Cowboys lead Eagles 10-6 at halftime

By ROB MAADDI

PHILADELPHIA — Tashard Choice scored on a 2-yard touchdown run off a direct snap, helping the Dallas Cowboys take a 10-6 lead over the Philadelphia Eagles after the first half on Sunday night in the 100th meeting between the division rivals.

AP Photo

Dallas Cowboys running back Tashard Choice runs in for a touchdown in the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Philadelphia.

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Gerald Sensabaugh set up the Cowboys' scoring drive by intercepting Donovan McNabb on a well-thrown pass that bounced out of rookie receiver Jeremy Maclin's hands.

David Akers kicked a pair of field goals for the Eagles in the second quarter.

The winner will have sole possession of first place in the NFC East. Both teams entered at 5-2.

Coming off a convincing 40-17 win over the New York Giants, the Eagles are seeking their third consecutive win against a division opponent.

The Cowboys entered on a three-game winning streak.

In their last meeting on the final day of the 2008 regular season, the Eagles dominated Dallas 44-6 in a do-or-die game for both teams. The Eagles earned a wild-card berth with that victory, won two playoff contests on the road and advanced to the NFC championship game, losing at Arizona.

Sensabaugh's interception on Philadelphia's first possession ended McNabb's streak of 118 straight passes without a pick. McNabb's pass on 3rd-and-5 to a wide-open Maclin hit him in the hands and bounced to Sensabaugh, who was tackled for no gain at the Eagles 37.

Six plays later, Choice ran in from the 2 after taking a shotgun snap with quarterback Tony Romo lined up wide to the right. Romo completed two third-down passes to keep the drive going. He hit Jason Witten for a 9-yard gain on third-and-6 and connected with Kevin Ogletree for 21 yards on third-and-9, setting up Choice's TD.

Romo tossed a 64-yard catch-and-run pass to Patrick Crayton late in the second quarter to set up Nick Folk's 22-yard field goal that made it 10-6. Tracy White made a diving, TD-saving tackle to trip up Crayton.

On third-and-14, Romo hit Ogletree for a 17-yard gain on a screen pass to the Eagles 4. But Romo misfired on three straight passes, including two intended for Roy Williams in the end zone, and the Cowboys settled for three points.

Akers kicked a 45-yard field goal early in the second quarter to put the Eagles on the board. McNabb was sacked for a 10-yard loss - the third time he went down - before the kick.

Akers nailed a 48-yarder late in the quarter to cut it to 7-6. McNabb completed an 8-yard pass to Brent Celek on third-and-8 from the Eagles 31 to extend the drive.

The Eagles were missing star running back Brian Westbrook for the second straight game because of a concussion and strongside linebacker Chris Gocong sat out with hamstring and quad injuries. Rookie Moise Fokou made his first start in Gocong's place.

Westbrook was expected to play, but he started experiencing symptoms of a mild headache on Friday. Westbrook then underwent more tests and the Eagles held him out as a precaution. Rookie LeSean McCoy started for Westbrook, and had 45 yards rushing on seven carries in the first half.

The Cowboys held receiver DeSean Jackson without a catch. Jackson has six TDs this season, all for 50-plus yards. He has four TD catches and he's scored on a run and a punt return.

Michael Vick ran for 2 yards on his only play in the half. McNabb went to the sideline when Vick entered.

The Cowboys lead the series 55-44.