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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.
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"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 Cowboys:
1. They are not dead, but they are on life support. Dallas is 2-6 halfway through the regular season after its sixth consecutive loss. Even in the middling NFC East, the Cowboys playoff chances know their playoff chances are all but gone with quarterback Tony Romo out for at least another game.
2. Running back Darren McFadden is ready to handle the increased load he has been given in recent weeks. He carried the ball 27 times for 117 yards Sunday night, breaking the century mark for the second time in three games. McFadden is showing both a burst of speed and power, giving Dallas a threat in the backfield.
3. The defense can't make stops when it needs to. Dallas gave up a season-high 459 yards, and Philadelphia scored on four of five full possessions after halftime. The Cowboys also couldn't stop fourth-and-1 plays on the Eagles' first and last touchdown drives.
Etc.
--DE Greg Hardy finished off a long weekend with three tackles, including a sack. In the two days leading up to game, he dealt with a Deadspin report detailing his alleged domestic-violence incident that took place before joining Dallas. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones defended Hardy. "Greg has a commitment to us," Jones said. "He has a commitment to do the right thing. We expect him to do the right thing. He has a commitment to his teammates and our team. The way it's set up in the NFL, relative to behavior, and in fact we wanted to give Greg a second chance."
--LB Sean Lee left the game in the third quarter with a concussion. The oft-injured veteran has yet to miss a game this season.
--WR Cole Beasley had a two-touchdown game for the second time in his career. He also scored twice last season against Chicago. Beasley finished with nine catches for 112 yards Sunday against Philadelphia.
--TE Jason Witten passed WR Randy Moss for 11th all time in receptions in the third quarter with his 983rd career catch. Witten had six receptions for 43 yards in the loss to the Eagles.
