Brent Celek's touchdown was one of the few bright spots for the Eagles Sunday against the Cowboys. (Yong Kim / Staff Photographer)

A player-by-player breakdown of the Eagles' offensive performance against the Cowboys:

Donovan McNabb - He just looked out of sorts all game. McNabb probably should have been picked off on a bad throw intended for DeSean Jackson on the first series. Did the Eagles have protection problems? Yes. But even when McNabb had time, he was off-target. In the fourth quarter, he had Jackson wide open and threw behind him. The couple bright spots were when he bought time and made plays -- on the screen to LeSean McCoy that went for 45 yards, and on the touchdown to Brent Celek. McNabb's 61.4 QB rating was his lowest of the season.

Michael Vick - We'll keep this one short: a 2-yard carry in the first and a handoff to McCoy later in the game. If the Eagles felt Vick could help them, they would be using him more. Consider it a failed experiment until you see proof suggesting otherwise.

LeSean McCoy - There were some real bright spots for McCoy, and also a couple mistakes. He broke a tackle and had a great individual effort on a 17-yard run in the second quarter. Overall, he did a decent job as a blocker. There was one play where he was supposed to get in DeMarcus Ware's way before going out into his route, but McCoy didn't do enough, and Ware forced a McNabb incompletion. The normally sure-handed receiver also had a couple dropped passes. He did take a screen 45 yards in the third quarter for the Eagles' biggest offensive play of the game. And as I said yesterday, he missed a chance to convert in short yardage in the fourth quarter. Overall, 13 carries for 54 yards and five catches for 61.

Leonard Weaver - Solid game for Weaver. Eight carries for 33 yards, and some punishing blocks. He showed great athleticism on a 17-yard reception in the first quarter, but it was called back because of a Todd Herremans penalty.

Winston Justice - Not his greatest performance of the season, but Justice did an OK job. He was overpowered by Cowboys defesive end Stephen Bowen on a third-down McCoy carry in the second. Justice also had some problems in protection, although he did not give up a sack. He false started on a 3rd-and-7 in the fourth quarter for his second penalty of the season.

Stacy Andrews - Nightmarish game for Andrews. He gave up a sack to Jay Ratliff in the first quarter and a second on 3rd-and-9 in the second. Andrews completely missed his block on Ware during Vick’s 2-yard run. And he forced McNabb to escape the pocket after getting beat by Jason Hatcher. Andrews came in during the third possession and stayed in at right guard once Jason Peters went down. I don't believe he returned though after Peters came back in. I have to double-check though. He did make one nice block on Ratliff to open up a hole for a 5-yard McCoy run in the second.

Nick Cole - He had some serious problems in pass protection, particularly with Igor Olshansky. Cole moved over to left guard when Todd Herremans slid to left tackle. He went back to right guard once Peters returned. Hatcher beat him to sack McNabb in the fourth, but holding was called on Dallas away from the line of scrimmage.

Jamaal Jackson - Jackson had some trouble with Jay Ratliff, who really impressed me as I re-watched the game. Ratliff was disruptive in the interior all game. As analyst Cris Collinsworth pointed out, Jackson should have snapped the ball on 4th-and-1 when the Eagles had the Cowboys offsides in the third.

Todd Herremans - As I mentioned, he moved to left tackle when Peters went down. It was actually an interesting scene at the Linc. King Dunlap started to come on to the field as Peters came off, but was waved away. The Eagles gave him help with Ware on most plays, but when he was left by himself, Herremans had serious problems, which was to be expected.

Jason Peters - He was probably the offense's biggest bright spot. Peters completely neutralized Ware, both early on, and then later when he re-entered the game. Peters often pushed Ware upfield, past McNabb. Really an impressive performance. The one downside was the false start on 4th-and-1 in the third.

Brent Celek - Three catches for 39 yards, including a touchdown (his fourth of the season). The Cowboys moved Ware around, and Celek found himself on the losing end of a one-on-one battle with the Pro Bowl defensive end on a run play in the first. He made a nice block on Anthony Spencer during McCoy's 17-yard run. Celek had a drop on the Eagles' final drive.

