Jalen Hurts injured, stays in game as Eagles hang on to beat Cowboys in a frantic finish

PHILADELPHIA − The Eagles and Cowboys heavyweight battle certainly lived up to expectations as the Eagles held on for a hard-fought 28-23 win Sunday.

But the Eagles could have a situation on their hands going forward as Jalen Hurts took an apparent shot to his left leg in the final 30 seconds of the first half.

Hurts stayed down on the ground for a few extra seconds, then limped slowly to the sideline. The Eagles were charged a timeout, so Hurts had time to gather himself for a 3rd-and-14. He stayed in the game and handed the ball off, and the Eagles punted.

Hurts then jogged to the locker room before the final seconds of the first half ticked off. He finished the game and led the Eagles to victory.

But the Eagles did lose tight end Dallas Goedert and linebacker Nakobe Dean to injuries. And they had to hold off the Cowboys' late rally as Dallas had two chances to score the game-winning touchdown with less than two minutes to go.

Hurts starts the second half, throws beautiful TD pass

Hurts came out of the locker room after his teammates, and then joined Marcus Mariota to warm up on the sideline.

Not only did Hurts start the third quarter, but he immediately showed his toughness. On 3rd-and-3 from the Eagles' 47, Hurts escaped pressure and picked up 6 yards for a first down.

Later in the drive, Hurts dropped back and threw a 29-yard strike over DeVonta Smith's shoulder in the end zone, giving the Eagles a 21-17 lead early in the third quarter.

Hurts had earlier set a team record with his 33rd career rushing touchdown, the most ever for an Eagles quarterback. He was 10-for-13 for 120 yards in the first half, and he ran 5 times for 19 yards.

Hurts had been dealing with a knee injury for the past few games at least. But he never appeared on the injury report because he had participated fully in every practice.

Injuries mounting beyond Jalen Hurts as Eagles stretch lead

Linebacker Nakobe Dean left the game in the second quarter and didn't return after suffering a foot injury. Dean was on IR earlier this season with a foot injury.

Also, tight end Dallas Goedert left the game late in the third quarter after making a 28-yard catch down to the Cowboys' 13.

Goedert immediately left for the locker room, his arm limp by his side. The Eagles said he has a forearm injury.

Still, A.J. Brown capped off the drive with a 4-yard TD catch, giving the Eagles a 28-17 lead with 1:13 left in the third quarter.

AJ Brown goes over 1,000 yards receiving ... in Week 9

A.J. Brown is on a phenomenal streak, and that became apparent when he surpassed 1,000 yards receiving in the third quarter in Week 9. Brown caught a 5-yard pass midway through the third quarter to give him 1,002 yards.

That gave Brown 6 catches for 62 yards. He needs 38 yards to become the fifth player since the 1970 merger with 7 straight games with at least 100 yards receiving.

WAITING HIS TURN: How Eagles Nolan Smith handles not playing as this Micah Parsons comp shows he’s not a bust

Eagles tie game on "tush push" as Jalen Hurts sets record ... and a big break on fumble

For the third time in two games, the Eagles fumbled the ball inside the opponent's 10-yard line.

This time, D'Andre Swift took the handoff at the Cowboys' 10 and fumbled the ball. Swift appeared to get the ball back as he was down on the ground. But the Cowboys stripped the ball and returned it to midfield.

The play was reviewed and Swift was in fact ruled down. Eventually, the Eagles got the ball down to the 1, and Jalen Hurts scored on a "tush push." For Hurts, it was his 33rd career rushing touchdown, setting a franchise record for rushing TDs by a quarterback.

Hurts had been tied with Randall Cunningham. The touchdown tied the game at 14-14 with 5:09 left in the first half.

Cowboys lead Eagles 14-7, as another D-tackle hurt

In the early part of the game, Fletcher Cox left for a few plays with an injury before returning, then was followed to the sideline by Jordan Davis.

Davis seemed to grab at his hamstring as he came out and went to the medical tent. He finally emerged late in the Cowboy's TD drive, but didn't get back on the field as Dallas took a 14-7 lead with 11:16 left in the second quarter.

Gainwell flips into end zone, Eagles take early lead

Kenny Gainwell had a rough week after he was talked to for replying to a fan on social media during halftime of the Eagles' game last week. Gainwell had just fumbled the ball away before halftime.

Gainwell made up for it Sunday, running the ball in from 12 yards out to give the Eagles an early 7-0 lead on their opening drive. At the end of the run, Gainwell flipped his way into the end zone.

For the Eagles, it capped a 13-play, 77-yard drive that used up 7:51.

The Eagles converted a "tush push" on fourth down from their own 32. They also converted a fourth-and-3 from the Cowboys 27 as Hurts threw for 15 yards to Dallas Goedert, setting up Gainwell's run.

The Cowboys responded with a TD on their next drive, the key play being Dak Prescott's 29-yard pass to CeeDee Lamb on 4th-and-1 from the Eagles' 33.

Eagles put Derek Barnett on inactive list, paving the way for Nolan Smith to play more

The Eagles seem to be trying to get Nolan Smith on the field more.

And they're doing it against the Dallas Cowboys by making Derek Barnett a game-day inactive. Barnett had played 20% of the snaps this season, but hasn't had any sacks. Smith, meanwhile, had only played 9% of the snaps this season.

Barnett was the Eagles' first-round pick in 2017. He had missed the entire 2022 season after tearing his ACL. There was a report that Barnett wanted to be traded before the start of the season so he could play more.

Barnett was part of a four-man rotation at defensive end, but he was playing less than Brandon Graham (29%) and the main starters in Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat. Now, Smith, who has 1 sack this season, will get his chance.

The Eagles other inactives are QB Tanner McKee, CB Bradley Roby, RB Boston Scott, DT Moro Ojomo and TE Grant Calcaterra.

Scott has been away from the team this week for a personal matter. Rashaad Penny is taking his place on the game-day roster. Penny, signed as a free agent last spring, has only been active in one other game this season. Penny has 1 carry for 3 yards this season.

Linebacker gets practice-squad elevation for NFL debut

The Eagles are giving their practice-squad elevation to linebacker Ben VanSumeren for the game on Sunday.

VanSumeren was an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State. VanSumeren was waived then added to the practice squad.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys: Live analysis, updates