The referees were bad, the team had a minus-two turnover margin, and All-Pro right guard left the game with an injury, but the Dallas Cowboys (8-5) preserved and eked out a 29-23 victory in overtime to beat the Philadelphia Eagles, essentially securing the NFC East for the Cowboys.

After struggling to convert on its scoring opportunities in the first three quarters, Amari Cooper put the offense on his back, securing two touchdowns in the fourth quarter before hauling in the game-winning touchdown in overtime.

Dak Prescott had an inconsistent performance, as he lit up the Philadelphia secondary for 455 passing yards and three touchdowns on 54 throws (42 completions) but also had two frustrating interceptions that led to nine points for the Eagles. Prescott struggled mightily for three quarters but turned it on in the fourth quarter and overtime, going 17 of 20 for 243 yards and three touchdowns.

Ezekiel Elliott had himself a busy day, as he received the ball or was targeted on 41 of Dallas' 93 offensive plays (44.1 percent), totaling 113 yards on 28 carries and 79 receiving yards on 12 catches (13 targets). It wasn't Elliott's most efficient performance, but it helped Dallas dominate the time-of-possession battle, as the Cowboys held the ball for 45:33 while the Eagles possessed it for just 22:32.

The defense put together another fantastic performance, holding the Eagles offense to just 256 total yards (5.3 yards per play). The Cowboys run defense was especially dominant, limiting Philadelphia to just 34 rushing yards on 14 carries (2.43 yards per carry).

With games against the Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Giants left on the schedule, the Cowboys need one win to secure a playoff berth with anything on top that going toward Dallas' efforts to attain the No. 3 seed in the NFC.

Without further ado, let's take a look at a few things gleaned from the Cowboys' thrilling victory over a division rival:

Amari Cooper is NFL's MVWR (Most Valuable Wide Receiver)

While it's hard to argue that a wide receiver has been more valuable than some of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, Cooper has undoubtedly been the most valuable receiver in the NFL since arriving in Dallas.

The Cowboys are 5-1 with Cooper (3-4 without), and the Crimson Tide product has averaged 6.6 receptions and 107 receiving yards per game since joining the Cowboys in Week 8. If there was anyone still questioning whether Cooper was worth a first-round pick, his 10-catch, 217-yard (the highest single-game receiving total by WR in the NFL this season) and three-touchdown performance against Philadelphia had to quiet any concerns.

The duo didn't have a great start to the game, as Prescott started 0-2 with an interception when targeting Cooper; however, the combination heated up after that, as Prescott went 10 of 11 for 217 yards and three touchdowns when targeting Cooper after that point.

Cooper is renowned for his route-running ability to generate separation from his coverage, but it was Cooper's ability to manufacture separation late in the route that led to his monster performance. Cooper's 75-yard touchdown was an outstanding example:

Here, Cooper is aligned with a 'plus-split' with De'Vante Bausby (No. 41) in press-man coverage across from him. After the ball is snapped, Cooper released outside, looking to race by Bausby on a go route. Though he's not able to create separation with his speed, Cooper does an excellent job of tracking the ball and using a subtle pull with his left arm to force Bausby's momentum to carry him by the catch point, creating the space necessary for Cooper to make the basket catch.

From there, Cooper's acceleration and long speed take over as he was able to out run the Philadelphia secondary into the end zone.

On his first touchdown of the game, it was the same thing, as Cooper did an excellent job of creating enough separation while the ball was in the air to haul in the touchdown:

On this play, Cooper is aligned with a plus split with Sidney Jones (No. 22) in off-coverage across from him. After the ball is snapped, Cooper does an excellent job of accelerating (shoulders over knees) to eat up Jones' cushion during the drive phase of his go route.

Once again Cooper couldn't create separation with his speed but did a great job of creating the late separation necessary to haul in the touchdown. When Prescott lets go of the ball, Cooper is blanketed by Jones:

As you can see, when Cooper crosses the five-yard line, Jones is in picture-perfect position to defend the go route. However, as Cooper crossed the goal line, he did an outstanding job of clearing contact with his left hand, allowing himself to accelerate just enough to create the separation necessary to complete the pass for a touchdown:

These small, subtle movements (invisible route-running) to get open late in the route are a huge reason why we argued that Dallas should trade for Cooper prior to the trade deadline, and it's the biggest reason why Cooper was dominant at crucial moments during a tightly-contested divisional matchup.

