- Early P.I. On Austin
On the opening drive of the game, the Cowboys faced a third-and-seven at the Eagles' 40 and appeared to have an incomplete pass. But Miles Austin was held on a slant pattern by Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown, giving the Cowboys a first down at the 35. Just four plays later, the Cowboys were in the end zone on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Tony Romo to Jason Witten. Without that penalty, the Cowboys likely would've punted and changed the momentum.
- Early P.I. On Austin
- Samuel Forces Pick
The Cowboys were knocking on the door for an even bigger lead on the second possession until Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel stepped in front of Romo's pass for Patrick Crayton, knocking the ball upwards for defensive back Joselio Hanson to pick off, thwarting a Cowboys drive. If Dallas goes up 14-0 that early in the game, who knows how the following events would've transpired.
- Austin Makes Up For Penalty
After a Deon Anderson holding penalty wiped out a 24-yard run by Felix Jones, putting the Cowboys in a second-and-17 hole, Miles Austin came through with a huge play, outfighting Samuel down the sideline for a 40-yard gain down to the Eagles' 20. Two plays later, Romo hit Crayton in the end zone for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
- McNabb Coughs It Up
The Eagles were looking to answer the Crayton touchdown and cut the Dallas lead in half, with a first down at the Cowboys' 14. But Donovan McNabb simply fumbled the shotgun snap, quickly recovered by Jay Ratliff, giving the Cowboys the ball with 4:39 to play in the first half. The Cowboys quickly moved into field goal range and grabbed the 17-0 lead.
- Missed Chance To Celek
On the Eagles' first drive of the second half, they moved to the Cowboys' 35, but on third-and-two, McNabb couldn't hook up with his tight end Brent Celek on a crossing route over the middle. Safety Gerald Sensabaugh helped break up the pass to force a fourth down and a 53-yard field goal attempt. However, David Akers sailed his kick to the left, keeping the Eagles off the board.
