PHILADELPHIA — Cooper Rush turned into a pumpkin for the first half, and more importantly, the Dallas Cowboys defense looked fallible.
Both units turned the tide in the second half, but a 20-point deficit was too much to overcome as the Philadelphia Eagles remained NFC class – and the NFL’s only undefeated team – with a 26-17 victory over “Sunday Night Football”. .”
Philadelphia dominated the second quarter and that was enough, but the Eagles have some offensive inconsistencies to iron out in their bye week. That didn’t stop quarterback Jalen Hurts from connecting with his two best wides, AJ Brown (five catches, 67 receiving yards) and DeVonta Smith (five catches, 44 yards), for a touchdown apiece. Running back Miles Sanders also contributed a rushing touchdown.
Two Cowboys third-quarter touchdowns — the first by running back Ezekiel Elliott (13 carries, 81 yards) on a 14-yard run and the second the first career touchdown for rookie winger Jake Ferguson — made it a 20 -17 ball game in what originally had all the ingredients for a blowout. Rush, who completed 18 of 38 passes for 181 yards, and the Cowboys offense actually passed the Eagles, 315-268.
But Hurts and the Eagles responded and hung on to go 6-0 for the first time since 2004 and the third time in franchise history.
Follow every game: NFL Live Scores
32 THINGS WE LEARNED IN WEEK 6:Bills bag Chiefs; ‘Who Dey?’ trumps ‘Who Dat?’
DO YOU LIKE FOOTBALL? Then you’ll enjoy getting our NFL newsletter delivered to your inbox.
Here are three things we learned in the Week 6 Showdown:
Eagles aggression pays off, while Cowboys play hurts
The Eagles’ second drive of the game was methodical and productive (15 plays, 80 yards, 7 minutes and 36 seconds). Coach Nick Sirianni was aggressive early on and Hurts converted two fourth downs in Dallas territory – one with his arm on a catch-and-run Brown and another with a hard count that blew the Cowboys into the neutral zone. Sanders struck in a 5-yard rush for the game’s first score on the opener of the second quarter.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy tried to match the aggressiveness on fourth down, but that philosophy backfired. At fourth-and-inches, Dallas called play action that was doomed and fell incomplete – once again nearly intercepted. Philadelphia took over at the Dallas 35-yard line with another short field.
Dallas’ defense got stronger to force a three-and-out, but Jake Elliott made it a three-handed game (17-0) with a 51-yard field goal.
Micah Parsons was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the third quarter that gave the Eagles 15 yards they weren’t otherwise gaining at that point in the game.
The magic of Cooper Rush is running out
In the second quarter, Dallas almost didn’t have a chance to respond to the Eagles’ first score. On the line, Rush telegraphed his throw down the middle to Michael Gallup. Eagles cornerback James Bradberry jumped the road and kicked the ball up in the air. Safety CJ Gardner-Johnson won for Rush’s first interception (122 attempts) of the season and Philadelphia took over Dallas territory.
“Turnovers kill,” Elliott said. “We need to protect football better. We need to get out faster.
Cornerback Darius Slay took out Rush later in the quarter by jumping an oblique route; he handed the ball to rapper Meek Mill, who performed his hit “Dreams and Nightmares,” an unofficial anthem from the Eagles’ Super Bowl five years ago.
Rush’s third interception came with five minutes remaining. Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham hit him as he was throwing and Rush severely underestimated a streaky CeeDee Lamb. Gardner-Johnson, who left earlier in the game with a hand injury, dove just before the ball hit the ground to quell the Cowboys’ comeback attempt.
“We kept shooting each other in the foot a bit,” Rush said.
Rush improved throughout the game, using the sideline passing game to his advantage, but had a 1.0 quarterback rating in the first half. Philadelphia deflected 12 passes throughout the game in addition to interceptions, which Rush called a “decisive factor.”
The Eagles missed Lane Johnson
Right tackle Lane Johnson went into concussion protocol just before halftime and it altered the Eagles’ offensive power. The Eagles’ offensive struggles coincided with his departure, as he was paired with Parsons and contained the game wrecker throughout the first half (zero QB hits for Parsons).
The Eagles had six net yards of offense in the third quarter (not including penalties).
To start the second half on offense, Dallas prioritized the run and immediately found success. Elliott blasted his way through the Eagles defense for a 14-yard score to cut the deficit to 20-10. Then Ferguson’s score made it a three-pointer 21 seconds into the fourth quarter. Dallas rushed for 81 yards in the first half, but nearly doubled in the third quarter (153 yards) only.
The Eagles have a bye next week before hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 30, giving Johnson more time to clear revamped concussion protocols that have come to light this NFL season.
Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.
