‘We have a chance.’ Dallas Cowboys soar past Eagles, stay alive for NFC East title
So we know how this season started.
But how is it ending for you?
As far as the Dallas Cowboys are concerned, they are feeling pretty good as their 2020 campaign has gone from dismal and seemingly on the edge of implosion to the brink of what was once thought to be impossible.
A playoff berth as the NFC East champs is still on the table for the Cowboys heading into next week’s regular-season finale after they put forth their finest performance of the season with a 37-17 blowout victory against the Philadelphia Eagles before 30,131 fans at AT&T Stadium Sunday.
“If you gave up five or six games ago, we wouldn’t want you on our side,” said running back Ezekiel Elliott, who rushed for 105 yards on 19 carries. “We have to win next week and need a little help from the guys we just played. We’re catching fire at the right time. We are not done.”
The Cowboys are most certainly not done.
That’s what three straight wins will do for you to go along with the dreadful state of affairs in the NFC East, which included Washington Football Team (6-9) losing to the lowly Carolina Panthers on Sunday. The Cowboys (6-9) scooted past the New York Giants (5-10) who lost to the Baltimore Ravens earlier in the day.
The Cowboys defeat of the Eagles knocked them out of playoff contention, but the other three teams all have a shot at the division title next Sunday. Only a Dallas win in New York and Washington loss or tie at Philadelphia gives the Cowboys a division title with a record 7-9.
“I can’t say enough about the football team,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “The way everybody has battled, the challenges we have had and to see things come full circle the past three weeks. Now we have a chance.
“We have to take care of our own opportunity and get some help. We are playing good team football. I can’t be happier for the players for staying the course.”
It didn’t look good for the Cowboys when they lost back-to-back games, at home against Washington, 41-16, on Thanksgiving and in Baltimore, 34-17, back on Dec 8 when they fell to 3-9 and in last place in the division.
But the Cowboys stayed the course and continued to improve
And they are finally looking somewhat like the team they hoped they’d be at the start of the season before a litany of injuries and struggles to adjust to a new scheme.
It all came together against the Eagles with an offensive explosion not seen since quarterback Dak Prescott was lost to injury in Week 5.
Not only did Elliott have 100 yards on the ground one week week after sitting out with an calf injury against the San Francisco 49ers, but quarterback Andy Dalton had his finest performance of the season in his eighth start in place of the injured Prescott, passing for 377 yards and three touchdowns.
The turning points came with a touchdown at the tail end of the first half and another to start the second half, sparking what would be a 34-3 run to end the game after falling behind 14-3 in the first quarter.
The Cowboys took a 20-17 led after Dalton hit receiver Michael Gallup with a 21-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds to go in the first half. Dalton then connected with CeeDee Lamb on a 52-yard score to open the third quarter to make it 27-17.
Dalton had more passing yards by halftime Sunday than he had in five of his previous seven starts
Gallup caught six passes for 121 yards and scored twice, and Amari Cooper had four catches for 121 yards. Lamb also had a 19-yard touchdown run.
“When you can spread it around it gives you a chance to score a bunch of points,” Dalton said. “We took some shots today. We had some good looks to do that. And we were able to make them.”
Even more impressive was how the Cowboys finished on defense. After giving up touchdowns on the first two drives of the game, the Cowboys shut out the Eagles in the second half.
The fourth quarter included a stop on fourth down, an interception in the end zone by cornerback Anthony Brown, a forced fumble by Randy Gregory that was recovered by Jaylon Smith and an interception by cornerback Trevon Diggs. Gregory had three forced fumbles and 1.5 sacks.
The Cowboys have registered 11 turnovers in the last three games, this after being last in the league in that department for much of the season.
“At the end of the day, we knew we had to play well, play some of our best football,” McCarthy said. “We are doing that. We look totally different today than two months ago. That is a credit to our football players.”
This story was originally published December 27, 2020 at 8:24 PM.
