The Dallas Cowboys were done. They had nothing. They were down 21-0 with 11:32 left in the first half. Everything the Eagles wanted to do, they did. Everything the Cowboys tried, they failed.<\/p>\n
Then the Eagles imploded.<\/p>\n
They turned into a roiling mushroom cloud on Sunday at AT&T Stadium, under a deluge of a season-high 14 penalties, poor coaching decisions, spotty execution, and lack of discipline. The under-the-surface soap scum rose in 24 unanswered Dallas points in the Cowboys\u2019 impressive 24-21 comeback victory.<\/p>\n
The Eagles were on the verge of clinching the NFC East and what appeared certain may not be, with surging 5-5-1 Dallas 2.5 games behind.<\/p>\n
Dallas plowed through the Eagles for a season-high 473 yards.<\/p>\n
This was not Jalen Hurts\u2019 fault.<\/p>\n
He completed 27 of 39 for 289 yards and a touchdown, with two rushing touchdowns. Dak Prescott was better, dicing up the vaunted Eagles\u2019 defense for 354 yards, completing 23 of 36, and above all else, showing great poise when the Cowboys were honoring late teammate Marshawn Kneeland and listing terribly in the first half.<\/p>\n
A.J. Brown caught a season-high eight passes for 110 yards and a touchdown, and DeVonta Smith had six grabs for 89 yards.<\/p>\n
But the Cowboys\u2019 George Pickens outshined everyone. He may still be open in the AT&T Stadium parking lot, because the Eagles never figured out a way to cover him, after a game-high nine catches for 146 yards. It doesn\u2019t help when defensive backs take each out, as Eagles\u2019 corner Micheal Carter did Quinyon Mitchell on Pickens\u2019 24-yard reception that set up the game-winning field goal at the Eagles\u2019 22 with 35 seconds to play.<\/p>\n
While Eagles\u2019 fans and media set their focus on the offense last week, it was the defense that collapsed.<\/p>\n
There was a lot of early good, trickled in with some bad, and a mountain of late ugly in the Eagles\u2019 24-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.<\/p>\n
The Eagles\u2019 goal line stand at their two, with big stops by Nolan Smith and Cooper DeJean on Dak Prescott, and a CeeDee Lamb drop (his third in the game\/seventh overall in two games against the Eagles) on third-and-goal with 3:46 to play. <\/strong><\/p>\n Punter Braden Mann constantly put the Cowboys back against their end zone. <\/strong>He boomed five punts for an average of 50 yards. On the Cowboys\u2019 first three drives of the second half, they started at their eight, four, and 11 on Mann punts.<\/p>\n DeJean coming up on the Cowboys\u2019 Malik Davis for a one-yard run at the Eagles\u2019 33 on Dallas\u2019 second drive of the second half. <\/strong>The play put the Cowboys into a third-and-nine situation at the Eagles\u2019 33. The drive ended with Cowboys\u2019 kicker Brandon Aubrey missing a 51-yard field goal wide left. It was only his second miss this season. His other miss was from 68 yards.<\/p>\n Jordan Davis taking down Javonte Williams for a four-yard loss at the Dallas 13 on the Cowboys\u2019 first drive of the second half. <\/strong>It was a great play by Davis, who shoved aside Cowboys\u2019 pulling right guard Tyler Booker into the backfield, jamming that side of the field.<\/p>\n The Eagles\u2019 offensive line in the first. <\/strong>Hurts seemingly had all day to throw at times.<\/p>\n The Eagles\u2019 best overall first half this season. They ran over Dallas for a 21-7 lead. They scored on their first three drives. They caused two turnovers and amassed 196 yards of total offense. <\/strong>Jalen Hurts was 13 for 19 passing, for 164 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for two more. A.J. Brown finished the half with five receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown, while Smith had three catches for 58 yards.<\/p>\n Safety Reed Blankenship\u2019s interception in the end zone on a second-and-goal at the Eagles\u2019 5. Dallas had blown a first-and-goal at the Eagles\u2019 one on its fourth drive with a false start on left tackle Tyler Guyton.<\/strong> Dallas\u2019 comedy of mistakes in the first half started on a fourth-and-10 at the Eagles\u2019 24 on their second drive. The Cowboys\u2019 Marist Liufau was flagged for roughing the kicker, which prolonged the series, resulting in a 14-0 lead. On the next drive, Dallas fumbled the ball away, which led to a 21-0 Philadelphia lead. Blankenship squashed Dallas\u2019 first best scoring chance on its fourth drive. Guyton was later called for a 15-yard tripping call on Dallas\u2019 fifth possession, putting the Cowboys in a first-and-25 at the Eagles\u2019 28.