Philadelphia Eagles: What we learned in Week 9

ARLINGTON, Texas -- An up-and-down season for the Philadelphia Eagles is in back on an upswing after a wild 33-27 overtime victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.

Philadelphia quarterback Sam Bradford and wide receiver Jordan Matthews connected on a 41-yard touchdown on the first possession of overtime to get the Eagles back to .500 at 4-4.

"It's coming your way, win right here," Bradford said he told Matthews in the overtime huddle. "And sure enough, he ran a great route, and obviously the catch was huge."

The Eagles not only avenged a Week 2 loss to Dallas, but they climbed back into the thick of the NFC East race. Philadelphia trails the division-leading New York Giants (5-4) by a half-game.

"We're just trying to get wins each week, and then we'll pick our heads up after that last game against the Giants and see if we won enough," Eagles coach Chip Kelly said. "Our mentality is every single week we've got to go out and play to the end."

Bradford completed 25 of 36 passes for 295 yards with the one touchdown and no interceptions. Matthews had nine catches for 133 yards.

Eagles running back DeMarco Murray, in his first game back in Arlington to face his former team, had 161 total yards and a touchdown.

The Cowboys (2-6) lost their sixth in row, all without quarterback Tony Romo, in a season that began with Super Bowl aspirations.

"You've just got to keep going," Dallas coach Jason Garrett said. "You've got to keep banging away. You've got to keep doing things the right way on the practice field, playing the right way."

As in several games during the skid, Dallas had its chances.

Fill-in quarterback Matt Cassel threw for three touchdowns, two to wide receiver Cole Beasley. Cassel finished 25-for-38 for 299 yards with one interception, while Beasley caught nine passes for 112 yards.

Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant, in his second game since returning from a broken foot, produced 104 yards and a score on five receptions. Running back Darren McFadden gained 117 yards on 27 carries.

What we learned about the Eagles:

1. Philadelphia is alive and well in the NFC East. Hitting the halfway point of the regular season at 4-4 leaves the Eagles a half-game behind the division-leading Giants (5-4). Philadelphia plays five of its final eight games at home, and the Eagles finish the season with a road game against the Giants.

2. There seems to be a rushing attack. A renewed emphasis on running the ball is paying off, with DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles each performing well. Philadelphia was able to run for 172 yards, its fourth consecutive game with at least 158. The Eagles averaged 4.9 yards per carry.

3. Quarterback Sam Bradford appeared more comfortable as the game wore on, finishing with 295 yards, his third-highest total of the season. He also didn't throw an interception for the first time since Week 4 at Washington. This is the kind of performance coach Chip Kelly envisioned when trading for Bradford.

Etc.

--QB Sam Bradford passed for 295 yards and an overtime touchdown without testing the Cowboys downfield much. He completed 25 of 36 passes and had a 103.5 passer rating. Bradford was sacked once and didn't throw an interception.

--RB DeMarco Murray enjoyed his first game back in Dallas against his former team, totaling 161 total yards and a touchdown. He ran for 83 yards on 18 carries and added 78 receiving yards on six catches. "I approached it like any other game," Murray said. His score came on a fourth-and-1 run in the second quarter.

--WR Jordan Matthews had nine catches for 133 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown in overtime to beat the Cowboys. "Right when I caught the ball, I saw daylight," Matthews said.