Eagles Make a Statement, Prove a Few Things in Beating Cowboys
PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles hadn’t played anybody.
Wait’ll they get a look at this “great" Dallas defense, Jalen Hurts hasn't played anything like this before.
Backup quarterback Cooper Rush has never lost an NFL game. Has never even thrown an interception.
Well, now the “best backup in the league” has a loss and he threw three interceptions. His play will make it easier for the Cowboys to return to Dak Prescott next week, for better or worse.
Rush hadn't played a defense like the Eagles, who stifled the run in dominating first half before Dallas got a little something going on the ground in the third quarter before the Eagles snuffed them out with a pounding fourth-quarter drive that sucked the life out of the Cowboys.
“You can’t hide behind the run too long before you have to start dropping back to pass,” said Eagles DE Brandon Graham, who helped the Eagles' defense wreak havoc on the Cowboys.
There was a lot of chirping coming out of Texas this week, especially from DeMarcus Lawrence, who seems to be able to sack other quarterbacks but not ones wearing Eagles uniforms since. He has just three in 15 career games against Philly and, while he had eight tackles, Hurts did just fine against this defense the Eagles 26-17 victory, though he did have eight tackles.
It all fell on deaf Eagles' ears. This team plays for each other., and doesn't pay attention to the outside noise.
Hurts had been 0-2 against Dallas and in both of those losses, he threw for more than 300 yards. He didn’t have to do that in this game because the Eagles ran right at Dallas.
What more can be said?
Here are three things:
- First, this was a statement win.
The Cowboys had won four in a row but were dominated early.
The Eagles wanted to get a lead and make them play catchup because they didn’t think they would be able to, and they were right. Dallas got close, pulling to within 20-17, but the Eagles asserted themselves again with an offense that ran it down the Cowboys’ throats in the fourth quarter.
They never knew what hit them.
“It’s always good whenever you can start fast,” said Graham. “For us, when we get into that pressure situation we somehow just tighten back up and make the plays we need to get there. I just love this team. I love how resilient the guys are out there, win lose or draw we’re out there playing hard together.”
- Second, the Eagles’ defense is better, though don’t tell the NBC Sunday Night crew that. They are smitten with the Cowboys’ unit.
The Eagles offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage, even after the best right tackle in the game, Lane Johnson, left at the end of the first half with a concussion.
Micah Parsons didn’t have a sack, and his impact was minimal.
“Sometimes it's like, you can't block them, read them,” said head coach Nick Sirianni. “I've said that before. And our guys did a good job blocking them in the run game, there is no doubt. How many sacks did (Parsons) have today?
That would be zero, though Dallas did collect four as a team.
- Third, the Eagles are good. Very good. The best team in the NFC. Maybe in football.
The Cowboys will get another shot at the Eagles. The two teams will spend Christmas Eve together.
Who knows what the Eagles’ record will be then?
After this week's bye, they host the Steelers with who knows who at quarterback then go to Houston to play the Texans on Thursday night. After that, it’s a Monday night home game against the Washington Commanders, a team they dominated at their ramshackle stadium in Week 3.
Does anyone see a loss in there?
“The reality is you need to realize this is a marathon, man,” said center Jason Kelce, shedding light on exactly what the mantra means. “This is not the 100-meter dash. This is a 17-game season, plus playoff games and the team that’s the best at the end of the season is going to be the ones that go the furthest and go the distance.
"So this is an ongoing journey for our team, and who can be mentally tougher longer, who can keep going, what teams can keep coming together and keep overcoming adversity, those are the teams that end up doing really, really well. I think that’s what that’s all about.”
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.
