PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Dallas Cowboys lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 17-9 in the battle for the NFC East Division Title at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles were ravaged by injury and still outplayed the Cowboys in all phases of the game. Dallas underachieved once again with a talent-filled roster.
The Cowboys had zero touchdowns, six dropped passes, a fumble, missed tackles in space, and overthrown balls by Dak Prescott. The team was 3-14 in third down efficiency and 0-2 in the red zone. Down and distance made a huge difference in the ballgame; the Eagles were producing on first downs and the Cowboys were not.
The Eagles stacked the box to shut down the Cowboys’ running game and force Dak to throw with his banged up right shoulder. Philly succeeded. Dallas finished with 54 rushing yards. Elliott was boggled up at the line of scrimmage and averaged 3.6 yards per carry. Dak did have some poor throws but he also made some ‘on the money’ catchable throws that receivers or tight ends dropped. He was not getting much help at critical moments in the ballgame to move the chains.
Overall, the Cowboys’ defense struggled against the Eagles’ screen game and spread-out offense. Dallas could not stop Wentz’s go-to target, Dallas Goedert. The receiving tight end averaged 10.1 yards per catch and recorded nine receptions for 91 yards. The team got running back Miles Sanders involved in the passing game as well and he totaled five receptions for 77 yards and a 15.4 average after the catch. Sanders ran over the defense on slant routes.
As inconsistent as the Cowboys season has been and now sitting at a 7-8 record, the team still has a shot to slide into playoffs. If the Cowboys beat the Redskins at home next Sunday and Philadelphia loses to the Giants at MetLife Stadium, then Dallas will clinch the division. But at this point, the team is undeserving of a postseason run.