Alex Smith - The throw from McNabb in the first quarter was high, although Smith had a chance at it. His blocking was not very good. Smith got beat by Spencer in pass protection in the third, leading to a McNabb incompletion. He didn't get the job done during the Eagles' short-yardage failures in the fourth quarter. Smith had an 11-yard grab in the third, picking up a first down.

DeSean Jackson - The Cowboys were successful in shutting him down and making other players beat them. Jackson had just two catches for 29 yards. He did deliver a good effort as a downfield blocker on the 45-yard screen pass to McCoy.

Jeremy Maclin - He and McNabb were not on the same page all day. On the first offensive play of the game for the Eagles, he looked up for the ball about a full two seconds after it had sailed out of bounds. The first interception is on him. If you've watched McNabb for years, that wasn't even close to his fastball. Maclin has to make that catch. Chalk it up to rookie growing pains. It was encouraging to see McNabb still go to him in the fourth quarter. Overall, three catches for 44 yards.

Jason Avant - He made a very nice catch for 23 yards on third down in the second. Avant caught the only other ball thrown his way. On the downside, he picked up a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, helping Celek celebrate after his TD.

Reggie Brown - Yes, Brown was on the field at times. Nothing else to really say about him though. No balls were thrown his way.

Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb got a bad spot on this quarterback sneak on fourth down in the fourth quarter (Ron Cortes / Staff Photographer)

When I got home from the Linc last night, I had to go back and take a look at what went wrong for the Eagles in short yardage as they fell to the Cowboys, 20-16.

Paul Domowitch of the Daily News did a great job comparing this year's short-yardage production to last year's.

Here's a play-by-play look at how they attacked short yardage situations last night. Note that we're defining short yardage as any play of 2 yards or less:

Play 1

On the Eagles' second possession of the game, they faced a 3rd-and-1 from their own 25. The Birds were trailing, 7-0, after the Cowboys scored on their previous possession. Leonard Weaver had just picked up 6 yards on second down after a 3-yard carry by LeSean McCoy on first down. The Eagles went with two wide receivers and two tight ends, with McCoy in the backfield. They ran play-action (which surprisingly actually fooled a couple Cowboys defenders), and Donovan McNabb looked for Alex Smith. The throw was high, although probably catchable, but Smith couldn't make the reception. Even had he made the catch, there's no telling if Smith would have had the first time. Cowboys linebacker Bradie James was in the vicinity.

Play 2

The Birds were down, 7-3, in the second quarter and had a 3rd-and-2 from their own 24. Weaver had picked up 8 yards on back-to-back carries on first and second down. The Eagles decided to spread the field with four wide receivers and McCoy in the backfield. The Cowboys came with a blitz, but McNabb got rid of the ball to Jason Avant. The pass was incomplete, but the refs correctly called pass interference, which gave the Eagles a first down.

Play 3

The Eagles had a 3rd-and-2 in the third quarter, clinging to a 13-10 lead. They had just inserted Michael Vick on second down. He handed it off to McCoy for 3 yards. But as we've seen throughout the McNabb/Andy Reid era, the Birds found themselves rushing to the line of scrimmage with the play clock winding down. This has been commonplace on plays where Vick is entering or leaving the game this season. The Birds were forced to waste a timeout. They then went with an empty backfield, showing Dallas there was zero chance that a running play was coming. McCoy was split out wide, and McNabb hit him, but the rookie's momentum brought him back towards the line of scrimmage. After re-watching the play, the refs made the right call. McCoy was not touched by James until he was on the ground, short of the first-down marker. I had to crack up when I heard Al Michaels suggest "you would need a laser" to overturn the call.

Play 4

After failing to get the play overturned, the Eagles were faced with 4th-and-1 from their own 42-yard-line. McCoy was in the backfield with three wide receivers and a tight end. What I'm unsure of is whether the Eagles planned to just try and draw the Cowboys offsides, or if they were really planning on going for it. If they were just trying to get an offsides, the play was a complete disaster. First of all, they were down to their last timeout, so that would be a ridiculous risk there. Second of all, if that was the plan, Jamaal Jackson should have been waiting for the Cowboys to jump, which they did, and then snapped the ball. Instead, Jason Peters jumped, the Eagles were whistled for a false start, and they were forced to punt.

