ARLINGTON, Texas – Monday Night Football. Sold-out vivacious crowd. NFC East Rivalry in Primetime. The stage was set at AT&T Stadium. An exhilarating performance ensued between the hash marks and the Dallas Cowboys dominated the Philadelphia Eagles 41-21.
During the first half, Dallas had 19 first downs in contrast to Philadelphia’s three (18 offensive plays). The Cowboys scored touchdowns on three of four trips in the red zone and out leveraged the Eagles 261 yards to 121. At halftime, the Cowboys led 20-7 and carried the momentum into the second half.
As a complement to the Cowboys screen/space game, Dallas imposed their will on the ground with the one-two punch of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. Elliott’s hard runs through tackles combined with Pollard’s explosiveness along the perimeter, created a sensational duo on the gridiron. Dallas accumulated 160 rushing yards overall in the matchup, with Elliott notching 95 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. Prescott’s numbers were not as high considering the team’s complementary attack, but he made an impact through the air in his first game back in live-action at AT&T since his season-ending right ankle fracture and dislocation in Week 5 last season. Prescott threw for 238 yards with three touchdowns, completing 80.8 percent of his passes for a 143.3 passer rating.
Dalton Schultz became Prescott’s favorite go-to target over the middle of the field. He led the team in receiving yards with 80 and scored two touchdowns. His burst after the catch and ability to evade tackles elevated the Cowboys’ screen game.
With an injury-ravaged defensive line, the headline coming into Monday night’s matchup was the concern along the defensive line. Despite a shuffle and many cornerstone players not in the lineup, the unit held up. Dallas limited the Eagles to only 12 first downs, 64 rushing yards, and 4-12 in third down efficiency. Many young players in Dan Quinn’s unit made an impact. Osa Odighizuwa recorded his first career sack, including two quarterback pressures. In addition to Odighizuwa’s penetration from the interior, Micah Parsons was relentless off the edge. The Penn State product notched a quarterback pressure, a tackle for loss, and a pass defensed. Trevon Diggs had a pick six – his third interception in three games. He also racked up three pass breakups with instinctual play, spearheading the defensive unit.
First Quarter:
On their first possession, the Cowboys made a statement by reaching the end zone. A 44-yard bomb from Dak Prescott to CeeDee Lamb set up the squad on the Eagles’ one-yard line. Elliott bulldozed his way into the end zone to give the Cowboys an early 7-0 lead. A crazy sequence of events transpired soon after. Anthony Brown intercepted Jalen Hurts’ pass at the Cowboys’ one-yard line, preventing Philadelphia from answering with a score. Two plays into Dallas’ drive, Prescott was strip sacked in the end zone. The fumbled ball was recovered by Fletcher Cox for an Eagles’ touchdown. Late in the quarter, the Cowboys seemingly had another score as Dak Prescott appeared to cross the goal line on a quarterback sneak from fourth-and-goal. However, the officials ruled on the field that Prescott was short.
The momentum never shifted to the Eagles. The Cowboys defense then forced a three-and-out and put Prescott and his supporting cast right back on the field. On a six-play, 50-yard drive, Prescott connected with a wide-open Dalton Schultz on a 19-yard touchdown catch. Pollard’s shiftiness and Schultz’s ability to make the first defender miss- helped move the chains to set up the touchdown. Dallas led Philadelphia in first downs 13-1 in the first quarter, and outgained them 182-55 total yards.
Second Quarter:
The Eagles had no answers for the Cowboys’ dual backfield. Over a 13-play, 65-yard drive, Dallas pounded the rock up the middle with Elliott and Pollard to the tune of 42 rushing yards. Only fitting, the drive culminated in a touchdown run by Elliott from three yards out. He plowed his way through traffic into the end zone to give the Cowboys a 20-7 lead. Greg Zuerlein missed the extra point.
Third Quarter:
As the Eagles took possession to open the third quarter, the Cowboys defense responded. Trevon Diggs had a pick six. In off coverage, Diggs drove on the out route and undercut Jalen Hurts’ pass for the interception. He then preceded to run 59 yards untouched for a touchdown- the first of his career. With the interception, Diggs became the first Cowboy to intercept a pass in the first three games of a season since Everson Walls accomplished the feat in 1985.
The Eagles responded with a touchdown of their own. A 41-yard connection between Hurts and Quez Watkins and a 27-yard gain to Zach Ertz, setting up Ertz’s three-yard touchdown pass to make it a 27-14 ballgame.
Fourth Quarter:
The Cowboys capped off a 12-play, 61-yard drive with a touchdown. Dallas decided to go for it on fourth-and-goal. Prescott rolled to his right and could not find an open target initially but stayed patient and found Cedrick Wilson at the back of the end zone for a score. The Cowboys extended their lead 34-14.
Schultz then tallied another touchdown of his own- the first multi-touchdown game of his career. Schultz eluded multiple defenders and made his way to the end zone for a 22-yard score. The Eagles then added a pointless touchdown, a 15-yard catch by Greg Ward to thin the Cowboys’ lead on the final scoreboard.
After a one-sided shootout at AT&T Stadium, the Cowboys improved to 2-1 on the season.
