In a pivotal game where the Dallas Cowboys needed to do everything right, everything that could've gone wrong, went wrong to start the game.

“We didn’t just shoot ourselves in the foot,'' said Dak Prescott in review of the early going. "We blew our foot off.”

But that's how it started, not how it ended.

Dallas' Week 12 bout with the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium begins a do-or-die stretch that will determine the future outlook of the Cowboys season. What started as a brutal smackdown by the Eagles eventually turned the tides into a defensive slugfest that was answered by timely Dallas offense and horrendous execution by Philadelphia.

The see-saw battle added up to a dramatic 24-21 win for the Cowboys on a walk-off field goal by Brandon Aubrey to cap a 21-point comeback for Dallas.

The Cowboys (5-5-1) defense showed incredible resilience in the first home game since the loss of teammate Marshawn Kneeland. Dallas forced three straight Philadelphia punts to start the second half after allowing a dominant first that saw the Eagles (8-3) fly out to a 21-0 lead.

Dallas' offense, however, couldn't capitalize for much of the game until an acrobatic George Pickens catch set up a scramble for Dak Prescott - who enjoyed a milestone afternoon - to somersault into the end zone to tie the game at 21 in the fourth quarter. Prescott threw for 354 yards on 23-of-36 with three total touchdowns.

With seven and a half minutes remaining, the Eagles' became the team lost on offense as running back Saquon Barkley fumbled and punt returner Xavier Gibson coughed one up a few plays later. As was the case much of the early portion of the night, Dallas couldn't do anything with it as the Cowboys were stopped on fourth-and-goal after the Gibson fumble with 3:38 remaining.

On third-and-two, Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa got home for a sack of Eagles QB Jalen Hurts that gave Dallas the ball back just after the two-minute warning.

Prescott found Jake Ferguson (5 REC, 60 YDS) crossing the field to move into Eagles territory with under a minute to go. A slant route by George Pickens (9 REC, 146 YDS, TD) put Dallas plenty into field goal range. After missing his only field goal attempt of the game (from 51 yards), Brandon Aubrey stepped up for 42-yard field goal to slam the door on the comeback.

We dive into our "Winners and Losers" of this wild Week 12 with what kept the Cowboys alive down the stretch:

WINNER: Second-Half Defense

Philadelphia gained just 28 yards of offense through those first three drives before a Jake Elliott missed field goal on the fourth Eagles possession of the second half. The Cowboys finally got going by trimming into the deficit with a touchdown pass to Brevyn Spann-Ford in the third quarter and Prescott's dive in the fourth.

Timely plays by linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. and longsnapper Trent Sieg sealed the fumbles on defense and special teams in the fourth quarter. Odighizuwa's sack was Dallas' only of the game, and it couldn't have come at a more crucial spot.

This unit could've very easily laid down and succumbed to the torture they endured in the first half, but their fight - even as the offense sputtered throughout - was what ultimately kept the Cowboys within striking distance and able to get the win.

LOSER: No Challenge on Roughing-The-Kicker Flag

The Cowboys offense was prepared to get the ball back after stopping the Eagles in the first quarter, but receiver Ryan Flournoy crashed into the plant leg of the punter and drew a roughing penalty. Dallas elected not to challenge the ruling or even call a timeout to allow for extra review.

Go to find out through the broadcast cameras, the kick was actually tipped by Flournoy, which would have negated any contact that occurred after the block and thus wiped away the flag.

Instead, the Eagles' drive continued and they carried it into the end zone with a rushing score by Hurts. It was his 73rd career rushing touchdown, the most of any Eagles QB in franchise history.

The mistake added to what was an ominous first half for the home team.

WINNERS: A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts

There was speculation throughout the week that Philadelphia players were disgruntled by quarterback Jalen Hurts' play, and throughout the season star receiver A.J. Brown has held a diva mantra in frustration to his lesser-than-normal production.

The two looked like best friends again from the first drive onward.

Hurts hit Brown for a 16-yard touchdown for the game's first score after Dallas turned it over on downs at midfield to start the game. It was one of three catches for Brown on the Eagles' first drive. He would finish with five catches for 67 yards in the first half and 110 yards for the game. Hurts threw for 289 yards on 27-of-39 completion with three total touchdowns.

Against Dallas in Week 1, Brown and Hurts' frustrations began with Brown receiving just one catch for eight yards in the fourth quarter. It was a different story on Sunday.

But now after the disastrous collapse at the hands of a quiet second-half offense, who knows where this relationship turns next.

LOSER: Wide Receiver Handoffs

CeeDee Lamb had nearly coughed up a fumble (after an ugly drop earlier) in the second quarter. It was eventually ruled that he was down by contact.

Then, a play later ... return man KaVontae Turpin took a running-back handoff, tripped on the turf and got the ball knocked out as he fell onto his offensive lineman's leg, officially giving a fumble away to the Eagles. Philadelphia turned the free possession into another score to blitz Dallas 21-0.

The last time head coach Brian Schottenheimer called a designed receiver handoff out of the backfield was in Week 3 when Lamb got rolled up on and missed weeks with a twisted ankle. This one wasn't an injury, but it was just as unfortunate for a first-half offense that had no initial answer.

WINNER: History for Dak Prescott

Early in the second half, Prescott surpassed the 160 passing yards he needed to eclipse Tony Romo in the record book. Prescott (34,378 after Sunday) now owns the record for the most career passing yards in Dallas Cowboys history.

The 10-year starter Prescott (133 games played including Sunday) accomplished the feat having played far less games than Romo (156). Other franchise legends Troy Aikman (third-most yards in 165 games) and Roger Staubach (fourth-most yards in 127 games) have already been passed by Prescott in the passing yards record book.

Prescott will likely pass Romo for most passing touchdowns in Cowboys history, as well, this season. Romo threw 248 touchdowns while Prescott sits at 236 after Sunday.

Earlier this season, Prescott set the new Cowboys record for career completions (3,033 entering Sunday) and currently has the best career completion percentage in team history (67.1 percent).

With the win, Prescott also remains unbeaten against NFC foes at home since 2017.

Up next, the Cowboys have a short week as they host the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving Day at 3:30 p.m. on CBS from Arlington.

What will unfold?

Said Dak: “You’ve seen it. You saw it Monday and getting in tonight. A game like this is all about confidence and belief in one another … Our brotherhood is growing.”