Dallas Cowboys fall to Philadelphia Eagles in NFC East battle
Week eight saw the Dallas Cowboys play the Philadelphia Eagles in a lousy Sunday Night Football game for the whole football world to watch. It was ugly, the quarterbacks struggled mightily, and neither fan base can feel very good about themselves following the matchup. Dallas, 2-6, fell to Philadelphia, 3-4-1, by a score of 23 […]
Week eight saw the Dallas Cowboys play the Philadelphia Eagles in a lousy Sunday Night Football game for the whole football world to watch. It was ugly, the quarterbacks struggled mightily, and neither fan base can feel very good about themselves following the matchup.
Dallas, 2-6, fell to Philadelphia, 3-4-1, by a score of 23 to 9. The two teams combined for six turnovers, 11 penalties, and a grand total of a whopping 235 yards through the air. Ben DiNucci completed just 21 of 40 pass attempts for 132 yards and a fumble. Carson Wentz, meanwhile, threw for just 123 yards and two touchdowns while turning the ball over four times.
Unfortunately, the four turnovers were not enough for the Cowboys to take advantage. The defense played largely well for the first time this season. Trevon Diggs grabbed the first two interceptions of his young career, and the defense made things difficult for the Eagles offense all night long.
The Cowboys offense couldn't get anything going while the defense played well. DiNucci struggled throughout his first NFL start, and the banged up offensive line failed to control the line of scrimmage against Fletcher Cox and company. As a result, the Cowboys only points of the game came from Greg Zuerlein's foot.
How bad has the Dallas Cowboys offense been without Dak Prescott behind center? Just take a look at the following tweet:
This tweet sums up the Cowboys pretty well:
Looking forward
Up next, the Dallas Cowboys host the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers in AT&T Stadium next Sunday. Both the Cowboys and the Steelers are two of the most iconic franchises in the National Football League, but only one of them looks like a team capable of winning anything of significance in the near future.
Pittsburgh's defense, led by TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick, has wrecked havoc on nearly every offense they have lined up against, while the Steelers offensive weapons of James Conner, Chase Claypool, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and company makes that side of the ball a challenge to prepare for as well.
Needless to say, Mike McCarthy and his staff have a lot on their hands as they prep for the only remaining undefeated team in football. Andy Dalton should be back from concussion protocol, forcing McCarthy to make an interesting decision: do you roll with the rookie and take the lumps that come with it, or do you put the veteran back out there in hopes of improving the offense?
It is difficult to see the Cowboys season improving anytime soon. With the New York Giants not set to play until Monday night and the Washington Football Team off for the week, Dallas sits at third place in the putrid NFC East.
Draft season appears to be coming early this year, folks.
Featured image via Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
