The Philadelphia Eagles keep finding new and interesting ways to win football games. It sure looked like the rout was on early against the Dallas Cowboys, then things got tight. Really tight.
The Dallas Cowboys cut a 20-0 halftime deficit to 20-17 with 14:39 left in the fourth quarter following a Jake Ferguson touchdown. He wrangled a short pass from Cooper Rush and forced his way into the end zone. Lincoln Financial Field briefly got silent for the first time all night, then Jalen Hurts breathed life back into it with a touchdown strike to DeVonta Smith.
The Eagles defense did the rest and the Eagles improved to 6-0 with a 26-17 victory. Hurts finished 15-of-25 for 155 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a masterful game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter. Miles Sanders rushed 18 times for 71 yards and a score. Next up? Bye week.
SKINNY BATMAN
Eagles vs. Cowboys: 5 Things We Saw at the Linc
First-Half Turnover Party: Cowboys backup Cooper Rush was atrocious in the first half with Dak Prescott inactive. He chucked two interceptions – one to CJ Gardner-Johnson (more on him below) on a tipped ball by James Bradberry, another one from (who else?) Darius Slay – and headed into the halftime locker room with a horrific passer rating of 1. Rush consistently threw into double coverage while looking tentative in the pocket. Which was curious since the Eagles never pressured him or touched him. They did out-think him, though. Rush kept tipping his hand and the Eagles’ opportunistic defense kept taking advantage.
Cooper Rush throws his third INT of the night 😨
(via @NFL)
Who’s Toughest the Longest: Jalen Hurts delivered a new motto for the Eagles: “Who’s toughest the longest.” The Cowboys sacked Jalen Hurts four times and hit him a bunch more. At one point in the third quarter, Hurts appeared to take a shot in the ribs and crumpled over in pain. The dual-threat quarterback never came out of the game and showed no signs of lingering pain. He took the Eagles on a huge scoring drive — 13 plays for 75 yards (7:37), capped by a 7-yard strike to DeVonta Smith with 7:02 showing in the fourth quarter — to salt the game away. Hurts went 3-for-3 on the drive while rushing 3 times for 10 yards. He was the toughest the longest.
NFC Defensive Player of the Week: CJ Gardner-Johnson left with a hand injury — “just a little boo boo,” in his words — in the third quarter but came back in and grabbed the game-sealing interception with 5:03 left in the game. It was a beautiful play as he scooped it up right before it hit the turf. Gardner-Johnson could be in line for NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors after grabbing two picks and making four tackles. That would give Philly players weekly awards for six straight weeks: Zech McPhearson, Darius Slay, Brandon Graham, Haason Reddick, and Cameron Dicker.
Not 1….but ✌️
Darius Slay Hands Out Souvenir: The last time the Eagles played a prime-time game Darius Slay ran to the front row and handed James Harden a game ball following an interception. Slay, arguably the greatest showman in football, seized the moment again and made a bee line for Meek Mill after a second-quarter pick. It was another star-studded night at Lincoln Financial Field under the lights, with FLOTUS Dr. Jill Biden overseeing the coin toss; Sixers stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in a suite; and MLB All-Star Mike Trout in his usual seat. Country music sensation Jimmie Allen performed at halftime, too. What a night.
Thank you, Mike McCarthy: If there weren’t already 1 million reasons why the Philadelphia Eagles were going to walk away with the NFC East crown, here’s another one: Mike McCarthy. The bone-headed Cowboys coach decided to kick a 59-yard field goal with his team down 26-17. Yes, it was 4th-and-10 but they needed two scores with 1:08 left in the game. Dallas kicker Brett Maher — 14-of-21 from 50+ yards for his career — missed it wide right. The Eagles head off into their bye week in first place, with the hard-charging New York Giants (5-1) behind them.
Cowboys kicker Brett Maher misses wide right from 59. Had enough leg. Maher’s only two misses this season are from 59; he’s made other 14 kicks, including four from 50 or longer. But that will put an end to it.
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Eagles Beat Cowboys: Jalen Hurts Hits ‘Skinny Batman’ to Stay Perfect