Eagles win season finale over Dallas as Ertz scores twice

The Eagles offered the same chorus in the locker room after a 27-13 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday as they did following victories to cap the previous two seasons. There was the typical excitement that comes from leaving with a win, and there was the hope that it would carry over into next season.

It didn't carry over the last two years because the Eagles finished in Week 17 without a playoff game ahead of them for the third year in a row. So what makes Sunday any different?

"I think I can 100 percent say that I'll have the same quarterback going into next season," tight end Zach Ertz said.

That was where the optimism could be found Sunday, and Carson Wentz's development was the most important part of a 7-9 team's season. The Eagles needed back-to-back wins to finish with that record for consecutive seasons.

Wentz led the offense by going 27 of 43 for 245 yards and two touchdowns — with both scoring passes to Ertz, who totaled 13 catches for 139 yards. Linebacker Jordan Hicks carried the defense, twice intercepting the Cowboys' third-string quarterback, Mark Sanchez.

"I challenged the team a couple weeks ago as far as let's finish the season the right way, and our last month of the season has been definitely heading in the right direction," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. "It's great to finish strong, two division opponents, and get two wins this way. Kicking off the year the right way."

But the win must be qualified with the reminder that the Cowboys, who are the top team in the NFC, did not play seven starters, including running back Ezekiel Elliott, linebacker Sean Lee, and offensive tackle Tyron Smith. They took their top two quarterbacks out the first half. It was almost like a preseason game. The win still counts the same for the Eagles, but they did not take control of the game until the second half when Sanchez played quarterback.

The Cowboys started Dak Prescott and relieved him with backup Tony Romo, who played his first game of the season. Romo led the Cowboys to a 10-3 lead on his only drive when he connected with Terrance Williams for a 3-yard touchdown.

The Eagles offense had little success moving the ball at that point, but the Cowboys helped by bringing Sanchez into the game after Romo's six-play, 81-yard scoring drive. The former Eagles quarterback made the same miscues that plagued his time in Philadelphia. Hicks became his favorite target, with the linebacker recording his fourth and fifth interceptions of the season in the second quarter.

"I think sometimes the ball comes your way," Hicks said. "Sometimes you know it's coming. I know Mark well. Mark threw me a couple. I obviously said 'thank you' after that game. We're good buds."

The Eagles turned the second interception into points with the Wentz-Ertz connection. Running a no-huddle offense in the final two minutes of the half, Wentz brought the Eagles 49 yards in nine plays and found Ertz for a 6-yard touchdown to tie the score before halftime. The same pair connected in the third quarter to take a 17-13 lead when Ertz made a diving catch in the back corner of the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown.

"When things break down or when I know I need somebody, Ertz has been that guy," Wentz said. "He's has been that guy that steps up for us. So it's been really good working with him. Along the same lines, I'm looking forward to continuing that relationship and building that chemistry down the road."

Ertz endured criticism at times this season for a perceived lack of toughness, but he finishes the season with 78 catches for 816 yards and four touchdowns. Most of that production came in the final five weeks, when he caught 40 passes for 443 yards and the scores. It continues a trend of Ertz's best work saved for the last month — and in three of those years, the Eagles have been out of contention for his Week 17 performances. Ertz said it doesn't matter to him "whether it's in September or January," and the last few weeks has shown what he's developing with Wentz and what needs to continue in 2017.

"Just building that chemistry with Carson first and foremost, being on the same page each and every play against each and every defense," Ertz said. "There were times, especially early on, that we weren't on the same page and it showed."

With a lead and the Cowboys playing without their top players, the Eagles were in good position. They added a fourth-quarter field goal by Caleb Sturgis, and after blocking a punt near the Cowboys' goal line, the Eagles sealed their victory with a 1-yard touchdown run by rookie Terrell Watson.

The season started with the curiosity that comes with a rookie coach and quarterback. It spiked after the Eagles won their first three games. It crashed during a five-game losing streak that ensured the Eagles would not make the playoffs. And it ended with a two-game winning streak that the Eagles hope carries over into next season.

They've thought it before, too. They believe it's different now that Wentz is in Philadelphia.

"I think the biggest thing is just building momentum," Wentz said. "Obviously we didn't end the year like we wanted to as far as in the win-loss category. But to win the last two games going in to the off season, I think it will just give us a lot of confidence heading into it."