Eagles Destroy Cowboys 37-9 Good and Bad

Eagles Destroy Cowboys 37-9 Good and Bad

Robert Knuckles

“Second Half Adjustments”

Eagles faced their long time rival the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football and destroyed them on primetime. So let's get to the good and bad.

Bad:

1. Offense first half: The Eagles had a great opening drive and it seemed liked the Eagles were going to destroy the Cowboys but after the Eagles got the ball back nothing seemed to work. Receivers weren’t getting open, receivers sometimes dropped the ball and Wentz wasn’t making the best throws. The Eagles seemed to be pass happy in the first half but they soon fixed the issues in the second half.

Good:

1. Running Game: The triple head running backs in the second half destroyed the Cowboys. The Eagles rushed for a total of 215 yards. Wentz and Barner added a few of those numbers but the major contributors were Legarrette Blount with 57 yards, Corey Clement with 50 yards and Jay Ajayi with 91 yards. The running game was too much for the Cowboys to handle. This triple headed running looks like it's going to be a problem for a lot of teams down the road. Even if you stop one guy you still have to worry about the other two running backs.
2. Alshon Jeffery: Now when you look at the numbers for Alshon four receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown but the chemistry between him and Wentz continues to grow. Alshon was arguably the best receiver Sunday night. The catch he made on 4th and 5 was just incredible. Really hoping the Eagles will keep him for years to come and hopefully he’ll get a 100 yard game soon.
3. Defense: The pass rush was just all over Dak Prescott. The Eagles definitely used Cowboys left tackle Byron Bell to their advantage. They sacked Dak four times and some of those pass rushes led to Dak throwing interceptions. Now the rush defense wasn’t great because Alfred Morris managed to run for 91 yards but they didn’t allow the Cowboys to get a touchdown.
4. Ronald Darby: Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby had his welcoming party at Dallas. Darby returns from a gruesome ankle injury that looked to be a season ender but he was out for about eight weeks. Dallas was going to try Darby since it was his first game back but it cost them. Darby had a few pass deflections and also got a interception. Having Darby back gave this secondary more depth and playing so much better. I really can’t wait to see what this secondary looks like when Sidney Jones plays.
5. Derek Barnett: The Eagles first round pick continues to improve each game. The sack that he had on Prescott really showed how athletic he is. Barnett refused to give up on the sack. Normally a quarterback would get away from an one arm tackle but Barnett never let go and made the sack. Barnett also stripped the ball out of Dak’s hand and caused a fumble and Nigel Bradham recovered the fumble and ran in for a touchdown. Barnett has to be nominated for rookie defensive player of the year.
6. Offensive Line: The protection against a good Cowboys pass rush was great. They didn’t allow Wentz to get sacked and right tackle Lane Johnson kept the leading sack leader Demarcus Lawrence away from Wentz. We even see Big V getting no help at the left tackle position. This shows how much confidence they have in him and plus he’s a lot better at left tackle than right tackle.
7. Carson Wentz: I mean what can I say about this kid? After a rough first half he threw two touchdown passes. Wentz had another game where he didn’t throw an interception. I mean for a second year quarterback to do all of this is amazing. Wentz makes everyone on this team play so much better. He might be very well the MVP.

I’m so happy of how the Eagles are playing this year. They are arguably the best team in football on both sides of the ball. I think after this win they are the clear winners of the NFC East. Now the Eagles are taking it one game at a time as they should be but probably in the back of their mind now they are racing to get first place of the NFC Conference and they are getting to the rough part of their schedule. They face a Bears team at home that has a good defense. The Eagles need to win this next game because next they are on a three game road trip against tough teams but this will be a great opportunity for the Eagles to beat these teams.