The Cowboys have come back from the dead. They are alive . . . and maybe well?
Dallas won its third game in a row with a dominating 37-17 victory over the Eagles in an elimination game. Philadelphia (4-10-1) is the only NFC East team out of contention for the division title heading into Week 17.
The Cowboys (6-9) and Giants (5-10) play next week, while rooting for the Eagles to beat Washington (6-9). Washington advances to the postseason with a win over Philadelphia, while a Washington loss would send the winner of the Cowboys-Giants game to the playoffs.
Jalen Hurts’ two red-zone turnovers ended any hopes of an Eagles’ repeat as division champs.
Anthony Brown intercepted Hurts in the end zone with 6:33 remaining with the Eagles facing third-and-12 from the Dallas 17. After the Eagles reached the Dallas 18 on their next possession, Hurts lost a fumble forced by Randy Gregory and recovered by Jaylon Smith.
It was a controversial replay decision with 3:54 remaining as Al Riveron let the fumble call stand, though there was some doubt as to whether Hurts’ knee was down before he lost control of the ball.
Hurts, who went 21-of-39 for 342 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, ended the game throwing a pick to Cowboys rookie Trevon Diggs. Hurts also led the Eagles in rushing with 69 yards on nine carries, though the Eagles forgot about the run after eight attempts on their first possession.
The Eagles finished with 29 rushes for 151 yards against the league’s 32nd-ranked rushing defense. They threw 39 times and took three sacks, so they arguably should have run it more.
The Eagles led 17-13 with two minutes remaining in the first half, but they couldn’t stop the Cowboys’ receiving trio of Michael Gallup, CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper after that. Cooper caught four passes for 121 yards; Gallup had six catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns; and Lamb had three receptions for 65 yards and a touchdown, while running for a 19-yard score that put the exclamation point on the win.
Andy Dalton completed 22 of 30 passes for 377 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.
The Eagles were outscored 27-3 after they lost defensive lineman Fletcher Cox in the first half. Cox did not return from a stinger.
Gregory had 1.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and six tackles for the Cowboys in his best game as a pro.