Play 5

And the sequence that everyone is talking about today. With the game tied at 13 and 11:10 left, the Eagles had the ball at the Cowboys' 44. On first down, McNabb hit DeSean Jackson for 9 yards. Jackson actually caught the ball for a first down but stepped back to try and make a big play and was short of the marker. On 2nd-and-1, they went with two tight ends. Somehow Brent Celek was matched up with DeMarcus Ware on the right side, where the Eagles were running to. Winston Justice got pushed back by Marcus Spears also. It was actually Anthony Spencer, who got past Smith and made the tackle on McCoy. All that being said, McCoy had a hole where he could have picked up the first down. Poor job all around.

Play 6

On the next play, the Birds faced a 3rd-and-1 and lined up in the I with both Smith and Celek in the game. Just one wide receiver. They ran to the left side, but Spencer was too much for Smith, and James made a nice play to stuff McCoy.

Play 7

And of course, fourth down. The Eagles lined up with one running back, one tight end and three wide receivers. McNabb ran the sneak behind Jackson and Nick Cole. As he explained after the game, McNabb slid on the back of a Cowboys defender, and he should have had the first down, based on where his elbow hit the ground. It was a bad spot.

Play 8

We will end on a bright note. With 6:50 left in the fourth quarter, and the Eagles trailing, 20-13, they had a 3rd-and-1 from midfield. They lined up in the I and went to Weaver, who picked up 3 yards and kept the Eagles' drive alive.

So overall, eight plays. Two conversions (one via a penalty). Four runs. Three passes. One offensive penalty.

And a major reason the Eagles are 5-3 today.

Listening to Donovan McNabb's post-game press conference, it was clear that he didn't want to use the officiating as an excuse but felt like it was a major factor in the Eagles' loss to the Cowboys.

Speaking specifically about the fourth-down sneak with about 11 minutes left, here's what McNabb said about the officials ruling him short of the marker:

"I felt like half of my body was past the marker which I've seen. I landed on top of our guys and just slid and kept on moving. When you, I guess the question, you probably replay it, I guess you may have felt that I did get it. We thought we had the first down, but unfortunately I guess twice we didn't."

Later in the press conference, he said he didn't "want to make any excuses" but when asked why the team seems to come up short in the fourth quarter, he pointed to the calls.

"Well it's tough to win when you have a couple of calls where it's tough on you," he said. "We have won games in the fourth quarter. I know that's something that everyone is going to talk about. Have fun with it I guess."

Ok, about to head home. I'm going to try and re-watch the plays in question, and of course we'll have Man Up Monday night and Tuesday.

View gallery

All season, it had been the Eagles' offense putting points on the board quickly with big play after big play.

Sunday night, it was the Cowboys.

Dallas capitalized on Eagles turnovers and did just enough to beat the Birds, 20-16, and take control of the NFC East.

The Cowboys are now 6-2, while the Eagles fell to 5-3.

Dallas' first touchdown was set up by a Donovan McNabb interception in the first quarter. It appeared that McNabb's pass hit Jeremy Maclin in the helmet, and Dallas came up with the early turnover. The Cowboys had to go just 37 yards as Tashard Choice found the end zone from 2 yards out.

Just before halftime, Romo hit Patrick Crayton for 64 yards, setting up a field goal, which gave Dallas a 10-6 lead.

In the fourth, a McNabb interception and a Maclin facemask gave the Cowboys possession at the Eagles' 42-yard line. Another short field for Romo and company. The Cowboys settled for a field goal on the ensuing drive.

And finally, the game-winner. The Eagles had bottled up Miles Austin for much of the game, but the Cowboys' break-out receiver beat Sheldon Brown for a 49-yard bomb in the fourth, putting Dallas up, 20-13.

The Birds travel to San Diego next week to face the Chargers and are on the road for four of their next five.

They had the chance to capture the city's attention after the Phillies' season ended last week, but instead leave the fans scratching their heads.

My view from the press box.

More images

Above are some photos from my walk in.

Greetings from the Linc. We are counting down to kickoff from the press box, where we'll be live chatting, starting at about 8:15 p.m.

The weather is perfect (64 degrees), and you get the feeling this city is ready to give the Eagles its undivided attention if they can put together a good performance tonight.

I was telling my buddy Lemur yesterday that I can't believe we're already in Week 9. That's what a successful baseball team will do to you, I guess.

