Earlier this year, I came up with my list of the 10 top plays in the history of the Eagles-Cowboys rivalry. You can find that here.

But let’s try something different this time. Here are 10 Eagles-Cowboys facts you probably didn’t know, that I didn’t know either until I looked them up!

A surprise leading rusher

Did you know Correll Buckhalter has the highest rushing average ever by any NFL running back against the Cowboys (minimum of 50 carries)? Buck ran 74 times against the Cowboys for 420 yards, a 5.7 average. Next on that list is Mount Holly, New Jersey, native and Hall of Famer Franco Harris at 5.4.

Invading their house

Did you know the Eagles are the winningest team at AT&T Stadium? Since it opened in 2009, among teams that have played at least five games there, the Eagles have the highest winning percentage at .600 (6-4 record). The Cowboys are second .543 (44-37). So the Eagles have a higher winning percentage than the Cowboys in the Cowboys’ own stadium!

A unique distinction

Did you know that the Eagles are the only team in the last 80 years with two fumble recovery TDs of at least 70 yards in the same game? Chris Clemons and Joselio Hanson had fumble return touchdowns of 73 and 96 yards in the Eagles’ 44-6 win over the Cowboys on the final day of the 2008 regular season — a win that propelled the Eagles into the playoffs. The only other NFL team with two 70-yard fumble return TDs in the same game was the Eagles against the Giants in 1938 at Municipal Stadium (JFK), when Joe Carter had a 92-yard TD and Bob Pylman an 88-yarder.

Lito ... Whoa-oh-oh-oh

Did you know the Eagles’ two longest defensive plays against the Cowboys were both turned in by cornerback Lito Sheppard? He picked off Vinny Testaverde in 2004 and returned it 101 yards, then picked off Drew Bledsoe in 2006 and returned it 102 yards. Sheppard is the only player in NFL history with two 100-yard INT returns against the same team.

One-sided rivalry

Did you know the Eagles were 3-24 against the Cowboys in the 27 head-to-head matchups leading up to the 1980 NFC Championship Game?

Hall of fame connection

Did you know the first Eagle to score a touchdown against the Cowboys was Hall of Famer Tommy McDonald on a 16-yard pass from another Hall of Famer, Norm Van Brocklin? The Eagles hung on to win that game, 27-25, at the Cotton Bowl on Sept. 30, 1960 — a Friday. And although the score was close, the Eagles went on to win the NFL Championship and the Cowboys finished winless. It was the last Friday game the Eagles played and the only one they ever won in four tries.

Demarco vs. his former team

Did you know the worst rushing performance in Eagles history came against the Cowboys? By a former Cowboy? On Sept. 20, 2015, DeMarco Murray — in his second game after leaving the Cowboys — ran 13 times for two yards for the Eagles against his former team. His average of 5.5 inches per carry is lowest ever by an Eagle in a game with more than 10 carries.

A Pro Bowler for both teams

Did you know Terrell Owens is the only player ever to make a Pro Bowl for both the Eagles and Cowboys? He was a Pro Bowler for the Eagles in 2004 and the Cowboys in 2007.

Historical upset

Did you know the Eagles’ biggest upset over the Cowboys actually happened twice? The Cowboys were 10-point favorites in 1979 in Dallas but the Eagles won 31-21 behind 127 rushing yards from Wilbert Montgomery and two Ron Jaworski TD passes to Harold Carmichael. The Eagles also won 10-6 late in the 2007 season, also in Dallas, as 10-point underdogs, ending the Cowboys’ seven-game winning streak. Brian Westbrook had a big game (81 yards rushing, 63 receiving), Donovan McNabb and Reggie Brown connected on the game’s only TD, and Quintin Mikell, Brian Dawkins and Sheppard all picked off Tony Romo.

Tom Landry's final game

Did you know Hall of Famer Tom Landry’s 418th and final game as a head coach was against the Eagles? It was Dec. 18, 1988, at Texas Stadium, and the Eagles won 23-7. A few minutes after finishing off the Cowboys, they clinched the NFC East when the Jets upset the Giants in East Rutherford. Long after the game was over, ending Landry’s historic 29-year run as Cowboys head coach, he ran into two Philly writers and said simply, “Merry Christmas, guys.” Class act!



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