The Cowboys got the result they needed on Monday night, and the box score tells the story plainly: a 38-21 win over the Eagles that finally snapped Dallas out of its recent funk.
Still, this was not some clean, polished demolition. Philadelphia came into the game badly beaten up, and even with all those injuries, the Eagles stayed in the fight for three quarters. Dallas only really separated when the fourth quarter arrived.
The offense, though, finally had some life.
Dallas put up 38 points, which was nine more than it managed across its previous two games combined. Dak Prescott had a few shaky throws mixed in, but he also delivered three touchdown passes, and his line held up well enough to give him time to work. George Pickens, CeeDee Lamb and Ryan Flournoy all cleared 50 receiving yards, with Lamb finding the end zone twice and Pickens adding a touchdown of his own.
The biggest lift may have come from Javonte Williams. He ran with force, showed patience, and found lanes behind a Cowboys offensive line that turned in one of its better run-blocking performances of the season. Williams finished with a career-high 155 yards on 25 carries and scored, averaging 6.2 yards per carry after entering the night at 3.4 per tote.
For all the points Dallas scored, the defense left plenty to chew on. Giving up 21 would usually look decent enough, but the context matters here. The Cowboys were rough in the first and third quarters and much better in the second and fourth.
And the Eagles’ injuries mattered a lot. The Cowboys were fortunate to face an offense this depleted, because the game could have turned very differently otherwise.
If Saquon Barkley had been healthy, he might have gone for 150, since he was picking up solid gains whenever he was on the field. He eventually left the game early for good.
Dallas also caught a break at quarterback. A more capable passer than Tanner McKee, with better targets than Hollywood Brown, Darius Cooper and rookie Makai Lemon, could have had real success against the Cowboys’ secondary, the kind of success opposing quarterbacks have found all season.
The coaching decisions were not particularly inspiring, either. Brian Schottenheimer’s choice not to use a timeout after a 14-yard catch by CeeDee Lamb late in the second quarter cost Dallas a chance to do more before halftime. The Cowboys settled for a field goal, and they did it on third down with one timeout still available.
Schottenheimer also went conservative again before Aubrey’s second field goal in the fourth quarter, calling a handoff to fullback Hunter Luepke on third-and-8 at Philadelphia’s nine-yard line. That was his second giveaway call of the night.
The first came on the second-to-last drive of the first half, when Dallas was deep in its own end and never even tried to throw on third down, choosing instead to hand it to Williams. The defense bailed the Cowboys out on the next possession.
Christian Parker deserves his weekly mention, too. The Cowboys defensive coordinator still would not adjust and blitz more, even against a backup quarterback who should have been put under pressure.
Dallas also hurt itself with penalties, piling up seven in the first half alone. That kind of sloppiness was a problem on both sides of the ball, and while the Cowboys cleaned it up after halftime, that kind of start is going to come back to bite them against stronger teams.
The win was there. So were the warning signs.
In Other News...
CeeDee Lamb Just Gave Cowboys Fans Another Reason To Love This Rivalry
CeeDee Lamb has never been shy about embracing the spotlight, and he added another layer to the Cowboys-Eagles rivalry this week by saying on SportsCenter that winning in Philadelphia is his favorite matchup in the NFL. It was the kind of answer that lands well in Dallas, especially given how central Lamb has become to the offense again this season.
He backed it up the last time these teams met, hauling in two touchdown catches in the Cowboys 38-21 win over Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field. Through seven games, Lamb has piled up 53 receptions for 651 yards and six scores, a steady reminder that whenever this rivalry gets loud, he tends to be right in the middle of it. [Read more 🡒]
Troy Aikman's Emotional Cowboys-Eagles Moment Meant More Than Fans Realized
The Monday night broadcast for Cowboys-Eagles carried a heavier tone than most prime-time games, as ESPN paused to remember David Moulton, the sports radio personality and longtime part of the Monday Night Football orbit who died after a six-year battle with stage four renal cell cancer. His death was confirmed by his wife, Julie, and the tributes from Troy Aikman and Joe Buck reflected just how deeply Moulton was woven into the broadcast world around the NFL.
Moulton was remembered not just for his work, but for the professionalism and friendship he brought to everyone around him, which is why the moment resonated so strongly on a night already full of attention in Philadelphia and Dallas. Aikmans emotional tribute stood out because it underscored something fans do not always see: the relationships behind the microphones, and the loss felt when one of those familiar voices is suddenly gone. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Make An Unexpected Defensive Change Before Eagles Game
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DeMarvion Overshown had been expected to reclaim that responsibility, which makes the decision more surprising with the game now here. Dallas is also dealing with the absence of starting linebacker Dee Winters because of an Achilles injury, so the Cowboys are still adjusting their personnel even as reinforcements return. Against Philadelphia, those communication duties could matter as much as any single snap. [Read more 🡒]