Cowboys’ defense savors chance at redemption against Eagles

The Dallas Cowboys’ defense has been itching for a chance to play the Philadelphia Eagles again.

The bitter taste of the 33-10 Thanksgiving Day loss remains firmly in their collective mind.

The defensive players feel they let themselves and their teammates down with their worst showing of the season in what was a showdown for first place in the NFC East.

They refocused long enough to get the 41-28 victory against the Chicago Bears on Dec. 4.

But now that their moment of retribution is at hand — a rematch Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia with sole possession of first place on the line again — the Cowboys can’t wait.

“We did not play well at all,” cornerback Orlando Scandrick said. “That was probably one of the worst games we’ve played in the Jason Garrett era around here. We don’t normally get beat like that. We’re competitive. We’re always in the game. It was just a disappointment. But you got another chance to make up for it.”

In the first meeting, the Cowboys gave up a season-high 464 yards, including 256 on the ground. It was the second-most rushing yards the Cowboys have given up since 2009.

The Cowboys didn’t tackle well or get to the quarterback and gave up too many big plays in the passing game.

“We definitely got a chip [on our shoulders],” defensive end Jeremy Mincey said. “They had their way with us. No man on this roster likes that. We know we didn’t play up to our potential. We didn’t do what we were supposed to do.

“We are excited to have a second chance. That’s all we’ve been talking about. Even during the Chicago game, I had to [say], ‘Hey, hush, man. We’ve got to finish beating Chicago and then we’ll get to it.’”

They believe things will be different this time because they will be better prepared and are well rested — unlike the first meeting.

The Thanksgiving showdown came on a short week following a night game at the New York Giants.

The Cowboys held only walk-through practices that week. Given the Eagles’ fast-break style under coach Chip Kelly, it was no way to prepare for the tempo they were about to see.

“They execute and they go fast and that’s what we’ve got to be able to do,” defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said. “Obviously, for us more time is going to be valuable.”

The Cowboys will have had 10 days between the game against the Bears and Sunday’s game in Philadelphia.

Seeing it the second time around will help. The Eagles ran a play every 19.1 seconds on the first two drives and averaged three plays a minute in the first half when they built a 14-point first half lead.

“It makes a difference,” Mincey said. “We didn’t know what to expect. They came out the gate fast. Now we know what’s going on. It took us to the second half to know what’s going and we played a lot better.”

The Cowboys’ primary focus will be stopping running back LeSean McCoy. He is the key to the offense — which is evident in the past three meetings between the teams.

McCoy rushed 159 yards on 25 carries on Thanksgiving. He also had 131 yards on 27 carries in the Eagles’ victory in the winner-take-all battle for the division title and the playoffs in the 2013 season final.

When the Cowboys beat the Eagles 17-3 last October, they held McCoy to 55 yards on 18 carries.

Quarterback Mark Sanchez completed an efficient 20 of 29 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown in the first meeting. But it’s all set up by the running game.

“They know how to throw the ball with boots. They’re awesome at that, getting the ball to the backs and stuff like that,” Marinelli said. “At the end of the day, they’re a physical run team. The offensive line is extremely physical, well-coached, tough. And they’ve got a back who knows how to run.”

To contain the quick and speedy McCoy, the Cowboys have to keep their gap discipline, set the edge and tackle. And then they must get off the field on third down.

They didn’t do any of those things well the first time around.

“I know I was trying to do too much,” said safety J.J. Wilcox, who typified the team’s woes with a number of missed tackles. “You have to stay in your gap and do your assignment. Do your job.”

Dallas wants to play the type of defense it has played all season and not the type that got embarrassed on Thanksgiving.

“We are definitely going to go out there and show them and everybody else who has doubts about our defense that that wasn’t our defense the last game,” defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford said. “We are going to play how we like to play and how we do. Hopefully, it’s a different outcome.”

This story was originally published December 11, 2014 at 7:03 PM with the headline "Cowboys’ defense savors chance at redemption against Eagles."