Lopsided defeat. Eagles rout Cowboys 41-7 to take NFC East crown
The Philadelphia Eagles secured the NFC East crown with a 41-7 drubbing of the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon, as a game where Dallas was missing multiple major contributors on both sides of the ball amplified into a rout at Lincoln Financial Field.
While the Cowboys kept it close in the first quarter with a pair of promising offensive drives, the Eagles used their run game behind Saquon Barkley to run away from Dallas in the second half and secure the division title.
It wasn’t pretty for the Cowboys in the second-to-last game of the season, but there were still things to take away ahead of an all-important offseason.
No CeeDee, No Offense
The effects of not having CeeDee Lamb was felt on Sunday as early as the first possession. On a third-and-short inside opponent territory, Cooper Rush would typically be looking for No. 88, but instead a slant route to Brandin Cooks was read to perfection by Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, intercepted and taken to the house for a 69-yard touchdown.
The lack of rhythm was felt all day, as a pair of downfield passes from Rush were not on the same page as the intended receivers with one of those falling back in the hands of Gardner-Johnson.
In all, Rush’s day saw him throw for 147 yards in his first of two games without his only weapon that has shown to consistently produce for the offense.
“A lot [changes without CeeDee],” running back Rico Dowdle said. “CeeDee is our star player, he’s accounted for a huge portion of our offensive yards. CeeDee is a guy you got to scheme against. It’s definitely different when it’s your star receiver that’s not out there.”
Build for the Division
A key scouting philosophy in the NFL is to build your team to win in the division, and if you’re looking at it from Dallas’ perspective, the front office led by Jerry and Stephen Jones, should head into the offseason with the idea of getting better than the NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles. If Sunday’s game could give them a cheat sheet on how to approach that, you must see deficiencies in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
While still young on the offensive line, Dallas had issues dealing with internal pressure from a similarly young interior defensive line from Philadelphia. Defensive tackles Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo and Jalen Carter gave center Cooper Beebe and right guard Brock Hoffman issues throughout the day.
Dallas’ defensive front, which had accounted for more sacks (28) than any team in the NFL since Micah Parsons’ return in week 10, didn’t get to the quarterback one time. And in the run game, the Eagles had a field day running up the stat sheet with Saquon Barkley as he chases down Eric Dickerson’s all-time rushing record.
“For one, we’re going to have to get healthy,” defensive end Micah Parsons said about how to compete in the division. “It’s going to be tough. I look at Jayden Daniels as a franchise quarterback...You got [Jalen] Hurts who is a franchise guy...It’s going to be a very difficult next couple of years.”
Free Agents On Display
Dallas famously kept quiet in free agency last offseason in a year where the Cowboys saw key starters such as Tony Pollard, Tyron Smith, Dorance Armstrong and others depart for other destinations. Meanwhile, other teams such as Philadelphia have reaped the rewards of being active in the open market.
Whether it be Saquon Barkley eclipsing 2,000 yards on the ground or safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson hauling in two interceptions, the Eagles have benefitted from being aggressive in free agency, and it’s led to them returning to the top of the NFC East.
Does the display of talent give the Dallas front office second thoughts on how it approaches the open market every year? That will be seen as early as this upcoming offseason when a similarly intriguing free agency period begins.
Credit Where It’s Due
While Rico Dowdle’s achievement on Sunday was heavily overshadowed by Saquon Barkley eclipsing 2,000 yards, Dowdle going from a questionable starter to a 1,000-yard starter basically in a five-week span is impressive.
While he’s not the best running back you’ll find in the league or even the division, his consistency has been a welcomed sight in recent weeks. His 104-yard performance on Sunday was his fourth time in five games going over the century mark in rushing yards.
“Definitely feels good to get a landmark I wanted to hit,” Dowdle said. “I wish it was a different outcome, but definitely satisfying getting that landmark.”
Approaching an offseason where he will be a free agent, bringing back Dowdle is starting to look more reasonable with each week that passes – and more expensive.
On the Corner
It was tough to find a big Philadelphia play on Sunday and not see Cowboys cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. in the area. As Dallas continues to play musical chairs at the cornerback position following a plethora of injuries at the position, Booth was next in line for a start and was a huge liability in coverage.
Booth drew DeVonta Smith on the majority of his coverage snaps and was torched on multiple occasions, including on a 49-yard reception at the end of the first half that set up a Kenny Pickett rushing score.
“You look at it, and there were five plays that decided the game,” defensive end Micah Parsons said postgame. “The two shots to DeVonta Smith, the one to A.J. Brown, the slant to DeVonta. Other than that, we made them earn it...You got to limit that big play margin, you can’t give a team like that too many big plays.”
Heading into the final game of the season, it may be time to just start Israel Mukuamu or a player from the practice squad on the outside such as Troy Pride Jr. who rotated into the game in the second half on Sunday. With Amani Oruwariye on the injured reserve and Kemon Hall battling a hamstring injury that kept him out on Sunday, options continue to remain thin.
This story was originally published December 29, 2024 at 3:11 PM.
