Tuesday, November 16, 2004
The Cowboys couldn't stop the flamboyant Eagles receiver Monday night.
IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Terrell Owens got the fun started with a 59-yard touchdown he considered so easy that he celebrated by pretending to ice skate in the end zone. Then he followed a 27-yarder with his favorite Texas Stadium pose, spreading out his arms while standing on the Dallas Cowboys' logo.
When he scored again, Owens just dunked the ball over the crossbar. Might as well save the good stuff for a tight game, because by then the Philadelphia Eagles were well on their way to a 49-21 victory Monday night.
Donovan McNabb made sure the Eagles (8-1) bounced back from their only loss this season, throwing four touchdown passes and setting up another with an incredible, scrambling 60-yard completion.
Lito Sheppard capped a record-setting night for both teams with a 101-yard interception return for another score in the closing minutes.
"The guys took pride in themselves to come out here and rebound from the loss last week," said Owens, who had 134 yards on six catches. "We came in with a passion -- the pride and the character of the guys on this team -- and it showed."
NFC favorite
The Eagles quickly showed why they should still be considered the midseason favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl by scoring 35 points in the first half -- more than they'd scored in any game this season. They wound up with their most points in a regular season game since beating the St. Louis Cardinals 52-10 in November 1981.
"It takes a couple plays for us to get a little momentum," said McNabb, who was 15-of-28 for 345 yards with no interceptions. "Once things get going, we feel confident that every play that we call is going to be effective and possibly get in the end zone."
The most amazing play didn't reach the end zone, but that's a minor quibble.
Facing third-and-10 from the Philadelphia 25, McNabb spun away from one would-be tackler and sprinted to his right, only to find another defender waiting. So he went back to his left, chased by two more players, and finally heaved the ball, letting loose a 60-yard pass to Freddie Mitchell. Replays showed McNabb held the ball for 14 seconds before the pass.
"It felt like a video game out there," he said.
Brian Westbrook followed with a 1-yard TD run, giving Philadelphia touchdowns the last five times it had the ball before halftime, a streak that continued on its first drive of the third quarter.
Humiliation
There was the minor interruption of a punt, but the Cowboys (3-6) fumbled the return, adding to the humiliation of their fifth loss in six games -- and their eighth in nine tries against the Eagles.
After calling his team "stupid" following a 26-3 loss to Cincinnati last week, Dallas coach Bill Parcells tried holding his tongue.
"We just got to get better," he said. "I'm not going to get into the state of the union right now."
The Eagles loved every minute of it, especially Owens.
He was in such a good mood after his first touchdown that he and McNabb playfully argued on the sideline, mocking their sideline confrontation from last week. His celebration on the Cowboys' star in the end zone mocked his midfield moment four years ago that marked his entry into the realm of post-touchdown performers.
Owens finished with his second three-TD game of the season and upped his NFL-best total of scoring catches to 12.
"It's never easy," he said. "I just make it look easy."