But in a way, it's good. We've seen ups (last week against the Giants) and downs (the Raiders) from the Birds through their first eight weeks. Now we get ready for an important run.

The Eagles face the Cowboys tonight and then are on the road for four of the next five: at San Diego, Atlanta, Chicago and New York.

Can they take hold of the division, or will we be hoping for a miracle again in Week 17?

As for the Brian Westbrook news, I'm less concerned with the Eagles losing him as a ballcarrier than as a blocker. The Eagles are going to have opportunities for big plays in the passing game as long as they can protect Donovan McNabb.

To that end, can LeSean McCoy do a good enough job as a blocker? He was exceptional last week, picking up Giants blitzers on more than one occasion to give McNabb time to find receivers. The week before? Not so much, as he whiffed on a block and was responsible for McNabb being sacked against the Redskins.

I'm excited to see how McCoy performs. This is why the Eagles drafted him. I remember watching him at training camp, constantly having coaches and teammates in his ear after every rep. He was always attentive, always trying to improve, always competing.

But we are in Week 9. McCoy's alma mater, Pitt, has just three games (in four weeks) remaining on its schedule. In the NFL, the season is really just beginning.

So keep an eye on No. 29 tonight, specifically when he doesn't have the ball. There could very well be one or two big plays that determine the outcome. Perhaps a missed block that results in a sack and a turnover. Perhaps an exceptional blitz pickup that results in a big play in the passing game.

Back with more soon.

Brian Westbrook is not expected to return to the Eagles' lineup today, two league sources tell ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Westbrook was listed as questionable on Friday's injury report and was held out of practice, but Andy Reid made it sound like he was just being cautious.

"I held Brian Westbrook out today," Reid said Friday. "He has had two hard days of work and really the young kid hasn’t gotten a ton of reps so like I’ve done on other Fridays I kept Brian out and limited."

If Westbrook can't go, it will be LeSean McCoy and Leonard Weaver carrying the load for the Eagles. McCoy carried 11 times for 82 yards last week against the Giants, including a 66-yard touchdown.

Weaver had eight carries for 75 yards and a 41-yard score.

The Cowboys' rush defense ranks 13th in the NFL (seventh in the NFC), allowing 105 yards per game.

Click here for our earlier look on who the experts are picking in this matchup.

Don't forget that I'll be at the Linc tonight, hosting our live chat for Eagles-Cowboys.

And now our weekly look at who's picking the Eagles, along with some other links sprinkled in.

SI.com's Peter King gives the Eagles a 31-20 victory:

I know this is going to be a controversial point in the Westbrook household, and I value Brian Westbrook very highly as a player and important cog in the Eagles' success. But today, right now, Philly doesn't lose a lot -- except on blitz pickup, where Westbrook's a gem -- with LeSean McCoy in the lineup.

SI.com's Don Banks has the Eagles eighth in his power rankings:

With comfortable wins at Washington and home against the Giants in a six-day span, the Eagles are off to a 2-0 division start and now get to complete the first half of their season with a visit from the revitalized Cowboys. That three-game run will tell us just where Philly stands in the NFC East as it embarks on four road games in the coming five weeks, against four potential playoff teams: San Diego, Chicago, Atlanta and the Giants.

Accuscore gives the Eagles the edge, 27-25.

All six Daily News writers and Vegas Vic like the Eagles. Five of eight Dallas Morning News writers go with the Birds.

All six FoxSports.com experts have the Eagles winning.

FoxSports.com's Adrian Hasenmayer has the Eagles ninth in his power rankings:

The Eagles are like spitting images of their baseball neighbors, the Phillies. Swinging for the fences on offense with loads of weapons, as seen by how they ambushed the Giants. But capable of the big whiff, too (they lost to the Raiders, wow).

FoxSports.com's Peter Schrager has the Eagles, 34-28:

When I chose the Eagles to win the NFC East prior to the start of the season, it was because of veterans Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook and Asante Samuel. Little did I realize then that it would be Brent Celek, Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson — four guys under the age of 24 — leading the way. Tony Romo's been on fire of late, but the Eagles' defense will get the best of him Sunday night.

SI.com's Peter King has the Eagles ninth in his power rankings:

The Eagles' weaponry is so diverse. Think back to the preseason, when all wondered how long it would take Brent Celek, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy -- all third-year players or younger, all 24 or younger -- to contribute as a group. Well, in putting up 40 on the Giants, those four touched the ball 24 times for 278 yards and four touchdowns. I guess chemistry class is going well, Professor McNabb.

