FRISCO, Texas – The Cowboys arrived back in Dallas with their first road victory of the season on Sunday Night Football against division rival Philadelphia Eagles 27-20. Dallas was able to make the necessary in-game adjustments on the offensive side of the ball to come out with a win and second place in the NFC East with a 4-5 record. The following two games are pivotal for America’s Team to come out in first place of the division. Right now the Washington Redskins hold the lead at 6-3, and the Cowboys are two games behind. If Dallas can pull out a win against the Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday, and a win against the Redskins on Thanksgiving, they will be on top. With the win against Philly, they have momentarily pulled themselves out of the whole they put themselves in, and have kept their hopes alive for the remainder of the season.
After two back-to-back losses and a 3-5 record going into the game against Philadelphia, the pressure was high and the frustration was mounting in the locker-room, specifically on the defensive player’s faces. The defense has been doing their job of stopping opponents in critical situations on third and fourth down, and putting the offense back on the field. The problem has been that the Cowboys’ offense has not been able to stay on the field and cash in on the opportunities set up by the defense to put points on the board.
Following the game DeMarcus Lawrence commented on the offensive performance, “You have to block out the noise and be able to step up every week. The offense did that this week. Proud to see them come out here and move the ball and move the chains and keep us off the field and keep us fresh. “
As of week nine, the Cowboys’ offense ranked 27th in the league, while the defense was ranked fourth. Dallas’ offense became more aggressive with its play-calling on the offensive side of the ball with deep downfield passes on first and second down situations and play action passing. The offensive line did a great job blocking defenders and establishing holes for Ezekiel Elliott and opening up the running game against the Eagles’ run defense that was ranked second in the league.
The Cowboys’ o-line has faced several changes over the course of the season with Joe Looney taking over at center for Travis Frederick after the announcement of his diagnosis with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, and guard Xavier Su’a-Filo took over for rookie Connor Williams at LG, who had scope knee surgery this past Wednesday. During the game against Philly, Cowboys’ fans held there breathe as RG Zack Martin exited the field and went into the medical tent. Thankfully, the staff confirmed the knee was stable and he re-entered the game. They had an outstanding performance throughout the game giving Dak Prescott several seconds of protection after the snap to release the ball and attacking the defense’s zone coverage used during the second half, a testament to the coaching ability of newly acquired offensive line coach, Marc Colombo.
“I think it is credited to that offensive line and Marc Colombo, “ Dak Prescott stated. “ Everything with the injuries and from the time that Zack went down, three guys right there in the interior that were not starters at the beginning of the year; All in there doing a good job moving the front and giving Zeke holes and Zeke doing what he does best, finding them and making plays. “
Many people had already counted the Dallas Cowboys out for the remainder of the season having to beat the Eagles, the defending Super Bowl Champions, in the hostile environment of Philadelphia when they have not won an away game. They responded to the criticism and scrutiny with complete locked-in focus on the task at hand. They have a tough road ahead facing the Falcons and Redskins, but the season is not over for the Silver and Blue. They proved their ability to put it all on the field in a must win game.
Safety Jeff Heath perfectly summed up the Cowboys situation moving ahead in the second half of the season following the victory, “ We control our own destiny! “
