PHILADELPHIA, P.A. - The Eagles got a much-needed jolt from their offense on Monday night, but the defensive side of the ball unraveled in a 38-21 loss to the Cowboys, dropping Philadelphia to 2-5 and extending its skid to five straight defeats after the 2-0 start.
That swing in the game was abrupt. Philadelphia took a 21-20 lead early in the third quarter after a sharp touchdown march, then watched Dallas close with 18 unanswered points. CeeDee Lamb helped fuel the surge, and Javonte Williams piled up a career-best 155 rushing yards as the Cowboys rolled to 416 total yards.
The run defense was a particular problem for the Eagles, especially against a Dallas team that entered the night ranked No. 31 in the NFL in rushing at 76.0 yards per game.
"It's never just one thing when you give up a bunch of yards like that," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said when discussing the run game. "We've got to do a better job coaching.
We've got to do a better job executing, getting off blocks, tackling. We had a couple missed tackles, but it's always going to be about block destruction, playing on their side of the line of scrimmage, and then us putting them in positions to succeed.
I give them credit. They played a good game.
"
The loss leaves Philadelphia in third place in the NFC East behind the Giants, who are 4-2-1, and the Cowboys. Washington, sitting at 1-4-1, is last in the division and will host the Eagles in Week 8.
Philadelphia’s three-game stretch against division opponents continues after that with a home game against the Giants on Nov. 8.
The Eagles did find some life on the ground with Saquon Barkley back in the mix, though it came with a catch. With DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks both out injured, Barkley and the offensive line - with Drew Kendall and Landon Dickerson back - gave the offense a lift early. But on Barkley’s 29-yard burst on the second play of the game, he felt a tweak in his hamstring and his back locked up while he played through the issue.
He kept trying to stay involved, but every time he came back in the second half he was gone after one carry. Barkley finished with 62 yards and a touchdown on seven attempts. Dameon Pierce also chipped in with 47 yards and a score on 14 carries before leaving late in the fourth quarter with an injury.
The most encouraging stretch for Philadelphia came in the third quarter, when Sean Mannion’s offense finally pushed the pace. Down 20-14 at halftime, the Eagles used tempo to force Dallas into its nickel look and stretch a back seven that has had communication issues all season.
The result was a 17-play, 84-yard drive that ate more than nine minutes and produced Philadelphia’s first third-quarter touchdown of the year. It also gave Makai Lemon his first NFL score.
That drive was the best of the season for the Eagles offense, but it still ended without the finish Philadelphia needed.
Without Smith and Wicks, Lemon was asked to do more, and the ball found its way to him in ways that fit his college profile at Southern California. He worked the middle of the field, made catches through traffic and turned shallow routes into yards after the catch. Lemon set a career high with seven receptions for 67 yards and scored his first professional touchdown.
There was also a separate storyline at halftime, when Jeffrey Lurie was inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame. Some expected a rough reception from the crowd because of the way the team has handled Jalen Hurts’s health, including the decision to shut him down after a superficial blood clot developed into pulmonary emboli. That situation has not been addressed publicly by Lurie or general manager Howie Roseman.
Typically, Hall of Fame inductees make themselves available to the media, and that did not happen with Lurie. Still, Eagles fans gave him a respectful response on the night.
Special teams added another layer of difficulty after Britain Covey went down with a knee injury. Pierce and Elijah Mitchell took over kickoff return duties, and both had trouble handling Brandon Aubrey’s kickoffs, repeatedly leaving the Eagles with longer fields than they could afford.
The biggest concern, though, remains the front. For a unit that came into the season with high expectations, the Eagles’ defensive line has not played to its billing.
Jalen Carter has flashed but not consistently enough. Jordan Davis is still operating as a two-down player despite his contract.
Moro Ojomo has tailed off. And the edge group - Jonathan Greenard, Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith, who was out Monday with a concussion - has battled injuries and not delivered enough when available.
Against Dallas, that group produced only five pressures, and Dak Prescott was comfortable for most of the night on his way to three touchdown passes.
Philadelphia’s five-game losing streak is its first since the 2016 season, when the team dropped five straight from Weeks 10 through 14 under first-year coach Doug Pederson and rookie quarterback Carson Wentz. The Eagles are now facing this kind of slide as the trade deadline approaches on Nov. 10.
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