When Brian Westbrook and Donovan McNabb combine for four touchdowns in one game, usually the Eagles come away with a win. But that wasn’t the case Monday night as Dallas defeated Philadelphia 41-37 in the wildest NFL game of the season.

Westbrook gave the Eagles a 37-31 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run (his third TD of the game). But after a Cowboys’ field goal cut the lead to 37-34, a botched exchange between Westbrook and McNabb gave Dallas the ball back with just under eight minutes to play. The Cowboys turned the miscue into a Marion Barber 1-yard score, which proved to be the game-winning touchdown.

Outside of an interception and a fumble that the Eagles recovered for a touchdown, Dallas QB Tony Romo was outstanding again. Romo threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns, including a 72-yard bomb to Terrell Owens (3 catches, 89 yards, 2 TDs) in the first quarter. On top of scoring the game-winning TD, Barber also finished with 69 yards on 18 carries.

Both defenses played like garbage, but this was the most exciting game of the young season. I hate to use a tired sports analogy, but this was like two heavyweight boxers going at it for 60 minutes. Neither team backed down and the game was littered with big plays. (And boneheaded ones, too.) Some of the throws that McNabb and Romo made were absolutely incredible.

McNabb, Romo, Barber, Westbrook, T.O. and Witten had to help folks win some fantasy games tonight.

Philadelphia Eagles’ rookie receiver DeSean Jackson turned in by far the dumbest play of the new NFL season on Monday Night Football.

With his team trailing division rival Dallas 21-20 midway through the second quarter, the immensely talented Jackson broke free in the Cowboys’ secondary and caught a beautiful 60-yard pass from QB Donovan McNabb. As Jackson sprinted towards the end zone, he obviously was preoccupied with what dance celebration he was going to unveil for his first career touchdown, because he purposely dropped the ball behind him…before he crossed the goal line.

The play stood as a touchdown until Dallas head coach Wade Phillips challenged it. Officials ruled that Jackson had in fact dropped the ball before he reached the end zone and gave Philly the ball back at the 1-yard line. Granted, Brian Westbrook scored on the very next play so it didn’t wind up hurting the Eagles, but still, it was a boneheaded move by Jackson. Worse yet, television cameras kept showing the rookie wide out acting like he hadn’t almost cost his team six points.

As Harry Doyle would say from the Major League movies, “that play could be a finalist on the Trojan ENZ Boner of the Week Award.”

Update: Despite his dumb play, Jackson had an incredible night, finishing with six receptions for 110 yards in the Eagles’ 41-37 loss. The rookie should have had a touchdown, too…