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

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

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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. 

Defensive Drive 2

KaVontae Turpin returned the kickoff from Jake Elliott 47 yards, and Dallas took advantage of it. After Prescott connected with receiver CeeDee Lamb for 29 yards on a fourth-down conversion, the quarterback found the end zone on a four-yard pass to tight end Jake Ferguson. 

Offensive Drive 2

The Eagles went three-and-out on their second offensive drive of the game, which included Hurts being sacked on second-and-three by Micah Parsons and Dorance Armstrong. 

Second Quarter

Defensive Drive 3

Dallas took their first lead of the game early in the second quarter, with Presccott finding Turpin for a five-yard touchdown on third-and-goal. 

Offensive Drive 3

Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey sent the kickoff out of bounds, allowing the Eagles to open their drive on their own 40-yard line. The Eagles capitalized with Hurts using the "Brotherly Shove" to record his franchise-record 33rd career quarterback rushing touchdown. 

Defensive Drive 4

Aubrey hit a go-ahead field goal from 51 yards to cap off a nine-play, 42-yard drive for Dallas. 

Offensive Drive 4

Hurts got sacked by Parsons on second-and-four, taking a hit to his left knee from Cowboys edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence. He came back in to finish the drive after limping off, but clearly Hurts was bothered. 

Defensive Drive 5

Dallas kneeled down to end the drive, taking a 17-14 lead into halftime. 

Third Quarter

Offensive Drive 5

Hurts returned to open the second half, and led the Eagles on an incredible drive. A six-play, 60-yard drive was capped off when Hurts connected with receiver DeVonta Smith for a 29-yard touchdown. 

Defensive Drive 6

The Cowboys punted the ball away after an eight-yard drive, with Bryan Anger booting it to the 13-yard line, where Britain Covey called for a fair catch. 

Offensive Drive 6

Hurts connected with Brown for a four-yard touchdown, allowing the Eagles to cap off a 6:18 drive with six points. 

Fourth Quarter

Defensive Drive 7

After cornerback Darius Slay and linebacker Zach Cunningham combined to stop Prescott short of rushing for a touchdown on third-and-goal, the quarterback connected with tight end Luke Schoonmaker for what was initially ruled a score. However, after further review, Schoonmaker was ruled down short of the goal line, turning the ball over on downs. 

Offensive Drive 7

This drive started on the goal line for the Eagles, so it wasn't especially surprising for it to be three-and-out. Mann punted the ball away, and it took an Eagles bounce into Dallas territory, ultimately being downed at the opposing 48-yard line. 

Defensive Drive 8

Prescott found Jalen Tolbert for a 32-yard gain, putting Dallas inside the five-yard line. After a Tony Pollard rushing touchdown was wiped out by an illegal formation penalty, Prescott again hooked up with Tolbert for a two-yard touchdown. Prescott stepped out of bounds as he tried to scramble for the two-point conversion, leaving the Cowboys trailing by five, rather than a field goal. 

Offensive Drive 8 

On third-and-three, Hurts took a deep shot for Brown, trying for the knockout punch. the two didn't come close to connecting, and the Eagles had to punt the ball back to Dallas. 

Defensive Drive 9 

Dallas turned the ball over on downs, failing to convert on fourth-and-eight. Brandon Graham recorded a 1.5 sacks on the drive. 

Offensive Drive 9 

Swift fumbled for a second time in the game on third-and-seven, after he collided with Brown. Rookie right guard Tyler Steen fell on the ball, preventing Dallas from taking over deep in Philadelphia territory. 

Defensive Drive 10 

On a drive that saw both Eagles starting cornerbacks -- James Bradberry and Darius Slay -- miss plays with injuries, pass interference and roughing the passer penalties allowed the Cowboys to get deep into Philadelphia territory. However, an 11-yard sack by Josh Sweat of Prescott essentially put the game on ice, with Dallas only getting the ball back to the six-yard line, handing the Eagles the 28-23 win.  

Published
Tim Kelly
TIM KELLY

Tim Kelly is a contributor to SI's NFL team sites. Additionally, Kelly covers the Philadelphia Phillies as the Editorial Director for PhilliesNation.com. Previously, Kelly has been a producer at SportsRadio 94 WIP and a content producer for Audacy Sports, with written content syndicated to WIP, WFAN, WEEI and some of the biggest sports radio stations in the country. Kelly also has contributed to Bleacher Report, Just Baseball, Sports Talk Philly and Section 215, FanSided's Philadelphia affiliate. Kelly is a 2018 graduate of Bloomsburg University, with a major in Mass Communications and a minor in political science. 

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