Reeling Eagles looking for 'O' after losing T.O.

Philadelphia faces a tough test against the Cowboys.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Even before Terrell Owens took his big plays and bigger mouth home to Atlanta, the Philadelphia Eagles were a desperate team.
The four-time NFC East champions and reigning conference champs enter tonight's game against the Dallas Cowboys needing a victory to avoid falling below .500 and further out of the playoff race.
The Eagles (4-4) won't have Owens because the All-Pro wideout was dismissed from the team last Monday following a series of incidents, including harsh criticism of the organization and quarterback Donovan McNabb.
A once-potent offense certainly will miss its top playmaker, but McNabb and the rest of his teammates are eager to prove they can still have success.
"We just have to come together, pull through, and understand the situation that has happened, and what we need to do in order to get out on this field and get back to playing with a lot of passion, playing with a lot of excitement and playing together," McNabb said.
Blowout loss
Owens was on the field when the Cowboys completely outplayed the Eagles in a 33-10 victory at Dallas last month. The Cowboys jumped to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter and never let up. Drew Bledsoe picked apart the defense with 289 yards passing and three touchdowns and Dallas racked up 456 yards.
In that game, the Cowboys' defense was even more dominant than their offense. They held the Eagles to just 129 yards, while limiting them to only two third-down conversions in 12 chances.
"I think it may have been probably at the top of the list," defensive tackle La'Roi Glover said. "To get there again, it's going to take another great effort. You have to know what particular plays they like out of which formations, who they want to get the ball to, down and distance -- all those type of things. You have to be on top of your game when you play the Eagles."
Philadelphia lost 17-10 to Washington last Sunday in its first game without Owens. McNabb led the offense down the field in the final minutes only to be stopped with three chances from the Redskins 7.
Spreading it around
Without Owens, the Eagles plan to spread the ball around to several receivers, including Greg Lewis, Reggie Brown, Billy McMullen and tight end L.J. Smith. Former three-time Pro Bowl tight end Chad Lewis was re-signed earlier in the week, giving McNabb another familiar target.
Running back Brian Westbrook should get more carries as Philadelphia tries to balance out its pass-heavy offense.
"He is a good football player and good football players are hard to come by, but I think the team supersedes any of those good football players, because the team will continue to go on," Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress said of Owens. "I look at it from that standpoint."
Dallas (5-3) is coming off a bye week following an easy win against Arizona. The Cowboys have lost two games by a total of four points this season, and won three others by a combined margin of 10 points.
Running back Julius Jones is expected to return after missing the last three games with a sprained left ankle.
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