Eagles Collapse In 24-21 Loss To Cowboys As Offense Blanked In Second Half

It’s easy to say, well, the Eagles could afford a loss. It’s just the way it happened, though, squandering a 21-point lead with an offense that struggled again in the second half, an overdose of penalties, and a seeming lack of composure in what turned into a 24-21 loss at the hands of NFC East rivalry Dallas Cowboys.

Brandon Aubrey, who missed from 51 yards earlier in the game, was perfect from 42 yards as time expired to secure a comeback win that required 24 straight points from Dallas.

The Eagles are still in the driver seat to win the NFC East at 8-3, but they have a tough game on Friday when the first-place Chicago Bears come to town in a Black Friday primetime game. They can only hope that an offense that was shut out in the second half and had just 28 yards and one first down on their first three possessions, with only 14 plays run on those three possessions, won’t lead to a greater collapse than what happened in Sunday’s game at AT&T Stadium.

There will be more questions this week surrounding an offense that got shutout in the second half of a game this season, and both were losses. The first time came in a 34-17 loss to the two-win Giants on Oct. 9.

Not Much To Give Thanks For With Eagles Offense

saquon barkley — Nov 23, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the ball in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

There's not much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving week, with an offense that can't figure things out. They scored on their first three drives, then never scored again.

It might be too much to change offensive coordinators on a short week, but this has to fall at the feet of head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. The Eagles abandoned the run game, running just 18 rushes. Saquon Barkley had 10 carries for 22 yards and lost a key fumble on the Cowboys’ side of the field in the fourth quarter.

Jalen Hurts had to attempt 39 passes. He completed 27 of them for 289 yards and accounted for all three of the Eagles’ TDs in the first half, two on the ground and the other a 16-yard throw to A.J. Brown, who finished with eight catches on 10 targets for 110 yards.

The Eagles have played some of the league’s top defenses, but Dallas isn’t one of them. The Cowboys were ranked 30th coming in, and the Eagles couldn’t score in the second half.

The Eagles’ discipline needs to be called into question as well. They committed a season-high 14 penalties for 96 yards, many of them on offense.

Fred Johnson had a costly hands-to-the-face penalty to negate a big gain late in the game to put the Eagles deep in Cowboys territory. The fill-in right tackle had another penalty – a false start – and missed some blocks in both the run and pass game.

The defense had a nice defensive stand late in the fourth quarter after punt returner Xavier Gipson fumbled the ball, allowing the Cowboys to set up shop at the 8.

After that, the Eagles took over at the 2, garnered a couple of first downs, but on third-and-2, Jalen Hurts was sacked. It was the first sack by either team in the game, and it came in a big spot.

The Cowboys didn’t squander their opportunity after Philly punted it away with less than two minutes to go.

Dak Prescott made the plays he needed to, including a third-and-two conversion to Jake Ferguson, who beat safety Sydney Brown on a route into Eagles territory. Brown was in for Reed Blankenship, who suffered a quad injury. The Eagles also lost safety Drew Mukuba late in the game, so those two injuries will be worth monitoring.

The defense played well in the first half, forcing two turnovers, but it surrendered 473 yards of offense, with Dak Prescott throwing for 354 yards and two touchdowns. Nobody could guard George Pickens, who had nine catches for 146 yards and one TD.

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