Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys Come Up Just Short At Philadelphia Eagles, 28-23

The Dallas Cowboys gave it everything they had against the arch rival Philadelphia Eagles, but Dak Prescott and company ultimately fell by a score of 28-23.

The Dallas Cowboys desperately needed a win against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, not because their season was on the line, but to prove their legitimacy.

While Dallas waltzed into this game with a 5-2 record, most of those wins came against teams under .500. When the Cowboys went against another NFC contender in the San Francisco 49ers last month, they got stomped by a final score of 42-10. Now with another game against an NFC heavyweight, not to mention their most-hated rivals, the Cowboys badly needed this win.

While the Cowboys came oh so close to that glorious victory, but came up just short in a bitter 28-23 loss.

Said Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy: “We know who we are. We needed to make one more play tonight. … I love the way our team plays.”

There were some things to love early, for certain, as the game was going well for Dallas, as it took a 17-14 lead at halftime. However, the third quarter proved to be a disaster, as Philadelphia reeled off 14 unanswered points to give itself a nice cushion.

Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson lunges for the end zone during Sunday's game / DallasCowboys.com

Even down multiple scores, the Cowboys didn't go away easily. After failing to convert a fourth-and-goal at the Eagles' one-yard line, the Cowboys came right back and scored a touchdown to cut the lead to five. Another failed fourth down on the following drive seemed to spell doom, but Dallas wasn't done just yet.

The Cowboys got the ball back with under a minute left, and managed to get all the way down to the Eagles' 11. Even after a sack and a penalty pushed them back, CeeDee Lamb's catch came just a few yards short of the end zone on the final play.

Dak Prescott completed 29 of 44 passes for 375 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers, turning in one of the better performances in his career. Lamb also had a great game with 11 receptions for 192 yards, while Jake Ferguson, Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin each scored a receiving touchdown.

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Against arguably the league's best defensive front, though, the Cowboys' offensive line struggled to hold up. They allowed Prescott to be sacked five times and the team only averaged 3.5 yards per carry. On the flip side, Dallas' defensive front performed well, too, by scoring three sacks and holding the Eagles' strong rushing game to 3.3 yards per carry.

Jalen Hurts completed 17 of 23 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns while adding 36 yards and another score on the ground, while being visibly hobbled at that. Kenneth Gainwell added a score on the ground, as did A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith through the air, but the former's six-game streak of over 100 receiving yards came to an end.

After a gut-wrenching loss, the Cowboys now turn their attention to a home date with the New York Giants next week.