Blogging the Boys is handing out its gold star for the night to the Cowboy defense:

Big props to a defense that held the Eagles superweapons in check all night long. The Cowboys were not going to get beat over the top, so naturally they gave up some rushing yards and some short passing, but in the end the Eagles were only able to get 16 points on the board. That’s well below their game average thanks to some good pass rush from Jay Ratliff and DeMarcus Ware and solid secondary play.

Bleeding Green Nation knows the Eagles lost this game all on their own but wonders what the refs were thinking on the McNabb sneak:

No one should take this as me blaming the refs. No doubt the Eagles had plenty of opportunities to win this game and have only themselves to blame. But how on earth did the refs see nothing on that McNabb sneak play? The camera angle was clear as day, the ball was clearly ahead of where they marked it… and yet the ruling on the field stands? What didn’t they see? I’d love to hear an explanation of exactly why they felt that ball was spotted correctly.

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Miles Austin made only one catch, but it was a game-winning 49-yard touchdown on 3rd-and-14 midway through the fourth quarter, as the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 20-16, in a crucial NFC East battle.

Tony Romo completed 21-of-34 passes for 307 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Cowboys (6-2), who have won their last four games to climb into sole possession of first place in the division.

Dallas, playing in Philadelphia for the first time since getting crushed, 44-6, in a de facto elimination game in Week 17 of 2008, got 75 yards receiving on five catches from Roy Williams. Patrick Crayton added two catches for 74 yards, while Jason Witten had seven receptions for 43 yards.

Marion Barber ran for 50 yards on 12 carries, and Tashard Choice had a rushing touchdown in the win, only Dallas’ third in its last 11 trips to Philadelphia.

Donovan McNabb was inaccurate throughout the game, completing only 16-of-30 passes for 227 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for the Eagles (5-3), who had won two straight division games since a surprise loss at Oakland.

LeSean McCoy, starting in place of the injured Brian Westbrook, garnered 54 rushing yards on 13 carries and 61 yards on five receptions. Brent Celek made three catches for 39 yards and a touchdown in defeat.

Trailing, 10-6, at halftime, the Eagles seemed to go in front on Ellis Hobbs’ 96-yard kickoff return, but it was nullified by a holding penalty.

Philadelphia’s offense, though, unfazed, promptly went 77 yards in six plays to score a touchdown the more conventional way. The key play of the series was a short screen pass to McCoy, who followed several blocks 45 yards down to the Cowboys’ 15. Two plays later, McNabb scrambled away from pressure and floated an 11-yard touchdown pass to Celek for a 13-10 lead.

Dallas drove down the field on its next drive, but Romo threw an interception — his first pick in 144 passes — to thwart any chances of a Cowboys score.

An interception by Dallas’ Mike Jenkins later in the quarter led to a 33-yard field goal by Nick Folk on the second play of the fourth quarter to tie the game, 13-13.

On the ensuing Philadelphia drive, the Cowboys stopped the Eagles on a challenged 4th-and-1 play on their own 45, and then they went back in front.

Facing a 2nd-and-24 from the Dallas 41, Romo hit Crayton for a 10-yard play to make the third down more manageable. The next play saw Austin make a double move to break away from the defense, and Romo hit him in stride down the left sideline. Austin did the rest, racing to the end zone for a 49-yard touchdown and a 20-13 Cowboys lead with just over eight minutes remaining.

The Eagles, with no timeouts remaining, then drove down the Cowboys’ 33, where their series stalled. Facing a 4th-and-11 with 4 1/2 minutes left, the team opted to try a 52-yard field goal attempt, and David Akers nailed it to close the gap to 20-16.

Philadelphia could get no closer, as Dallas was able to run out the remainder of the clock. A five-yard pass to Witten on 3rd-and-3 from the Cowboys’ 46 sealed the game, as it led to three straight kneeldowns.

