Problematic ghost returns to haunt Cowboys after five weeks absent: 4 takeaways from loss to Eagles
It got ugly in Philadelphia for the Dallas Cowboys, who lost to the Eagles 41-7 despite not facing Jalen Hurts on the other side. With the loss, the Cowboys fall to 7-9 while the Eagles remain alive (temporarily) in the hunt for the No. 1 seed, which the Detroit Lions can clinch with a win on […]
It got ugly in Philadelphia for the Dallas Cowboys, who lost to the Eagles 41-7 despite not facing Jalen Hurts on the other side.
With the loss, the Cowboys fall to 7-9 while the Eagles remain alive (temporarily) in the hunt for the No. 1 seed, which the Detroit Lions can clinch with a win on Monday.
Let's dive into the takeaways from the division "clash," if it can be called that at all.
Turnover ghost returns to haunt Cowboys
Throughout the Cowboys' 4-1 run entering Week 17, they had four turnovers in five games. They matched that number in four quarters of football against the Eagles. Cooper Rush threw a couple of ugly interceptions while RB Rico Dowdle and TE Jake Ferguson had a fumble each.
That's not how you win in football and even though the Eagles played with backup quarterbacks, including third-stringer Tanner McKee, an early lead allowed Philly to do what it wanted. Run the damn ball.
Jalen Tolbert is on a run
How about a positive note? Tolbert is up to three consecutive games with a receiving touchdown. This time, it happened on a designed run play with a built-in alert in which Cooper Rush can throw it to the one-on-one wide receiver on the outside. He gave Tolbert a jump ball, who smoothly extended his arms for it to add his seventh contested catch of the year.
Tolbert still has a long way to go in his growth as a complete receiver, but he's been reliable for the most part in 50/50 looks. In the red zone, he's been one of the most consistent Cowboys to show up.
Cowboys' pass rush was dominated by Eagles OL
Perhaps the most underwhelming aspect of the game was the lack of quarterback pressure from the Cowboys defense. While it's true the Eagles stuck to the run game for the most part, it was a clean pocket for both quarterbacks.
The Eagles offensive line did a fantastic job picking up blitzes from Mike Zimmer, who has been frustrating quarterbacks through creative designs when he dials up the pressure.
Cowboys had no CB to stand up opposite DaRon Bland
Bland traveled with the Eagles' top receiver A.J. Brown on this one while it was backup Andrew Booth Jr. filling in opposite to him. That didn't work at all. Pickett and McKee both were able to exploit No. 25 all game long, mostly through DeVonta Smith. He gave up two touchdowns to Smith and another catch that set the Eagles at the one-yard line.
At one point, practice squad call-up Troy Pride Jr. replaced Booth Jr. but the day was a strong reminder of the non-existent depth at cornerback for the Cowboys.
