PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles couldn’t give the game away no matter how poorly they played.
Carson Wentz threw a pair of touchdown passes to overcome four turnovers, Rodney McLeod returned a fumble 53 yards for a score and the Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys 23-9 on Sunday night.
A pair of two-win teams fighting for first place in the weak NFC East in Week 8 put on a sloppy performance fit for the preseason instead of prime time.
The Eagles (3-4-1) took control of the division with their second straight victory. Dallas (2-6) has lost three in a row.
“It didn’t look pretty,” said Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham, who had one of the team’s two strip-sacks. “We knew it was going to be a battle. We held strong.”
Dallas rookie Ben DiNucci, a seventh-round pick from James Madison making his first start, was sacked four times and lost two fumbles. He completed 21 of 40 passes for 180 yards.
“We clearly understand what this loss does to us,” Cowboys first-year coach Mike McCarthy said. “But we need to rally and get together here and move on. … We took a step in the right direction in a number of areas, and felt a number of components of our football team also improved.”
Wentz threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles but his 9-yard TD pass to Travis Fulgham in the third quarter gave Philadelphia the lead for good. Wentz connected with Jalen Reagor on the 2-point conversion to make it 15-9.
“Too many turnovers. I got to be better,” Wentz said. “I’m not good enough.”
Dallas was driving at the Eagles 21 with a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter when DiNucci was sacked by T.J. Edwards and fumbled. McLeod picked up a loose ball and went the distance for a 21-9 lead. The 2-point conversion failed, but Dallas later took a safety on a punt.
DiNucci started because Andy Dalton is out with a concussion and Dak Prescott broke his right ankle in Week 5.
“I thought I played well at times,” DiNucci said. “Obviously. had two costly turnovers. The spot that we were in the game, field position, all that stuff, can’t really have that. So that’s on me.”
Boston Scott ran for a career-best 70 yards for the Eagles. Wentz finished 15 of 27 for 123 yards.
“A win is a win,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. “We have to start stacking them together. We’re happy and excited to get the win, but we have some things to figure out.”
Greg Zuerlein hit a 59-yard field goal to give Dallas a 9-7 halftime lead. The Cowboys turned two fourth-down stops at their 44 into short-drive field goals.
DiNucci drove Dallas effectively on the opening possession and Zuerlein kicked a 49-yard field goal.
The Cowboys then had an excellent opportunity after Donovan Wilson strip-sacked Wentz and recovered at the Eagles 25. Dallas had a first down at the Eagles 4 before Brandon Graham stripped DiNucci on second down and recovered.
Philadelphia turned that turnover into a score as Wentz tossed a 2-yard TD pass to Reagor for a 7-3 lead. Reagor, the 21st overall pick, missed the previous five games following thumb surgery. A 32-yard pass to Fulgham set up the score.
The Eagles went for a fourth-and-3 at the Cowboys 44 on their next drive. Leighton Vander Esch sacked Wentz, knocking the ball away and Dallas recovered at Philadelphia’s 46. Zuerlein’s 49-yarder cut it to 7-6.
The Eagles had a first down from the Cowboys 34 late in the first half when Trevon Diggs made a sliding interception in the end zone. Dallas had three takeaways in the first half and four total after getting only three in the first seven games.
Diggs picked Wentz again on a deep pass on Philadelphia’s opening drive in the third quarter. But Zuerlein missed a 52-yarder wide right on the ensuing drive.
“I feel like we’re doing a heck of a job growing together,” Dallas defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence said. “We’ve just got to peak our game (from) tonight and come up with a win next time.”
TRICKERY
The Eagles pulled out the Philly Special in the second quarter with wideout Greg Ward, a college quarterback, looking to throw to Wentz, who was covered. Ward ended up running for 2 yards.
The Cowboys had Elliott and Cedrick Wilson take direct snaps in a wildcat formation with DiNucci split wide.
INJURIES
Eagles: CB Darius Slay (ankle) and DT Malik Jackson (quad) left in the third quarter.
UP NEXT
Cowboys: Host the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-0) next Sunday.
Eagles: Visit the New York Giants (1-6) on Nov. 15 following a bye.
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VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
