Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles: 3 reasons why the home team blew it

The Dallas Cowboys lost 34-6 to their division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, without Dak Prescott. It’s frustrating because you can see traces of what the Cowboys can do once they’re healthy. They stayed in the red zone for most of the first half and prevented the Eagles from adding to the score. Unfortunately, the Cowboys were unable to capitalize on Philadelphia’s mistakes and were chasing points until the final whistle. The loss leaves the Cowboys winless at home and secures third place in the NFC East at 3-6. It’s time to accept that every week passes by is a season. Here are three reasons. among other things, that the Cowboys were again clearly beaten at home.

Losing the turnover battle and not taking advantage of their opportunities

It could have been the game-changer when Micah Parsons forced a fumble to Jalen Hurts to get the offense going inside the Eagles’ 10-yard line. Unfortunately, Dallas couldn’t take advantage of this opportunity and hit the end zone. After the takeaway, the Cowboys gained one yard of offense. Their first play of the series was a three-yard gain by Ezekiel Elliott. Then came an incomplete pass to a wide-open CeeDee Lamb, who couldn’t see the pass because the sun was shining in his eyes, which has been a distraction for the Cowboys at home for years. Finally, Rico Dowdle suffered a two-yard loss before the Cowboys had to settle for another field goal. That sequence came back to haunt the Cowboys when Philadelphia scored a touchdown just before halftime to take a 14-6 lead.

Dallas fumbled four times and lost each time. Cooper Rush’s first fumble came after a stellar defensive attack by the Cowboys that forced the Eagles to punt after some great plays from DeMarvion Overshown, including a sack on Jalen Hurts. Rush took the snap in the pistol formation and looked away from the ball before he couldn’t wrest it away from the Eagles’ defense. That’s a shame because not only did Dowdle appear to have blocked the play well, but Philadelphia also scored on their drive to secure their first points of the game.

The biggest mistake of the afternoon, however, came from Elliott. Recall that Elliott has expressed concern about his role in the crime and was disciplined for repeatedly arriving late to meetings. The team had overcome that and was ready to accommodate Elliott and put him in a position where he would benefit the team the most. Instead, after a 13-play series that lasted more than six minutes, Elliott fumbled the ball into the end zone, squandering the offense’s longest sustained drive. The Cowboys have shot themselves in the foot too many times to give themselves a fighting chance.

Cooper Rush’s 45-yard stinker

The transition from Dak Prescott to Cooper Rush is like a cliffhanger, but no one could have imagined how bad Rush would look. Rush is an eight-year veteran and has started games for Dallas. So it’s puzzling how bad he was against the Eagles. The defense was solid at times and Rush had moments where he could have stood in the pocket and made some throws. Backup starter Asim Richards performed well in place of the injured Tyler Guyton. Rush attempted 23 passes and had just 45 yards for a QBR of 16.5. As for why Rush was so inefficient, check out his passing chart.

Rush wasn’t nearly as aggressive as he needed to be or had been in the past. He settled for too many short throws and didn’t push the ball to the first-down markers. When he actually pushed it down, he was completely inaccurate. Again, it feels out of character for Rush, as we’ve seen him become more confident and precise in attacking defense.

As Rush took a shot downfield, he missed a throw to Lamb, who was behind a tied-up Darius Slay, but Rush subdued the pass. If Rush hopes to continue to give Dallas the best chance to win, he needs to be less against riskier shots. There are expectations for Rush, and there will be more pressure to improve if he hopes to calm the advances for Trey Lance. Another loss and a miserable performance and Rush would likely find themselves on thin ice going forward.

Don’t keep Jalen Hurts in the pocket

When you play against the Eagles, you know you’re in for a challenge that involves Jalen Hurts’ mobility. For a while, Dallas performed well and kept him in the pocket as all four rushers converged on the quarterback. However, Dallas made the mistake of allowing Hurts to extend off-schedule games, which cost them dearly. First, as a rusher, Hurts had 56 yards on seven carries, including a game-winning 24-yard scramble to put Philadelphia in the red zone before halftime. On the same drive, free rusher Hurts evaded Overshown on a blitz and threw a strike to Dallas Goedert for a touchdown. In the second half, Dallas again allowed Hurts to save the pocket in the red zone, and this time Johnny Wilson scored, making it 21-6. Dallas’ inability to contain Hurts is disappointing as they essentially kept Saquon Barkley at bay but were unprepared for what Hurts did with his legs.