In one of the most entertaining games of Week 9, the Eagles beat the Cowboys to take a commanding lead in the NFC East and improve their league-best record to 8-1.
Here's what we learned:
Jalen Hurts
Hurts' stats in this game were prettt average, but he delivered every time his team needed it. He finished with three total touchdowns, and the TD pass to Devonta Smith to take back the lead in the 3rd Quarter was particularly impressive. Just before halftime, Hurts appeared to suffer a leg injury on a hit from DeMarcus Lawrence and you could feel the collective fear of Eagles fans in the stadium and around the world. However, like the warrior he is, Hurts immediately came back into the game and did not miss time. Hopefully he can recover over the bye week.
Dak and CeeDee
Despite the loss, Dallas displayed a lot of positive signs. We should still consider them one of the NFC's best teams. When he had adequate pass protection, QB Dak Prescott saw the field well. He finished 29/44 with 374 yards and 3 TDs. He also showed a willingness to scramble for tough yards in key moments, which to me is very important for the Cowboys' hopes for winning big games like this in the future. Prescott's top target, WR CeeDee Lamb, continued to cook opposing defenses, finishing with 11 catches for 191 yards.
Eagles' Pass Rush
The Eagles' pass rush is the best in football. Though Dak certainly moved the ball well throughout the day, the Philly pass rush again stepped up and made crucial plays in the biggest moments of the contest. They totaled 5 sacks in the game, with Josh Sweat, Haason Reddick, Fletcher Cox, Jalen Carter, and Brandon Graham making all making their impact. Graham deserves an extra shoutout for his fine play. He was also the Eagle pursuing Dak Prescott to the sideline on the two point conversion attempt, which forced Dak out of bounds a yard short.
I Spoke Too Schoon
The Cowboys' failure to convert in a couple of goal to go situations ultimately cost them the game. With the score 28-17 Philly in the late 3rd Quarter, Dallas put together a solid 71-yard drive. However, they stalled at the goal line. An incompletion and two short runs from Pollard and Dak, Dallas had huge a 4th and goal at the Philadelphia one-yard line. On the 4th down play, Prescott appeared to complete a touchdown pass to rookie TE Luke Schoonmaker, but on further review officials determined Schoonmaker was down centimeters short of the endzone. The rookie ran his route just a bit too short and it proved costly for the Cowboys. This was the second time a rookie mistake benefited the Eagles late in a close game - back in Week 1, Kayshon Boutte failed to get two feet in bounds to make a first down catch. At the end of the game, Dallas fell short on the goal line again. With a 1st down at the Philly 6 yard line, the Cowboys botched the situation, with two penalties, a sack, and a strange decision to throw short of the goal line on the final play.
Dallas Goedert
One negative for the Birds coming out of this victory was the injury to TE Dallas Goedert. He sustained a foreaarm fracture and should be out for about the next month. This is a significant loss because of the tough schedule Philadelphia will face coming up. Goedert is a dependable option for Jalen Hurts with the ability to open up the middle of the field and earn tough yards after the catch. In years past, the Eagles had great second TE options like Brent Celek, Trey Burton, and Zach Ertz. Right now though, their options are Jack Stoll and Albert O. Big downgrade.
Cowboys Going Forward
I don't think anyone expected Dak to throw the ball to guys like Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, or Jalen Tolbert in key moments. I'd chalk this up as a positive in terms of Dak seeing the whole field, but this is an indictment on the Cowboys' complementary weapons for CeeDee - namely, WRs Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup. These two combined for 3 receptions, 26 yards. They were invisible out there. Adding insult to injury, two guys the Cowboys let walk this offseason, WR Noah Brown and TE Dalton Schultz, balled out in Houston. They each had 125+ yards and a score. They'll make the playoffs, but to truly compete, Dallas needs other guys to step up and take some pressure off CeeDee Lamb.
Eagles Going Forward
Aside from the Goedert injury, the Eagles' secondary was not able to contain CeeDee Lamb. James Bradberry, in particular, had a difficult day, from penalties, to being beaten on the Jalen Tolbert score, to momentarily leaving the field on the final drive hurt. The slot has been a weakness since Avonte Maddox went down. In addition, they have struggled to cover tight ends. Jake Ferguson, Hunter Henry, TJ Hockenson, and Logan Thomas have all had success against the Eagles. With Travis Kelde, Dalton Kincaid, and George Kittle next up on the schedule, that needs to be improved. I'm expecting the Eagles to work on implementing some changes to make sure the pass defense is more stout down the stretch.
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