<\/p>\n Smith\u2019s great body adjustment on Hurts\u2019 underthrown 41-yard rainbow<\/strong> at the Dallas 11 on the Eagles\u2019 third drive. The Smith reception, his first in the game, came on a third-and-12. Smith had outrun Dallas\u2019 corner Caelen Carson, who could not pull up and ran by Smith, allowing him to come back and get the ball. It set up a 21-0 Eagles\u2019 lead.<\/p>\n Linebacker Zack Baun pouncing on KaVontea Turpin\u2019s fumble at the Eagles\u2019 31<\/strong> on the Cowboys\u2019 second play of the second quarter.<\/p>\n Eagles\u2019 first quarter defense. <\/strong>They held one of the most potent offenses scoreless over two drives, and a combined 0-for-3 on third- and fourth-down conversion attempts. The Eagles held Dallas to 48 yards of offense over 12 plays, with just 16 yards passing. Dallas\u2019 one first down in the quarter came on a penalty. The Cowboys\u2019 first first down without a penalty came on the first play of the second quarter.<\/p>\n The Eagles\u2019 first quarter offense. <\/strong>They pounded Dallas for 111 total yards, eight first downs, three-of-four third-down conversions and a 14-0 lead. Hurts was 9 of 13 for 90 yards, with one touchdown passing, one rushing. The Eagles averaged 5.8 yards a play, 6.9 yards a pass. A.J. Brown caught five passes for 67 yards on six targets, and everything seemed happy in Eagleville\u2014then.<\/p>\n Hurts reaching Brown for a 22-yard reception to the Dallas 43 on a third-and-five on the Eagles\u2019 second drive. <\/strong>Brown simply beat Cowboys\u2019 corner Shavon Revel on an inside slant left down the middle of the field. Revel, nor the Cowboys, could stop it.<\/p>\n Linebacker Jalyx Hunt clamping down on Dallas\u2019 Jake Ferguson <\/strong>for a yard gain on Dallas\u2019 second drive.<\/p>\n Hurts finding Brown for a 16-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. <\/strong>It was a great pass by Hurts, who noticed Cowboys\u2019 safety Donovan Wilson drift down to cover Will Shipley out of the backfield. Hurts found Brown over the outstretched hands of Cowboys\u2019 linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. Brown easily beat Cowboys\u2019 cornerback DaRon Bland for a 7-0 Eagles\u2019 lead with 8:41 to play in the first quarter.<\/p>\n Linebacker Nakobe Dean staying with Dallas\u2019 Williams <\/strong>on a third-and-six at the Cowboys\u2019 47 on Dallas\u2019 first drive. Dallas opted to go for it on fourth-and-three, which led to a 7-0 Eagles\u2019 lead. Dean later ran through Williams to sack Prescott for a sack in three-straight games at the Dallas six on the Cowboys\u2019 first drive of the second half.<\/strong><\/p>\n Defensive tackle Jalen Carter forcing Prescott <\/strong>to scramble out of bounds for a two-yard gain on the Cowboys\u2019 third play of the game, putting Dallas in a second-and-eight situation.<\/p>\n Baun dropping a sure interception with 3:02 left in the third quarter. It came on a second-and-five on Dallas\u2019 third drive of the second half. <\/strong>The following play, Prescott hit CeeDee Lamb with a 48-yard pass at the Eagles\u2019 18 on a third-and-five.<\/p>\n The Eagles\u2019 getting flagged for an illegal formation that wiped out Dallas Goedert\u2019s 20-yard reception <\/strong>on the Eagles\u2019 first drive of the second half. Matt Pryor reported eligible and was covered by the wide receiver.<\/p>\n The Eagles\u2019 five penalties for 30 yards in the first half.<\/strong><\/p>\n Right tackle Fred Johnson going offsides on the Eagles\u2019 second drive.<\/strong><\/p>\n Dean getting flagged for illegal contact on the Cowboys\u2019 second drive.<\/strong> It did not matter. Dallas went three-and-out.<\/p>\n The Eagles\u2019 defensive miscue on the Pickens\u2019 24-yard pass reception with less than a minute to play. Micheal Carter ran late across the field, and literally into Quinyon Mitchell, chipping him before he had a chance to react to Pickens. <\/strong>A slant route will always work when the defense picks its own players.<\/p>\n Hurts getting sacked for 13 yards on third-and-two at the Eagles\u2019 37 with 1:52. He could have simply thrown the ball away.<\/strong><\/p>\n Xavier Gipson getting absolutely planted by the Cowboys\u2019 Markquese Bell and Alijah Clark and having the ball jarred loose with 5:09 to play. With the ball punted inside the five, Gipson should have let the ball go into the end zone instead of fielding the punt at the one-yard line. Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n The Eagles\u2019 season-high 14 penalties for 96 yards\u2014many on offense.<\/strong><\/p>\n Right tackle Fred Johnson getting called for illegal use of hands with 8:08 to play, wiping out Smith\u2019s 16-yard reception on a second-and-seven. The next play, Saquon Barkley fumbled the ball to Dallas. <\/strong><\/p>\n Giving up 21-unanswered points. In that span, Prescott completed two 48-yard bombs, and a 43-yard pass. The Eagles had just 42 yards passing and 58 total yards in the third quarter in comparison to Dallas\u2019 89 yards passing and 135 yards in total offense. <\/strong><\/p>\n Smith getting called for offensive pass interference on the Eagles\u2019 first play of the fourth quarter, putting them in a first-and-20 at the Dallas 42, followed by a false start on Brown, pushing the Eagles back further for a first-and-25. <\/strong>The Eagles had to try a Jake Elliott 56-yard field goal\u2014which sailed wide right.<\/p>\n The Eagles throwing for 42 yards in the third quarter and punting three-straight times.<\/strong><\/p>\n Rookie safety Andrew Mukuba being run over by Cowboys\u2019 tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford<\/strong> at the goal line on the Cowboys\u2019 four-yard TD pass. Mukuba was nowhere near Spann-Ford, because he was picking himself up off the ground.<\/p>\n Cornerback Kelee Ringo getting flagged for pass interference on the Cowboys\u2019 third drive of the second half. <\/strong>The 10-yard penalty put Dallas at the Eagles\u2019 four. The following play, Prescott hit Spann-Ford with a four-yard TD pass.<\/p>\n DeJean getting terribly exposed trying to cover Lamb downfield on the Cowboys\u2019 third possession of the second half. <\/strong>Prescott hit Lamb with a 48-yard pass to the Eagles\u2019 18 on third-and-five. It led to Dallas getting within 21-14. DeJean had a tough game. Pickens later climbed over him with 12:30 to play for a 43-yard reception after the Elliott missed field goal. <\/strong><\/p>\n Adoree\u2019 Jackson continues to be an Eagles\u2019 liability. <\/strong>He had been playing solid in the previous two weeks, but Prescott knew where to go on a second-and-six for 17 yards to Pickens on Dallas\u2019 fourth drive. The play brought Dallas to the Eagles\u2019 13. Three plays later, safety Reed Blankenship gave the Eagles their second turnover with an interception in the end zone. Jackson later was burned again by Pickens for 24 yards on the Cowboys\u2019 second drive of the second half at the Dallas 34.<\/strong><\/p>\n Giving up 163 yards of total offense and nine first downs in the second quarter. Prescott threw for 143 yards, and completed 11 of 12 in the quarter.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Eagles allowing Dallas to score, after getting them in a first-and-25 on the Cowboys\u2019 fifth drive.<\/strong> The conversion led to Dallas scoring for the first time.<\/p>\n Turpin darting through the Eagles for a 48-yard reception on the Cowboys\u2019 fifth drive, caught between DeJean, Blankenship and Jackson. Down 21-0, Cowboys were looking for anything to get them going. <\/strong>The Turpin spark looked like it ignited the Cowboys\u2019 offense. Right guard Tyler Steen\u2019s holding call on the Eagles\u2019 third drive.<\/strong> It pushed the Eagles back into a first-and-20, after the Eagles brought the ball to midfield. It was a small example of the flotsam that was to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dallas Cowboys were done. They had nothing. They were down 21-0 with 11:32 left in the first…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":400918,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5132],"tags":[5229,1448,2830,1311,183772,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-400917","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-pa","10":"tag-pennsylvania","11":"tag-philadelphia","12":"tag-philadelphia-eagles-scores-results","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-united-states-of-america","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","17":"tag-us","18":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=400917"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400917\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/400918"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=400917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=400917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=400917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}