Cowboys’ Gamble Costs Them Game : Pro football: Switzer’s decision to go for first down on fourth down with two minutes remaining opens door for Eagles, who win, 20-17.

Sunday was a day of sublime second chances for the Philadelphia Eagles and for second-guessing of Dallas Cowboys Coach Barry Switzer, a day the Eagles turned the corner toward respectability while the Cowboys headed toward disarray following a second half that was their worst 30 minutes this season.

It ended in a deja vu fashion as Gary Anderson made a 42-yard field goal with the wind at his back and 1 minute 26 seconds to play, just after officials had waved off his first attempt--which also was good--because play had not been officially started. The Eagles held on for an improbable 20-17 victory before 66,198 fans at Veterans Stadium roaring at playoff-decibel levels.

They had plenty to celebrate--the Eagles’ first victory over the Cowboys in their past eight meetings; a 9-5 record that brings them within a game of the Cowboys in the NFC East and should earn at least a wild-card playoff spot; and a defense that gave up one of the game’s most proficient offenses only 47 yards in the second half. The game ended with Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman being sacked by William Fuller as time ran out and Aikman running off the field yelling at tackle Erik Williams for missing a block.

Almost lost in the euphoria were two catches for 23 yards by Eagles wide receiver Art Monk, the former Washington Redskin who signed two weeks ago as a free agent. The catches extended Monk’s NFL-record streak of games with at least one to 181.

The only record that concerned the Cowboys was their 10-4 mark after their second consecutive loss and third defeat in five games. A month ago, they were considered the best team in football. Now they are battered, bewildered and in danger of losing home-field advantage in the playoffs to the San Francisco 49ers (10-4, with a victory over the Cowboys).

You could have heard Deion Sanders’s wallet drop in Dallas’s hushed locker room, save for Switzer defending his decision to try for a first down on fourth and one from the Cowboys 29 with two minutes remaining and the score tied at 17. The first time, running back Emmitt Smith was stuffed for no gain. But the play began a microsecond after the two-minute warning should have stopped it, so they got another chance.

Switzer decided to run again. It was the same play, out of the I-formation, with the same running back carrying the ball off left tackle with the same result. Smith was stopped for no gain when linebacker Bill Romanowski crashed into fullback Daryl Johnston, the lead blocker, and pushed him back into Smith. The Eagles took over with 1:56 remaining and four plays later Anderson made his kick.