Eagles leading Cowboys 23-7 at halftime

Arlington, Tex. - Mark Sanchez rushed for a touchdown and threw another as the Eagles lead the Cowboys 23-7 at the halftime break Thursday.

It was a first half that found the Cowboys' 16th-ranked defense under siege, surrendering 14 points to the visitors in five minutes.

Mark Sanchez ended their first drive with a 1 yard touchdown rush after LeSean McCoy gained 36 yards on a rush and Darren Sproles converted two third-down plays, the latter a 3rd-and-6 screen pass to the Cowboys 10. 

They needed only two minutes on their next charge, begun on a 19 yard rush from McCoy and a 15 yard catch from Jordan Matthews, who snagged the 27 yard score on a read-option fake that found Sanchez rolling left. 

Mark Sanchez is 17-for-24 on 202 yards passing. Jeremy Maclin has 93 yards receiving on 5 catches and Jordan Matthews has 4 receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown.

LeSean McCoy rushed 14 times for 83 yards in the half, and a long of 36 on the game's first drive.

DeMarco Murray rushed from 1 yard for his 8th touchdown this season to open the second quarter of play, ending a 67 yard charge for Dallas (8-3). 

A drive that began when Lance Dunbar scampered for a 38 yard gain on its first play. Cole Beasley snagged a bubble screen pass for 16 more and Dez Bryant secured a 38 yard catch, his only in the game thus far, over Bradley Fletcher to the Eagles 4.

Murray carried to the 1 and an offside call against the Eagles brought them inches closer for Murray to charge over the middle on the next play to bring Dallas within 14-7.

Tony Romo finished the half 8-of-11 on 87 yards. DeMarco Murray gained 46 yards on 13 rushes and the score.

Jeremy Maclin took a Mark Sanchez pass 59 yards as he outraced the Cowboys' secondary, the drive ending as Philadelphia (8-3) extended their lead 17-7 after Cody Parkey kicked his 24th-of-26 field goal this season, from 31 yards.

Parkey finished the half with three field goals on three straight drives for Philadelphia.

Orlando Scandrick and J.J. Wilcox combined on two defensive penalties in the Eagles' second-to-last drive of the quarter, and after a 9 yard rush from McCoy, Philadelphia drove to the Cowboys 9 at the two-minute warning.

McCoy rushed on the next play, a 2nd-and-1, giving the Eagles the 1st-and-Goal, on which McCoy gained another yard. The next play, after Dallas called time, found McCoy on a delayed handoff that was stalled for no gain and another Cowboys time-out. 

But Sterling Moore would bat the 3rd-and-Goal pass for Riley Cooper and Cody Parkey kicked from 22 yards to give the Eagles the 20-7 lead.

The only blemish for the Eagles is their 1-of-4 red zone possession mark in thirty minutes.

Cole Beasley fumbled a reception with 1:19 left in the half after Brandon Boykin knocked the ball from his arms. Safety Nate Allen recovered for the Eagles at the Cowboys 11. Sanchez could not convert from close range and Cody Parkey booted his third field goal on the day, from 26 yards to extend the Eagles' lead 23-7.

Philadelphia outgained Dallas 114-35 after the game's first three possessions, finishing the half with 292 yards to the Cowboys' 130.

Vinny Curry sacked Romo on a 3rd-and-3 when the quarterback was surprised by an early snap midway through the second period.