This is the backstory to one of the great moments of Week 15, the Dallas Cowboys' refusal to crumble on the road in a pivotal NFC East showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys' rebound after blowing a 21-point lead, as well as the Arizona Cardinals clinching a playoff spot with a win over the St. Louis Rams despite numerous key injuries and the Buffalo Bills' upset of the Green Bay Packers are nominees for the GMC Never Say Never Moment of the week. Cast your vote for the GMC Never Say Never Moments of Week 15.
Just two weeks ago, the Cowboys suffered a humiliating 33-10 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in front of a turkey-stuffed national-television audience on Thanksgiving Day. Facing the daunting task of collecting an essential road win against the Eagles, the Cowboys stormed out to a 21-0 lead, allowed 24 unaswered points, managed to recapture momentum for a 38-27 win. That was huge, pushing the Cowboys from "In the hunt" status in the NFC playoff picture to in the driver's seat for the NFC East title and a potential candidate to attain home-field advantage in the playoffs.
Here are the key moments before the moment:
Horrific start for Eagles
The play:Eagles return specialist Josh Huff muffs the opening kickoff and the Cowboys' C.J. Spillman recovers the ball.
The aftermath: The Cowboys take advantage of the early gift, capitalizing with a 1-yard touchdown run by DeMarco Murray. This was just the beginning for the Cowboys. After forcing a three-and-out on the Eagles' first offensive possession, the Cowboys scored again on a nifty 4-yard touchdown reception by Dez Bryant.
Bryant gets TD No. 2
The aftermath: The rout appeared on in Philadelphia. The Eagles offense could not get on track and the Cowboys have sprinted out of the gate to a 21-0 lead. However, the Eagles would not relent. Two Chris Polk touchdown runs sandwiched a Cody Parkey field goal, and the Eagles trimmed the Cowboys' lead to 21-17 midway through the third quarter. What was seemingly going to be a rout started to show the makings of a classic.
Romo coughs it up
The play: On a play in which Romo appeared to have an eternity to find an open receiver scampering through the Eagles' secondary, the Philadelphia pass rush got to the Dallas quarterback, which resulted in defensive end Vinny Curry stripping the ball from Romo and collecting the loose pigskin from the Lincoln Financial Field turf.
The aftermath: Two plays later -- with the aid of a personal foul penalty -- the Eagles were in the end zone, with running back Darren Sproles scoring on a 1-yard run to give the Eagles their first lead of the game at 24-21.
Short-lived lead for Philly
The play: Murray caps an eight-play, 78-yard scoring drive with a 2-yard touchdown run to put Dallas back on top, 28-24.
The aftermath: Murray has been a workhorse for the Cowboys this season, and had his second multi-touchdown game of the season on Sunday night. However, the joy and satisfaction from this triumph would be muted some by news that Murray suffered a broken bone in his hand in the win and had surgery to repair it on Monday. His status for a Week 16 showdown against the Indianapolis Coltsis in doubt.
The moment
The play: The Cowboys pad their lead and clinch victory on Bryant's third touchdown of the game, which came early in the fourth quarter and gave Dallas a 35-24 lead.
The aftermath: The Eagles and Cowboys would each add another field goal for the final tally, but the Cowboys defense (for the most part) shut down the Eagles' fourth-quarter offensive threats. The Eagles' final drive of the game ended with an interception by linebacker Bruce Carter, and the Cowboys had managed to pull off a profound victory in their season.
The Cowboys have been spectacular on the road this season, going 7-0 away from "Jerry World." Every other team in the NFL has at least two road losses this season, and only 13 teams since 1950 have gone undefeated on the road for a season (it should be noted that the Cowboys' season finale is on the road, against the hapless Washington Redskins). Four of the last five teams to go 8-0 on the road advanced to the Super Bowl. Here's a list of those teams for your convenience:
» 2007 New England Patriots: Lost Super Bowl XLII.
» 2001 St. Louis Rams: Lost Super Bowl XXXVI.
» 1990 San Francisco 49ers: Lost in NFC Championship Game.
» 1989 San Francisco 49ers: Won Super Bowl XXIV.
» 1984 San Francisco 49ers: Won Super Bowl XIX.
The Cowboys' historic road success this season has put the team in position to clinch its first playoff berth since 2009.
Follow Jim Reineking on Twitter @jimreineking.
