PHILADELPHIA — For the second consecutive game, the Dallas Cowboys could not reach the end zone against a division opponent. The Cowboys lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 23-9 in week eight and fall to a 2-6 record.
Owner and general manager, Jerry Jones, told media earlier in the week, “I like tricks” and that statement certainly foreshadowed what was to come from the Cowboys’ offense against the Eagles. However, Dallas’ trickery was not enough to sustain drives and did not lead to a victory ‘treat’ for the squad. Kellen Moore emptied the playbook with Wildcat formations, fake double reverses, and wide receiver Cedrick Wilson lining up under center. Desperate times call for desperate measures, or so they say. The key is to confuse the defense, but for the Cowboys, many of the trick plays resulted in a loss of yardage as opposed to moving the chains. Hence, the only points on the scoreboard were by the leg of Greg Zuerlein.
Dallas finished the game converting only four of 16 attempts on third down. Seventh round pick Ben DiNucci made his NFL debut at quarterback. Teammates and coaches raved throughout the week about DiNucci’s confidence level and his mobility but unfortunately the “swagger” and arm “sling” that were the topic of discussion did not translate for the QB3 on the gridiron. DiNucci faced relentless pressure in the pocket and was sacked four times, but he had a tendency to hold onto the ball too long in the pocket. It seemed that unless it was a quick short pass to a receiver or handoff to a running back, the Cowboys could not move the ball.
No one expected DiNucci to carry the team by any means but star players did not step up. Amari Cooper was not targeted until the fourth quarter and besides Michael Gallup (7 receptions, 61 yards), it was another quiet day for the Cowboys’ receiving corps. Ezekiel Elliott only averaged 3.3 yards per carry and the bright spot on offense actually came by Tony Pollard. Pollard displayed great patience and instincts on runs, making defenders miss as he broke to the second level with power/speed.
This week, the game could not even be blamed on the lackluster defense. The unit flipped a switch in some respects and forced a season-high four turnovers.
Prior to the game, the team said goodbye to Everson Griffen, Dontari Poe, and Daryl Worley after a lack of production from the trio. Their departure created more opportunities for other players and it paid off.
Rookie Trevon Diggs had an up-and-down day. He did have some critical plays given up where he was beat by receivers in coverage, but the rookie accumulated two interceptions for the night as redemption. Leighton Vander Esch had a strip sack as well as Donovan Wilson. Edge rushers, Aldon Smith and DeMarcus Lawrence each tallied a sack as well to add to the mix.
The Cowboys struggled with Boston Scott on the ground with missed tackles, bad angles, and poor gap control but overall the pass pressure significantly improved and the unit forced Carson Wentz to make errant throws. Both defenses had a field day on the quarterback.
Dallas took a step forward in areas including the defense actually being able to accumulate takeaways but the team still turned the ball over, including a strip sack on Ben DiNucci that led to an Eagles’ touchdown.
The Eagles now take first place in the NFC East and in a do or die matchup, the Cowboys came up short in a major way. They lost in back-to-back divisional matchups and now face the 7-0 Steelers next week. It is time for self-examination and a purge of errors because against Pittsburgh, there is no room for mistakes.
