Cowboys defense says ‘confidence is rising’ after second-half shutout of Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles took a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter against the much-maligned Dallas Cowboys defense, and it seemed like the rout was on.
However, the Eagles didn’t score another point, and the Cowboys earned a massive 24-21 comeback win Sunday at AT&T Stadium to improve to 5-5-1.
Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, in his second game with the Cowboys after being acquired in a trade, said the unit came together at halftime.
“Any win is a big win, especially for this organization and for me personally, no matter what the team is, no matter what situation,” he said. “Being down 21-0, man, to see the accountability that we took in the locker room and the constructive criticism that we owned up to in the locker room, to come out in the second half today, to execute to the best of our ability, it was amazing to see.”
Williams was the marquee acquisition by the team before the trade deadline, and owner Jerry Jones lauded the defender’s impact.
“We had to have something at this level of excellence on a run stopper that he brought to the table,” Jones said. “Had to have that, and we didn’t need to give up pass rush to get it, and we knew since before we left training camp that we could do that.”
Williams accepted the compliment and said he was glad Jones “took a chance on me.”
“A super honor, a guy like him who’s been around great football players his whole life and his whole career in this industry,” Williams said. “And the biggest thing I came in to do, man, is just be the best I can to help this team win football games, and the things that I can do to help his team win football games. But he took a chance on me by trading for me, and the best I can [do] is give my all.”
Willaims helped stonewall star Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who rushed for only 22 yards on 10 carries and gave up a critical fumble with 7:38 left when Philadelphia was threatening to score.
Rookie defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku talked about how the defense has seemingly hit its stride over the past two games.
“I think our confidence is rising for sure, the week that we had last week,” Ezeiruaku said. “Then to finish out like this, I think, you know, going into this Thursday night Thanksgiving game, we’re definitely going to be confident, for sure. But, you know, we know we got to execute. So yeah, we could have our confidence, but if we don’t execute, that doesn’t mean anything.”
The Cowboys will have another critical game at 3:30 p.m. Thursday at AT&T Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs (6-5), who have had questions around their offense and are desperate for a win as they too stand on the outside looking in on the playoff picture. The Chiefs are coming off a 23-20 overtime win Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
The Cowboys were also emotional but inspired in their first home game since the death of teammate Marshawn Kneeland.
“Obviously, we played with a heavy heart today,” Ezeiruaku said. “You know, back home, we had a moment of silence. We showed the tribute to Marshawn, our brother, and it was tough at first, but we had a job. ... Play like him and go get this win for him.”
This story was originally published November 23, 2025 at 9:00 PM.
