The Dallas Cowboys advertised their divisional dominance against the Philadelphia Eagles behind a firm defense and substantial rushing attack on Monday Night Football. The 41-21 stomping was not just a statement to the Eagles, but the rest of the NFC East and the NFC all together.
Cowboys’ starting quarterback, Dak Prescott, made a triumphant return to AT&T Stadium for the first time since he fractured his ankle last season. In just three minutes, Dallas was on the scoreboard, and it was a suitable indication of what was to come. Completing over 80% of his passes, Prescott finished 21 of 26 passes for 238 yards and three touchdowns. Dallas Cowboys running backs Ezekiel Elliot and Tony Pollard powered the running game with a combined 28 carries for 155 yards and two touchdowns. Dallas tight end Dalton Schultz completed six catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns. The remaining touchdown came from Cedrick Wilson, wide receiver, following a 2-yard pass.
Despite how good the Cowboys were offensively, they received help from self-inflicted blows on the part of the Eagles. The Philadelphia Eagles were penalized a whopping 13 times for 86 yards. Eagles’ starting quarterback, Jalen Hurts, also threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. The Eagles’ offense seemed lifeless even without the penalties, not reaching the red zone until over halfway through the third quarter. Coming up with just 64 yards and 12 first downs on the night, the score didn’t reflect what a beating this game was. To put things into perspective, Dallas went into halftime with more first downs than Philadelphia had running plays.
Defensively, the Cowboys pursued Jalen Hurts and put the Eagles in many challenging situations. Hurts was sacked twice, hurried 5 times, and picked off twice. This defense broke up 9 passes while limiting the Eagles to 64 rushing yards and 4-12 in third-down efficiency.
Rookie Micah Parsons caused a tackle for a loss, quarterback pressure, and a deflected pass. Fellow Dallas rookie, Osa Odighizuwa, recorded his first career sack in addition to 2 quarterback pressures. Cornerback Trevon Diggs had an exhilarating pick-six and 3 pass breakups, pioneering the defensive crew.
Philadelphia’s defense was a walk in the park for the Cowboys, especially their running game. The Eagles gave up 380 yards and 27 first downs. The Cowboys were just too much for them to contend with. Defensive end Derek Barnett showed an alarming lack of discipline while jumping the snap and causing an offsides penalty. It’s not just Barnett lacking. This team has set a franchise record of 35 penalties in just 3 games this season.
The Cowboys’ secondary was quickly able to take away detract Philadelphia’s tight ends, Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, which left them with few options. With or without their tight ends, the Eagles had no answer for Ezekiel Elliot, a theme that continued through the night. The Philadelphia Eagles’ defense abandoned too many big plays as sloppiness permeated throughout their game.
Monday Night Football’s momentum never shifted to the Philadelphia Eagles. False starts, defensive offsides, pass interference, illegal blockers downfield, whatever you can think of, the Eagles likely committed it. The Dallas Cowboys were the better team, beginning to end, in every significant category. The Cowboys went home with a 41-21 victory in which the score doesn’t truly portray how they controlled the game.
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