The Cowboys dropped 38 points on the Eagles Monday night, winning 38-21, but if you thought that meant Dallas cleaned up their act, the Giants are probably laughing all the way to their bye week. They are heading into it with a two-game lead and won’t feel threatened by anything they saw from either Dallas or Philadelphia in that battle for second place. It was supposed to be an entertaining shootout, but the Eagles’ offense, missing Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith, just could not hang with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens. Backup Tanner McKee started solid, sure, but he quickly spiraled and threw that game away. Even Saquon Barkley, who returned from a hamstring injury, aggravated it on his second carry and was compromised all night. Dallas did just enough to make this one a laugher, but let’s be real, a lot of it was the other guys.
Did Dallas’s Offense Even Show Up, Or Was That Just the Eagles?
Prescott threw for three touchdowns, and the running backs piled up 196 yards on the ground. That sounds great on paper, right? But the source says it felt more like “Philly incompetence” than Dallas dominance. Dak Prescott had some unreal touchdown throws, but his ball placement was off all night. And that run game? Yeah, they finally got it going, but here’s the kicker: every single team has run on this Eagles’ defense. So, are we really going to give Dallas props for that until they prove they can do it against a better unit? This game gave us absolutely nothing new about the Cowboys’ offense. They put up points, yes, but against a shorthanded Eagles team missing their starting quarterback and top wide receiver, with Barkley clearly limited.
A Defensive Spark, But the Same Old Penalties?
Dallas’s defense did eventually tighten up after they let the Eagles score a few times in the first half with some costly mistakes. We still saw those poorly timed penalties, including a few that just gifted Philly first downs, and that loose coverage that has haunted this unit all season long. It is just frustrating to watch. The one bright spot, the one little glimmer of hope, was getting linebacker DeMarvion Overshown back on the field. He missed five games with a hamstring injury, but he was making plays all over the field, including a fourth-quarter interception of Tanner McKee that sealed the deal. If Overshown, who is oft-injured, can stay healthy and keep making those splash plays, that might, just *might*, offset some of Dallas’s consistency issues.
So, where does this leave us? With Prescott, who is a division’s best quarterback, and two star receivers, the Cowboys are still considered the favorites in the NFC East. But seriously, would anybody out there trust this team to win a playoff game? We have all seen what happens when a defense can get pressure on Prescott, and let’s face it, most playoff defenses are built for exactly that. It is just plain tough to win in January without a reliable run game or a defense you can actually count on. As for the Eagles, their defense was supposed to be their rock, their high floor, while their offense figured things out. Instead, it has been a bottom-ten unit and showed no signs of getting better after letting Dallas march up and down the field. There are red flags all over that unit. It is a long season, folks, and these teams have a lot to sort out.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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