The game-winning touchdown was more a result of luck than skill from Cooper -- though he showcased excellent concentration to snatch the ball out of the air after being deflected -- but Cooper earned the rest of his stat line.

Remember when many analysts around the NFL made that argument that Philadelphia made the best move near the trade deadline to acquire a wide receiver?

The Eagles jettisoned a third-round pick for Golden Tate, a noted Cowboy killer, while the Cowboys sacrificed a first-rounder for Cooper's services.

Since the trade, Tate has been targeted 30 times, securing 19 catches for 189 receiving yards and one touchdown. Cooper, on the other hand, has been targeted 53 times, hauling in 40 catches for 642 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

So much for that. Don't blame Tate though, as Cooper has arguably been the best wide receiver in football since arriving in Dallas. What's not arguable, however, is the fact that Cooper has been the most valuable receiver in the NFL since Week 9, as Dallas' playoff hopes went from a distant dream without Cooper to an impending reality with him.

Since Week 9, Cooper ranks ninth in receptions (40), first in receiving yards (642), 10th in yards per reception (16.05), tied for first in receiving touchdowns (six) and fourth in yards per target, per Pro Football Reference.

Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time moments. Cooper is a big-time player, and Sunday was just the latest example.

Clever wrinkle pays off again for Cowboys' defense

Last week the Cowboys defense leveraged a Ron Marinelli and Kris Richard wrinkle to slow down New Orleans' explosive offense, as Dallas opted to use 'quarters' personnel (four defensive linemen, one linebacker and six defensive backs) -- inserting Jourdan Lewis for Leighton Vander Esch to play in one-on-one, man coverage against Alvin Kamara -- to slow down the Saints on third down.

It worked perfectly, as Lewis was targeted four times when covering Kamara, allowing just two catches for nine yards while securing an interception and a pass deflection on the other two targets. The Saints, who entered the game converting 46.83 percent of their third downs, ended up going three of 11 on third down against Dallas as a result of the new wrinkle.

Against Philadelphia, it was another shrewd wrinkle that allowed the Cowboys to prosper once again. Coming into the game, Byron Jones had mostly lined up at the right cornerback position. In fact, coming into this week, Jones aligned at the right cornerback position on 88 percent of his defensive snaps.

However, just as Dallas used a wrinkle to stymie New Orleans on third down, it decided to have Jones follow Eagles tight end Zach Ertz on third down in an effort to take away the favorite target of quarterback Carson Wentz in crucial moments. And it worked, as Wentz went 1-for-3 for nine yards when targeting Ertz on third down. Randy Gregory's sack was one occasion where the wrinkle really paid off:

Here, Jones is aligned in press-man coverage over Ertz. After the ball is snapped, Jones does an excellent job of staying patient at the line of scrimmage and landing a strike to slow Ertz's release. Jones did an excellent job of staying glued to Ertz's upfield hip, taking away Wentz's preferred option.

This forces the Eagles QB to hold the ball, giving Gregory the time he needs to get around Jason Peters and wrangle Wentz for the sack.

Coming into the game, the Eagles were converting 40.52 percent of their third downs (12th in the NFL). Yet, against the Cowboys, the Eagles converted on just 11.1 percent (1-for-9) of their third downs.

Another week and another wrinkle paid off for the Cowboys defense.

Blake Jarwin is developing into a nicesecurity blanket for Dak Prescott

Coming into Sunday's game, the Cowboys hadn't had a tight end step up as a receiver while Geoff Swaim has been out. Swaim had developed into a nice short-to-intermediate target for Prescott, especially on play-action, and the team struggled to replace his production once he went down with an injury.

Well, struggled until this week, as Blake Jarwin had the best performance of his career, hauling in seven catches for 56 yards. It may not seem like much, but four of Jarwin's catches went for first downs, two of which were third down conversions.

During training camp and the preseason, Jarwin turned heads with his athleticism and receiving ability; yet, he struggled mightily and looked in over his head during the opening weeks of the season.

Against Philadelphia, Jarwin was finally able to showcase his receiving ability and athleticism, as he was an important outlet receiver for Prescott when pressured and on play-action.

He's not going to be mistaken for Travis Kelce anytime soon, but Jarwin's development in Swaim's absence does provide a huge benefit for the Cowboys offense. It's extremely beneficial for Prescott to possess a sure-handed tight end who can be trusted as an outlet receiver when under pressure.

Jarwin's performance will likely be lost in the sauce of a thrilling contest, but the Oklahoma State product was a key component to Dallas' 576-yard performance on offense.

Twitter: @JohnOwning