It was one of those nights when everything seemed to tilt against the Eagles, and the final score told the story bluntly: a 38-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 7. Philadelphia put up a fight, but once Saquon Barkley couldn’t finish because of a hamstring injury and the defense lost the plot, the game slipped away fast. The Eagles gave up more than 400 yards and didn’t score in the fourth quarter, which made for a brutal fifth straight defeat.
There were still a few individual moments worth noting, starting with Makai Lemon finally delivering the kind of showing the Eagles have been waiting for. With DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks sidelined by injuries, Lemon stepped into a bigger role and made it matter. He had one drop on a throw from Tanner McKee that was behind him, but otherwise he was a real factor, finishing with seven catches for 67 yards and his first career touchdown.
Barkley, meanwhile, earned plenty of credit just for staying out there and trying to push through the injury. He wasn’t at full strength, and it showed, but he still posted seven carries for 62 yards and a touchdown while adding two receptions for nine yards. It was a gutty effort, even if the bigger worry now is what this hamstring means for his 2026 season if he can’t get it right.
The problems piled up everywhere else, especially in coverage. Riq Woolen had a rough night that did nothing to help his trade value.
On one drive alone, he drew a holding penalty, got beaten by Ryan Flournoy for a 16-yard catch, and then gave up a 16-yard touchdown to CeeDee Lamb. It wasn’t a one-drive issue, either; Woolen was exposed repeatedly.
Cooper DeJean wasn’t much better. Since Week 1, he hasn’t looked like the same player he was over the previous two years.
He gave up an early first-half touchdown catch and was flagged for pass interference early in the fourth quarter. For all the chatter about the Eagles eventually needing to pay DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell, DeJean hasn’t made a case for a record-breaking deal.
McKee’s night landed somewhere in the middle. It was a step up from his Week 6 outing against the Carolina Panthers, but it still didn’t move the offense where it needed to go.
He went 20-for-30 for 189 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. There were enough flashes to suggest the Eagles can function with him, but the missed throws and the pick kept the performance from becoming something more.
Even with McKee’s uneven play, the defense drew the heavier blame. Philadelphia’s offense wasn’t clean, but the defensive showing was as bad as it has been in a long time, maybe the worst of the Vic Fangio era.
Dallas finished with 416 total yards, averaged 5.4 yards per carry, and piled up 204 rushing yards. From the front seven to the secondary, the Eagles had no answers.
And then there’s the coaching. Somehow, Nick Sirianni got outcoached by Brian Schottenheimer.
Schottenheimer had his own issues, including clock management on the final first-half drive that ended in a field goal and a fourth-quarter sequence where he chose to run on third down instead of kicking. Even with those mistakes, Sirianni still let him get the upper hand.
After this one, it’s fair to wonder how much longer the Eagles can keep going down this road with Sirianni after six years on the job.
In Other News...
Eagles Face A Bigger Week 7 Problem Than DeVonta Smith
DeVonta Smith is set to miss his third game of the season with a hamstring injury, leaving the Eagles to patch together another week without one of their most reliable targets. Philadelphia has already had to lean on other receivers to keep the passing game moving, with Makai Lemon, Darius Cooper, Elijah Moore and Marquise Brown all positioned to absorb more snaps in Smiths absence, along with the lingering void left by Dontayvion Wicks.
The bigger concern may be on the other side of the ball, where Michael Carter II is also out and the defense has to navigate another game without him. The Eagles have been able to survive some missing pieces on offense, but Carters absence is more unsettling because the players filling in for him have already given up far more production, and that could matter against a Cowboys offense built to test the secondary. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Face Sudden NFC East Pressure On A Brutal Monday Night
Entering Week 7, the NFC East has taken a sharp turn, and the Eagles are suddenly chasing from behind. A Giants overtime win over the Texans has pushed New York out to a two-game lead, putting extra weight on a Monday night visit from Dallas that already carried plenty of intrigue.
Philadelphia is trying to keep itself in the race without Jalen Hurts, with Tanner McKee set to make the start and several other key contributors unavailable as well. Against a Cowboys team on prime time, the margin for error is thin, and a win is the only way to keep the division picture from slipping further away. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Pass Rusher Gets A Huge Cowboys Chance At The Perfect Time
Arnold Ebiketie has spent much of his first season in Philadelphia in a familiar role for a veteran edge rusher looking to prove himself, working as the Eagles fourth pass rusher on a one-year deal and waiting for the kind of opportunity that can change how a season is viewed. Injuries around him have created exactly that opening, and after logging 91% of the defensive snaps in Week 6, he is in line to get an even bigger chance against the Dallas Cowboys. For a player trying to show he can be more than a rotational piece, the timing could not be much better.
Ebiketie has talked about staying locked in on the present and on the chance to raise his value, which is a pretty natural focus for a player approaching free agency. The Cowboys game gives him a stage that matters beyond one afternoon, especially with the Eagles needing reliable production off the edge while other pass rushers are sidelined. For Ebiketie, the next few weeks could go a long way toward shaping how his season is remembered and how teams view him when the market opens. [Read more 🡒]