Six of eight ESPN experts go with the Birds.

CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco gives the Eagles a 27-24 win:

First place in the NFC East is on the line here. Both teams seem to have hit stride on offense, which could mean a lot of points. Tony Romo has to show his three-game hot streak can continue. It won't be easy against that Philly defense, but the Cowboys keep it close.

Prisco has the Eagles eighth in his power rankings.

Matt Bowen of the National Football Post has the Eagles, 28-24:

The Cowboys have found a true playmaker in WR Miles Austin and Tony Romo hasn’t looked better as Dallas is putting up big numbers, but does that last in Philly against a defense that is causing turnovers and giving McNabb and his weapons good field position? I like where Dallas is headed as a team, but until someone shows me they can prevent McNabb from making big plays down the field, I am sticking with the Eagles. The best game of the day ends on a Philly interception off of Romo in the red zone—and the Eagles take over first place in the NFC East.

Pro Football Talk predicts a 30-20 Eagles win.

Join me for a live chat from the Linc Sunday night as the Eagles host the Cowboys.

Here's our weekly visit from Dave Staley of sportsbook.com, followed by my Week 9 picks.

Q: What do you make of the Eagles-Cowboys line for Sunday night's game?

A: As of now, the line for Sunday night’s game is holding steady at the Eagles minus-3, which is exactly where we opened it. However, when we opened this line, the juice was the standard minus-110 on both sides. Now, if you want to play Dallas, the juice is minus-120, whereas you can wager on the Eagles at ‘even’ or no juice. Obviously the early bettors like this juice-free wager as 84 percent of the early cash is backing the Eagles.
 
Unlike last week, I think this line is pretty sharp and falls right where it should. Both teams are pretty equal at this point of the season, as Dallas is coming off of three straight wins while the Eagles have put together two consecutive victories. Additionally, both teams covered each of their last two games.
 
Considering the unwritten rule that home teams usually get right around a field goal, it makes perfect sense that the Birds are favored by that exact amount.
 
One trend that Eagles bettors should be happy to hear: the Cowboys are just 1-5 against the spread in their last six games as underdogs.

Q: And what about the over-under?
 
A: The total is currently at 49 points. This is well above the average total, but with the way these teams put points on the board, it is easy to see why. Combined, they average 57.1 points per game.
 
Defensively, they combine to give up just 38.4 PPG. Philly has not let an opponent score more than 17 points since Week 2. That stat alone makes me think there is a little extra value on the under.
 
The bettors don’t agree as 97 percent of the money is on the over.

My take

When the Eagles have the ball, the formula will be similar to what we've seen all year. The Eagles should be able to hit on some big plays down the field. The keys, as always, will be the offensive line and Donovan McNabb. Jason Peters has had some lapses in the last couple weeks, and things get no easier here with DeMarcus Ware lined up on the other side of the ball. There's no doubt in my mind that Ware is going to get to McNabb at least a couple times. It's imperative that McNabb feels the pressure and takes care of the football. With the way the Cowboys' offense is playing, the Eagles do not want to provide them with a short field.

When the Cowboys hve the ball, the key is pressure on Tony Romo. And from what I saw from watching Dallas' game last week, the Eagles need pressure up the middle. Romo did a good job against the Seahawks when the pressure came off the edges, stepping up and finding open receivers.

I think the Birds will be able to pressure him and force turnovers as they've done all season and hit on some big plays on offense.

The pick: Eagles (-3)

Week 9 picks

Last week: 5-8
Overall: 57-56-1

CHIEFS (+7) at Jaguars
RAVENS (-3) at Bengals
COLTS (-9) vs. Texans
FALCONS (-9) vs. Redskins
PACKERS (-10) at Bucs
CARDINALS (+3) at Bears
DOLPHINS (+10.5) at Patriots
SAINTS (-13) vs. Panthers (MC's Pick of the Week. Pay attention. He's now 6-2 on the season)
SEAHAWKS (-10) vs. Lions
49ERS (-4) vs. Titans
CHARGERS (+4.5) at Giants
STEELERS (-3) at Broncos