-23, Take NFC East Control

PHILADELPHIA - Any matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles is worth watching, but the Week 9 duel at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday between the two NFC East foes - we just knew - was going have a little extra juice to it.

And indeed it did, a nail-biter for both teams, with the Eagles finally surviving one more late scare to endure in a 28-23 victory that gives Philly a great deal of muscle when it comes to the NFC East race.

The Eagles cannot claim they never worried about the outcome here, and indeed, watching the postgame action one could tell how valued the win is.
But a major factor in this game was the toughness of QB Jalen Hurts, who came back for the third quarter after taking a nasty hit on his already-balky knee.

How about worries about that?

“He’s real tough,'' receiver A.J. Brown said. "I don’t really worry about him because I know who he is and what he’s been through.”

And what did we go through? How did we arrive at that point? Follow along for our chronological look at the day ...

Quarterback Dak Prescott, do-it-all defender Micah Parsons and the Cowboys head on the road with a 5-2 record, needing a win to have a realistic shot to compete with the Eagles for both the NFC East title, and the top spot in the NFC. It can be argued that no team in the NFC playoff picture would benefit more than the Cowboys from the first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the postseason that would come with taking the top seed in the conference.
Meanwhile, quarterback Jalen Hurts and the defending NFC Champion Eagles will be looking to improve to 8-1 this season on Sunday afternoon against the Cowboys. A Week 9 win wouldn't clinch the NFC East for the Eagles, but it would essentially give them a four-game lead in the division race over the Cowboys. Additionally, a victory Sunday would strengthen the Eagles hold on the top spot in the NFC.

Another major storyline worth watching will be whether Philadelphia receiver A.J. Brown continues a torrid stretch that has made him a legitimate candidate for Offensive Player of the Year. Brown set a new NFL record with six consecutive games of at least 125 receiving yards in a Week 8 victory over the Washington Commanders. He has a chance to extend that streak Sunday, while also going over 1,000 receiving yards -- he'll enter play Sunday with 939 -- on the season.

You can follow along throughout this afternoon's tilt for the latest live updates and highlights of this matchup between the Cowboys and Eagles.

First Quarter

Defensive Drive 1

Dallas went three-and-out on their first drive, with Prescott unable to connect with receiver CeeDee Lamb on third-and-six.

Offensive Drive 1

After Hurts hooked up with tight end Dallas Goedert for a successful conversion on fourth-and-three, running back Kenneth Gainwell flipped into the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown rush.