
Cowboys get blown out by Eagles 41-7, swept for first time since 2011
Well, the good vibes of the last few weeks had to come to an end at some point. Sunday proved to be that point, as just about everything went wrong for the Dallas Cowboys from start to finish, ultimately falling 41-7 to the Eagles on the road in Philadelphia.
The Cowboys came into this game winners of four of their past five tries and riding an emotional high after beating the Buccaneers just hours after being eliminated from the playoffs. But Dallas then decided to shut down CeeDee Lamb for the year, an understandable proposition given the receiver had been battling a shoulder injury for the better part of a month now.
Lamb’s absence was felt against a really good Eagles team. Dallas started out with the ball and Cooper Rush managed to move the ball somewhat, finding both Brandin Cooks and Jalen Tolbert downfield early and reaching Eagles territory. Then Rush threw a terrible interception that was returned for a touchdown.
The Eagles, who were playing without Jalen Hurts after the quarterback suffered a concussion last week, were up 7-0 without even having to call a play for backup Kenny Pickett.
To be fair, the Cowboys bounced back. Rico Dowdle led the way, with Rush making a couple of big throws and the Eagles helping them out with two defensive holding penalties. Eventually, Rush hit Tolbert for a touchdown and tied things up.
Mike Zimmer’s defense, which has been a major piece of the Cowboys’ turnaround, finally took the field with just five minutes left in the first quarter. They promptly forced a three-and-out, with Pickett missing his first two attempts. The Cowboys returned the favor, punting after just three plays, and Zimmer’s unit forced another three-and-out.
When the Cowboys got the ball back, the second quarter had just started, and the two teams were still locked up at 7-7. A holding call from Tolbert backed them up into an early first and 20, but big gains to Cooks and Jonathan Mingo brought up third and one. Instead of looking for a quick completion, Rush launched a deep shot to Mingo, who beat his man but never seemed to locate the ball.
That was when the floodgates opened.
The Eagles moved the ball slowly down the field before Pickett found DeVonta Smith wide open in the endzone, having beaten Andrew Booth Jr. right off the line of scrimmage. On the Cowboys’ next drive, Rush hit Jake Ferguson on a quick pass, but the tight end fumbled the ball. It marked just the second lost fumble in Ferguson’s career.
The Eagles took over already in Cowboys territory, and the defense did their best, ultimately holding them to a field goal. The Cowboys got the ball back with just under two minutes and tried to run a hurry-up drill, but Rush threw a wild deep ball that was intercepted and returned 25 yards. That, coupled with some big runs from Saquon Barkley, led to a touchdown on the final play of the half.
In the span of just 13 minutes of game time, the Eagles had gone from a tie game to a 24-7 lead.
Things didn’t change in the second half, as the fight seemed to drain out of the Cowboys. Their only second half drive to reach the red zone ended on a fumble from Dowdle. Later, they attempted a 61-yard field goal but Brandon Aubrey doinked it off the upright for a miss. Meanwhile, the Eagles were killing the clock by simply riding Barkley, who hit 2,000 rushing yards on the year and is now just 101 rushing yards away from breaking the all-time single season record.
In related news, Dowdle managed to break 1,000 rushing yards on the year in this game, a first for him and one that underscores just how great he’s been since assuming the role of the lead back in this offense. Dowdle has had 605 of his rushing yards in the past six games, an impressive feat for the pending free agent.
The loss guarantees that Dallas will have a losing season for the second time in Mike McCarthy’s tenure as the Cowboys head coach. Both times have been marked by season-ending injuries to Dak Prescott. It is also the first time the Cowboys have been swept by the Eagles since 2011, Jason Garrett’s first full year as the head coach.
There are now just four quarters left of the 2024 season in Dallas, as the Cowboys will return home to face a Commanders team they beat just a few weeks ago, kicking off their strong run of games. Washington still hasn’t locked up a playoff spot at 10-5 and will likely need to win next week to do so. It will be interesting to see how the Cowboys approach that game after such a crushing return to reality in this one.