On the Eagles’ first possession, they faced a 3rd-and-5 on their own 26-yard line. McNabb’s pass was tipped by the intended receiver Jeremy Maclin, and the ball popped into the hands of Gerald Sensabaugh at the Philadelphia 37.

With the Cowboys in prime field position, they drove the length of the field in seven plays. A holding penalty initially pushed Dallas back 10 yards, but Romo hit Witten on a nine-yard play on 3rd-and-6, and a short pass to Kevin Ogletree on 3rd-and-9 from the 23 ended up going for 21 yards and a first down.

On the next play, Choice ran up the middle for the touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

Philadelphia got on the scoreboard early in the second, as Akers capped a 10- play, 55-yard drive with a 45-yard field goal with 11 1/2 minutes until halftime.

The Eagles forced a punt on the next Cowboys possession, and Akers finished another long series with a 48-yard field goal for a one-point margin in favor of the Cowboys.

Dallas got the ball back with 1 1/2 minutes left, and a 64-yard pass play to Crayton put the Cowboys in the red zone. With 1st-and-goal from the four, Romo threw three straight incompletions, and Folk kicked a 22-yard field goal to make it 10-6 at halftime.

Philadelphia is 2-1 in the division, while Dallas is 1-1…The Eagles are 0-7 on Sunday night games since the broadcast moved to NBC…These two teams meet in Dallas the final week of the season…The Cowboys have a 54-43 all-time record against the Eagles…Philadelphia offensive tackle Jason Peters, cornerback Asante Samuel and Cowboys center Andre Gurode all suffered injuries but returned to the game.

Via Sports Network

(Sports Network) - Sole possession of first place in the NFC's East Division will be on the line when the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles renew their spirited rivalry with a Sunday night showdown at Lincoln Financial Field to highlight the Week 9 schedule.

With both teams fresh off impressive wins and sporting identical 5-2 records, not to mention a genuine dislike of one another, this pivotal midseason clash didn't need any additional intrigue to draw the interest of the fans. There's a good chance, however, that the Cowboys are viewing this game as something more than simply an opportunity for bragging rights.

Dallas last visited the City of Brotherly Love in the 2008 regular-season finale, needing a victory over Philadelphia to secure a spot in the NFC's postseason parade. The Cowboys didn't come close in a 44-6 shellacking that not only served as the team's most lopsided defeat since patriarch Jerry Jones purchased the franchise 20 years ago, but vaulted the hated Eagles into the playoffs as the conference's final Wild Card.

If recent results are any indication, the Cowboys seem to have put that devastating loss in the rearview mirror. Dallas comes into Sunday's tilt on a three-game winning streak, highlighted by a convincing 37-21 verdict over a quality Atlanta squad in Week 7, and backed that strong effort up with last weekend's 38-17 besting of the overmatched Seattle Seahawks.

Tony Romo has spearheaded the surge with a superb three-week stretch in which the highly-scrutinized quarterback has amassed 918 passing yards and eight touchdowns without an interception. The two-time Pro Bowl participant, who's completed nearly 63 percent of his attempts over that span, delivered three scoring strikes in last Sunday's rout of the Seahawks.

Romo's near-flawless play under center figures to be put to the test this week, however, by an opportunistic Philadelphia defense that's racked up 21 takeaways through the team's first seven games. The group was at its havoc- causing best in its last outing, forcing three turnovers that played a key role in a 40-17 dismantling of the slumping New York Giants.

The offense did its part as well, with quarterback Donovan McNabb throwing for 240 yards and three touchdowns and a resurgent running game generating 180 yards despite the absence of standout back Brian Westbrook, who sat out the contest with a concussion that isn't expected to keep him out of the lineup for Sunday's matchup.

That win moved the Eagles to 2-0 against NFC East competition this season, with the club having posted a 27-17 triumph over Washington the previous week. Dallas is 0-1 thus far in divisional play, having dropped a 33-31 decision at home to the Giants back in Week 2.