Dallas week is once again upon us! As this will be published Week 8 and this contest took place Week 6, there was around seven days since the end of this game. Predictably, Cowboys fans turned defensive and called Cooper Rush a ‘backup,’ ignoring two of Dak’s seven wins against the Eagles were against backups, and that he couldn’t beat a practice squad to make the playoffs in 2019.
Group Plays
Fourth Down Conversions
I’m unfortunately scarce on footage, but I find every week that Hurts has been exceptionally good on third and fourth down. It’s funny how many times I’ve found myself cursing out this team for their woes on third and fourth down in previous years, watching as the Eagles defense surrendered critical downs, and now the shoe’s on the other foot. That was just one critical down, however, as on the other end of the field, the defense stymied Rush (with a little help from the Cowboys overthinking a fourth and one), leading to a turnover on downs. Two by air, one by land.
Individual Plays
1-14:00 Kyzir White PBU
It’s not a stretch to say the Eagles haven’t had a linebacker like Kyzir White in recent years.
I can’t remember the last time we had a LB that wasn’t a liability in coverage. Going from ripping my hair out watching the middle of the field get fileted to putting our LB1 on the WR1 in the slot is not something I’m used to.
1-8:00 Marcus Epps PBU
The Eagles have a better history of safeties, but one of probably the most surprising safeties to break out was Epps. I’m not the only one noticing him pop off the screen. He’s gone from depth in early 2019 to one of the cornerstones of a burgeoning defense, this pass breakup being evidence of the strides he’s made since his signing.
1-6:30 Stoll Catch
Every now and then, a lesser known player is going to have their number called to do what they need to do to move the chains. Stoll went above and beyond the expected on this play, only needing eight and picking up 21 (albeit, a lot of that was green grass, but a big play is a big play nonetheless).
4-5:15 CJGJ Interception #2
As one Cowboys fan so eloquently put it, “the carriage turned into a pumpkin.” Dallas fans have noted that Cooper Rush has been flirting with interceptions for a couple of weeks, and is only now bearing penance for the way he played previously.
2-14:47 CJGJ Interception
Keeping with the topic of screaming at my TV over the past few years, one point of misery has been turnovers generated. If this was your first year watching the Eagles, you’d honestly never know. The Eagles have the BEST turnover differential in the NFL at +12. We’re taking the ball away and we’re not giving it. Johnson has been quiet in this department for the first third s
2-5:24 Darius Slay INT
Perhaps not the most impactful interception of the game, but certainly the ugliest on behalf of Cooper Rush. That’s not to say it had no meaning, however, as it gifted Philadelphia the field position they needed to get their final points of the game. I’d be harsher since we were shut out in the second half, but hey, it’s hard to argue with 6-0.
4-7:06 Devonta Smith TD
This is arguably the funniest play of the day, as ex post facto, it had Trevon Diggs throwing fits in the backfield. The Dallas defense had trouble stopping the RPO all day, and it was oh so appropriate that this was the playcall that Hurts and Sirianni used to put this game to sleep. Well, there were seven minutes left, but I digress.
2-10:00 AJ Brown TD
Putting a LB in coverage with a WR1 sounds like a bad idea. It’s suddenly not such a bad idea when Micah Parsons in coverage isn’t as bad of an idea as it sounds. Unfortunately for Dallas, not even their best player was a match for the genius of Nick ‘Don’ Sirianni. Sirianni figured out something no other coach had figured out until this point: how to stymie Parsons. This game showed the importance of every half-second.
2-15:00 Miles Sanders TD
Every Miles Sanders score is a reminder of my hesitance to pay running backs. This is a contract year for him, and whilst he’s had injuries this year, he’s shown explosiveness in the open field and power in short yardage situations that merit that coveted second contract. Not to mention, Kenneth Gainwell somewhat disappearing and struggling to gain more than two or three yards at once somewhat invalidates my claim that Gainwell can replace his production. Also worth mention is this was the first TD of the day for either team, and seeing
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Dylan Patrowicz is a featured writer at The Birds Blitz. For more from Dylan, check out his archive and read through our Eagles articles for the latest news about the Birds.
