ARLINGTON — Eagles receiver Jordan Mathews scored a 41-yard catch-and-run touchdown Sunday night, dealing a stunning 33-27 overtime divisional loss to the Cowboys, putting their postseason hopes on life support.
Philadelphia won the overtime toss and drove 80 yards for the game-winning score. Excluding a kneel-down at the end of regulation, the Eagles scored on 4 of 5 possessions in the second half and overtime.
"We scratch. We claw. We fight. Unfortunately, that's not good enough," said Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett. "You have to play the right way in the critical moments of the game to win the games."
The game winning play came after Ryan Mathews was initially ruled to have fumbled on a 4th and 1 play, but the call was later reversed. Officials ruled Mathews knee was down before the ball came out.
"That's the game of football," said cornerback Brandon Carr, "its a game of inches."
The Cowboys' losing streak has reached six games, matching the team's longest losing streak in 26 years, dating back to 1989. That was Jerry Jones' first season as owner of the storied franchise.
- TED MADDEN: Last six for Cowboys: L,L,L,L,L,L
- TED MADDEN: 8 Extra Points
Its been a familiar story for Dallas fans starved for a win — close, but not good enough.
Quarterback Matt Cassel, in his third game subbing for injured starter Tony Romo, threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns. But he also threw a costly, game-changing interception.
With the game tied at 14 early in the fourth quarter and the Cowboys driving to take the lead, Cassel tried to connect with Darren McFadden in the flat, but Eagles linebacker Jordan Hicks stepped in, picked it off, and returned it 67 yards to put Philly in front 21-14.
"It's difficult to swallow when you compete hard for four quarters and you go to overtime and the result is what it is," said Cassel. "I think this team competes, and unfortunately we just haven't had the results that we wanted."
Cassel once again showed resiliency after the mistake. After a Lucky Whitehead 79-yard kick return gave the Cowboys a short field, Cassel did his best Romo impersonation. On third down from the 18, Cassel scrambled and bought time before throwing up a prayer that was caught by a leaping Dez Bryant in the back of the end zone, tying the game at 21.
In his second game back from a broken foot, Bryant hauled in five catches for 104 yards. He also drew a pair of pass interference penalties on the Cowboys game-tying drive at the end of regulation.
The teams traded field goals late in the fourth quarter. Dan Bailey nailed a 44-yarder that bounced off the upright and through with just two seconds left on the clock to send the game into overtime.
This is the Cowboys' second overtime loss of the season. The Saints beat Dallas 26-20 in overtime on October 4. Just like this game, the Saints scored a touchdown on their first overtime possession to claim the victory.
"We had a great opportunity tonight against a division opponent to try to get back in the hunt," said tight end Jason Witten of the gut-wrenching loss, "Give them credit – they made plays at the end when they needed it."
Cassel moved the team better than ever since taking over the starter's job. He led the Cowboys on a 93-yard scoring drive in 5:36 on the team's first possession of the game. Cassel hit receiver Cole Beasley for a 5-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead.
Beasley was also the catalyst on a third quarter Cowboys possession that tied the game at 14. On the 80 yard drive, Beasley hauled in 4 catches for 59 yards, including the touchdown strike that covered 17 yards.
"We had them where we wanted them, we had opportunities," said Beasley. "We just didn't take advantage of them."
Extra Points
Hardy gives reporters the Heisman
Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy did not talk to reporters following the game. Photos of the alleged domestic violence attack of his ex-girlfriend went public last Friday.
"We wanted to give Greg a second chance, and you lose that in the NFL if you don't do the right things," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "So if he'll do the right things, we'll take advantage of the opportunities he's got here and the second chance, we'll see how it goes in the future."
"We as an organization, we don't condone domestic violence. We take the issue very seriously," said head coach Jason Garrett. "We laid out expectations for him right from the start, and we decided we were going to give him a second chance. But in doing so, the expectations and the standards we set would be clear to him. He's worked hard for our football team up to this point. He knows was the expectations and standards are and we're going to hold him accountable to those."
Lee suffers concussion
For the second time in five games, linebacker Sean Lee was forced to leave the game with a concussion. Lee went to the locker room in the third quarter after he was hit by fellow linebacker Rolando McClain while trying to tackle DeMarco Murray. Lee also suffered a concussion on October 4 against New Orleans.
Beasley connects with Cassel
In Matt Cassel's first two starts, receiver Cole Beasley had zero catches. It was a much different story against the Eagles Sunday night, with Beasley grabbing nine catches for 112 yards, both team highs. Jason Garrett said Beasley was able to take advantage as the Eagles' defense gave more attention to Dez Bryant and Jason Witten at times. Garrett praised Beasley for his run-after-catch ability.
Running back committee of one
With Joseph Randle jettisoned because of personal problems, Darren McFadden was the only Cowboys running back to carry the ball. He gained 117 yards on 27 carries, eclipsing the 100-yard mark for the second time in the last three games. He showed speed and power and gave Dallas a viable threat on the ground. McFadden's 49 carries in the two previous games constituted his heaviest workload since 1995, and his ability to produce the way he did Sunday bodes well.
- MORE: Dallas Cowboys coverage
