PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Now the Dallas Cowboys have to defend their NFC East title without Tony Romo, Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray.
Romo joined Bryant on the injured list with a broken left collarbone, but the Cowboys shut down Murray and beat the Philadelphia Eagles 20-10 on Sunday.
Romo, who missed 10 games with a similar injury in 2010, will be evaluated Monday. Bryant will miss at least six weeks after having foot surgery. Murray plays for Philadelphia, though he probably wishes he never left Dallas.
“The NFL really is about adversity,” Romo said. “It’s about how you handle it, how you approach it individually and collectively as a team.”
The Cowboys (2-0) passed a tough test.
Kyle Wilber returned a blocked punt 26 yards for touchdown, Brandon Weeden threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Williams and the Cowboys overcame a franchise-record 18 penalties in their 10th consecutive road win.
“Whenever you have a coaching staff that doesn’t panic, the players see it’s not as bad as things seem,” Williams said.
The Eagles (0-2) were favorites to take the division title away from Dallas, but they look more like a team that will contend for the top pick in the draft than the playoffs.
Murray, the reigning NFL rushing champion, had 2 yards rushing on 13 carries in his first game against his former team. Sam Bradford had three turnovers, including an interception in the end zone. Philadelphia had 21 total yards in the first half and finished with 226.
“All I’m worried about is winning,” Murray said. “I’m not worried about rushing yards or touchdowns. We have to find a way to get it done. It’s as simple as that.”
Romo was knocked out of the game in the third quarter when Jordan Hicks sacked him. Fletcher Cox recovered Romo’s fumble and Bradford drove the offense to the Cowboys 3 before Sean Lee intercepted his pass in the end zone.
“I’ll be back,” Romo said. “It’s going to take a little bit of time. It’s a broken bone. It is what it is.”
Some observations after the Cowboys beat the Eagles for the fourth straight time in Philadelphia:
SAM’S STRUGGLES: Bradford finished 23 of 37 for 224 yards and one TD along with two interceptions. He lost a fumble when center Jason Kelce snapped the ball early in a shotgun formation. “We’re all really frustrated,” Bradford said. “We have to establish our rhythm.”
WEEDEN’S TIME: Weeden, who finished 7 of 7 for 73 yards, started 15 games for Cleveland in 2012 as a 29-year-old rookie. He threw two interceptions in a 28-17 loss to Arizona last year in his only start for Dallas. Overall, he’s 5-16 as a starter. “I know how to prepare, having Tony around will and you just don’t put added pressure on yourself,” Weeden said.
NOWHERE TO RUN: The Eagles had 7 yards rushing on 17 carries. Murray has 11 yards on 21 runs in two games. Coach Chip Kelly blamed the offensive line, which has two new starters because he released two-time Pro Bowl left guard Evan Mathis and right guard Todd Herremans. Allen Barbre replaced Mathis and Andrew Gardner took over for Herremans. “Too much penetration upfront,” Kelly said. “We just didn’t block.”
REPLACING DEMARCO: Joseph Randle had 51 yards rushing on 18 carries, Darren McFadden had 31 yards on 10 carries and the Cowboys finished with 109 on the ground. Lance Dunbar caught three passes for 45 yards and Randle and McFadden combined for three catches for 35 yards.
INJURY UPDATE: Eagles LB Kiko Alonso hurt his left knee in the second quarter and didn’t return. Alonso missed last season after tearing his left ACL. LB Mychal Kendricks didn’t return after a hamstring injury. Kelly said he won’t have an update until Monday. LG Ronald Leary was out for Dallas. Mackenzy Bernadeau started and then rotated with rookie La’el Collins.
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