4 big takeaways from Cowboys unbelievable comeback win vs. Eagles in Week 12

This was easily the most stressful game of the season for Dallas Cowboys fans.

As was the case when they faced the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, the Cowboys' defense was tormented early in the game. They turned it around in that game, but fell short. This time, the defense repeated its performance by shutting down Philly in the second half, but the offense did its part as well.

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Dallas fought back from a 21-0 deficit and wound up winning on a last-second field goal, 24-21. Let's take a look at four big takeaways from their surprising comeback win.

Cowboys are the definition of undisciplined

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver KaVontae Turpin fumbles the ball in the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Brian Schottenheimer tried to instill some discipline last week when he benched CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens for the first series after they violated team rules. He might need to start working on disciplining players for their in-game gaffes.

It's been a perpetual issue for the Cowboys, who have been criminally undisciplined, especially in big games. That was the case in this one, with multiple mistakes in the first half that put them in a massive hole.

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First was on coach Schottenheimer, who failed to challenge a roughing the kicker penalty, which would have been overturned since Ryan Flournoy tipped the punt before hitting Braden Mann. Next was an offside call on Jadeveon Clowney, which negated a third-down stop.

From there, it was a drop by CeeDee Lamb, a fumble by KaVonte Turpin, and a false start from Tyler Guyton that led to a three-score deficit in the blink of an eye and showed just how awful the focus is for this team that made this game much more difficult than it should have been.

Brian Schottenheimer is still figuring things out, but has promise

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer reacts during the third quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

For the most part, this has been a decent rookie season for Brian Schottenheimer. He's navigated some difficult situations, but he still has a lot to learn when it comes to coaching.

Schotty has been excellent at calling plays on offense, but has made some questionable calls. On Sunday, that included keeping the review flag in his pocket when Flournoy was telling everyone he tipped the ball when flagged for roughing the punter.

He also accepted a five-yard penalty on a punt that would have given his team the ball at the 32. Instead, they got it at the 18, which was a loss of 14 yards. Dallas wound up scoring on that drive, but Schottenheimer's decision cost them a chunk of yardage.

The most questionable call, however, was when he elected to go for it on fourth-and-goal late in the game. Dallas fell short, which gave the Eagles the ball back with the score tied at 21. Aggressiveness is often rewarded, but sometimes taking the lead when you have all the momentum is the right call. It worked out, and he looks like he could be the real deal, but there are still some areas to clean up.

George Pickens is the best player on offense outside of Dak Prescott

Dallas Cowboys WR George Pickens catches a pass for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

CeeDee Lamb hauled in an amazing deep ball in the third quarter to set up the Cowboys' second touchdown, but before that, it was tough sledding. He had multiple dropped passes and just seemed off all day.

That wasn't the case for George Pickens, who has been their best skill position player on offense all year. He was the spark plug that got the offense moving, even scoring the first touchdown of the game for Dallas.

He also set up the touchdown that tied the game at 21 in the fourth quarter by hauling in an unreal 43-yard reception.

GEORGE PICKENS. WOW.

PHIvsDAL on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/ZcmA7vSMIH
— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2025

That reception put Pickens over 1,000 yards on the season and showed why the Cowboys were so thrilled to land him this offseason.

This defense has hope, finally

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is brought down in the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Cowboys' defense had a terrible start in this one, giving up 21 points in the blink of an eye. Then, they turned on the clamps.

Dallas finally made several key stops on third down, including a late sack from Osa Odighizuwa. There was also the turnover forced by Sam Williams when he hit Saquon Barkley from behind.

Throughout the season, this defense has been under fire, but they deserve a lot of credit for withstanding an early onslaught and finding some confidence against the best team in the NFC. The Cowboys are still alive in the playoffs, and for once, it's because of their defense.

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