Ten Day-After Observations from Eagles Win Over Cowboys

With about 24 hours to mull it over, here are 10 thoughts about the Eagles moving to 6-0 by beating an NFC East rival

PHILADELPHIA – Here are 10 day-after observations from Eagles 26-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys in a primetime game that drew 22.2 million viewers to make it the most watched Week 6 Sunday Night Football game since 2015.

THE DRIVE

No, not the one in the fourth quarter. This was the one that began in the first quarter and ended on the first play of the second quarter when Miles Sanders chugged up the middle for a 5-yard score. It spanned 80 yards in 15 plays and consumed 7:36 of the clock and gave the Eagles a 7-0 lead.

The Eagles flexed their depth on the drive, with all three running backs – Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, and Kenny Gainwell - getting a carry and Jalen Hurts running once as well. 

Then there were the air targets, with Hurts finding five different players – A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, Dallas Goedert, and Jack Stoll, who had a 21-yard catch on the series.

There were also two third-down conversions and two fourth-down conversions.

Drives don't get much better than that.

THE OTHER DRIVE

OK, this was the fourth-quarter march that sucked the life out of Dallas after it had cut the lead to 20-17. The Cowboys’ defense was powerless to make a stop as the Eagles used 13 plays to go 75 yards in 7:37. They took over at their own 25 and went right down the field.

Ten of the plays were runs, with Sanders starting it off with a 13-yard gain.

The Eagles again were money on third down, converting three of them along the way.

Then, when the Eagles had to pass, they did that, too.

On back-to-back throws, Brown went for 22 yards and DeVonta Smith had a 7-yard TD catch.

This was two Batmen at their finest.

UNCOOL DALLAS

The Cowboys didn’t do a good job of keeping their composure with two unsportsmanlike calls, including a taunting penalty by Micah Parsons, and another one when Trevon Diggs threw his helmet down after Smith’s TD catch. There was also a personal foul call on special teams gunner Kelvin Joseph.

Good teams aren't supposed to lose their cool like that.

BROWN V. DIGGS

It was early in the game when the Eagles WR and Diggs jawed at one another.

Brown’s postgame take: “Guy was trying to apply his dominance, but I wasn’t going for it. Just two dawgs bumping heads.”

What a difference-maker Brown has been.

HISTORIC LEVELS

The Eagles have outscored their opponents in the second quarter 112-27. That’s an 85-point differential, the likes of which the NFL has never seen before. That is truly difficult for me to fathom that one team could be so dominant over another team in a 15-minute span.

JASON PETERS

Did anybody notice the former Eagles left tackle in the game? 

NBC missed it. In watching the replay early Monday, it took three plays before anything was said. The telecast didn’t point out the whiff Peters had in space when he pulled from the right guard position on a running play and never touched Eagles LB T.J. Edwards, who made the stop for only a one-yard gain.

It was a bad look for the likely Hall-of-Fame lineman.

Peters played just four snaps.

He has nothing left, yet he continues to hang on.

BAD COACHING

This is on Dallas OC Kellen Moore, who called for Cooper Rush to rollout to his right on fourth-and-inches. The Eagles just use Jalen Hurts in those situations and that is smart. Moore’s decision? Not very smart at all when the Eagles’ defense wasn’t fooled even a little bit and James Bradberry broke up the pass.

BAD COACHING II

The Cowboys never would have been able to experience that fourth-and-inches failure had they decided to challenge the spot on CeeDee Lamb’s catch on the previous play. Replays showed clearly Lamb had the first down.

Whoever is in charge of such things for the Cowboys must've been asleep.

BRADBERRY BONANZA

The Eagles CB had four pass breakups and is now tied for the league lead in that category with nine. He has been even better than the Eagles could have hoped for when they signed him after the Giants could no longer afford him on their salary cap.

OC PLAY CALLING

Shane Steichen has a good feel for calling plays, and while there are some that leave you scratching your head, more often than not, the offensive coordinator has been solid. Combine that with his ability to play to Hurts’ strengths and he very well could be a head coach in the league next year.

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.