The Dallas Cowboys had every opportunity to prove that they could be a good team without their starting quarterback but instead proved that the Philadelphia Eagles were a great team.
It’s easy to crown an undefeated team as great, but wins and losses don’t carry over from game to game as much as performance does, and the Eagles have been performing like an elite squad.
Dallas Cowboys Have Been Dependent on Defense
The Cowboys, for their part, have relied on a stellar defense to cover up their kneecapped offense. But that defense has been driven by an incredible pressure rate, leading the league by putting opposing quarterbacks under duress on 41 percent of their snaps.
But those numbers were racked up against struggling protection units. None of the Cowboys’ opponents ranked higher than 24th in pass block win rate. Conversely, the Eagles rank seventh in that metric.
Micah Parsons is an extraordinary edge rusher even in the worst of situations, so the Eagles found ways to neutralize him outside of just having good talent matchups, with run-pass conflicts to slow him down more effectively than any offensive tackle could.
And with those in play, the Eagles could feel comfortable throwing the ball, despite traditionally being one of the most run-heavy teams in the NFL. He had no pressures in the first half because of this attention.
Still, talent matters, and we saw that after Lane Johnson went out at halftime because of a concussion. Further injuries to that offensive line, including to Landon Dickerson, further exposed that particular weakness and put the Cowboys in familiar territory, feasting on backups and low-quality protection units.
The Cowboys attacked replacement right tackle Jack Driscoll to generate pressure and also happened to get some wins against Jordan Mailata in the process – part of the reason that the Eagles lost their halftime 17-point lead, at one point reduced to three points.
Quarterback Was the Difference
The fact that talent matters had an impact elsewhere, too – Jalen Hurts is simply a better quarterback than Cooper Rush, and he demonstrated that time and again when the Eagles needed to pull out a critical first down or generate a score to pull just far enough ahead to keep the Cowboys out of the game.
Conversely, Rush could not find ways to push the ball. He’s been a remarkably conservative quarterback, which has been fine for a defense-led unit like the Cowboys. But they’ve been one of the worst offenses in the NFL at generating first downs, with a success rate of just 63 percent per series, 30th in the NFL – just ahead of the Bears and Panthers.
When using Football Outsiders’ “ALEX” metric, which measures how many yards ahead – or behind – the sticks a quarterback throws, Rush ranked 30th of 32 quarterbacks. Rush has had difficulties throwing deep all season but wasn’t punished for it until this game; he had thrown a total of five turnover-worthy plays but hadn’t been picked off.
Those chickens came home to roost against the Eagles, where three of his interceptable passes indeed turned into interceptions.
All that said, the Cowboys will have Dak Prescott back soon – the broadcast mentioned that Prescott felt he was essentially healthy and his grip strength was at an “A” and he was waiting for it to be an “A-plus.”
Prescott didn’t do well in his initial showing this season, but he’s been a talented quarterback, putting together performances worthy of top-ten consideration and statistics worthy of top-three recognition.
That, along with a high-level defense, could mean the Cowboys will enter their matchup against the Eagles with an upper hand. But for now, there’s one king of the NFC East – and perhaps the entire NFC. And the Cowboys helped prove it was the Eagles.