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The Morning After Week 14 - Beating Philadelphia
Dallas used a big night from all corners of the roster to take down the NFC Champions.
BOB STURM
DEC 11, 2023
The buildup to Dec. 10 has been gaining steam for weeks.
This would be a day of reckoning for the Dallas Cowboys roster and the 2023 season. Everything they have done to this point had convinced folks that too much has changed about them. We are relatively sure that the bar will be moved again, anyway, but the point remains clear — this team badly needed a win against a team of consequence to show the world they don’t just beat up on patsies.
Well, there are certainly a few ways to process yet another 20-point victory from the Dallas Cowboys as they demolished the Philadelphia Eagles 33-13.
First, we should start with the fact that Dallas continued to drill teams at home at a remarkable rate and continue the NFL’s longest home winning streak. In those seven wins at home in 2023, they have never had fewer than 30 points. They have blown out nearly every team but Seattle, it seems, as their 279-108 margin of victory in these home games is something that Nebraska or Alabama may have posted over the years, but NFL teams don’t do this.
Philadelphia was supposed to change that Sunday. After all, you don’t want to play those Eagles coming off a loss when they will be determined to set things right and stop the bleeding. Dallas still needs help to fully take away the top of the NFC East, but Philadelphia needed this game to avoid handing the entire NFC to San Francisco – something these two mortal enemies can probably agree on is to avoid a trip to play the 49ers at their place in the playoffs.
Not only did they not change that direction of their nose-dive, but they seemed to confirm most of the alerts we had about the Eagles heading into this game. They could not generate offense like they once did as they did not score a single offensive touchdown. Imagine the chances of beating a team that scores no fewer than 30 points in their home stadium if the Eagles defense was going to outscore their own offense on Sunday night.
The Cowboys job was to do what we talked about in our pregame piece this week and it seems they thought the same thing. It was a chance to play the Eagles coming off a brutal stretch in their schedule and also the Cowboys enjoying a 10-day break between games. They should make sure that they keep the Eagles defense on the field and dealing with a physical game plan.
Yes, Dallas has turned into more of a pass-first operation, but I absolutely know how Mike McCarthy understands the concept of punishing an opponent into submission. He believes that December football is more a war of wills than it is a finesse game. If you get a chance to play a team that is hurting, you make them hurt more. You run the ball 32 times and keep them on the field for nearly 37 minutes. You start the game with ground and pound and you build a lead by banging it up in there and you are putting deposits in the bank early of physical football because the cumulative toll of those body blows will pay massive dividends as the night goes along.
It was brilliant to see how on the very first drive it was a series of tone-setting runs with Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle behind that big offensive line to send a message that this is going to be a long and grueling day for all the Eagles defenders. It will not be quick and decisive, but rather a trench war and you better pack a lunch.
The ran on first down all night: times on first-and-10 and if you are familiar with how things have been going in 2021 and 2022, you know that the offensive stats in Kellen Moore’s offense were certainly flashy. But, the reality was that when this team wanted to take the physical game to its opponents in these situations in December, it wasn’t happening. They were not able to win on the ground and to set a tone. First-and-10 in December of 2021 and 2022 was either a 1-yard gain or a 2-yard loss as Ezekiel Elliott had nowhere to go and no inventive alternates.
But, last night? They marched right down the field at about 6 yards per clip. Pollard showed strength and Dowdle had his normal ferocity. They were given opportunities and they brought their hammers. The Cowboys did not even use their wide receivers until they were in the red zone. Of course, once they got there, it was time for yet another hookup between Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb for a touchdown. Tough to beat 10 plays for 75 yards and a touchdown on your opening drive when you want to send a message to the Eagles that you are in for a night of body blows so get ready. The opening script could not have gone better.
Then it was time for the defense to join in. We have talked about the problematic issues with the defense in this space before. Now, there aren’t many, but the one that I keep coming back to is the following:
Dallas has lost three games this season: at Arizona, at San Fran, and at Philadelphia.
Dallas has three games without a defensive takeaway: at Arizona, at San Fran, and at Philadelphia.
Jalen Hurts was determined to try to open the offense up by running again. He has not been running the ball at anything approaching his 2022 levels and many assume it has been because he isn’t right physically. But, he also sees that it is breaking down his offense from “unstoppable” to “pretty average” from year to year.
So, on that opening drive, Hurts decides to call his own number a few times. The first one moves the chains with a nice 11-yard gain in a way that sort of made the Cowboys look like they were not expecting it.
So, facing a first-and-20 from the Dallas 31-yard line and the Eagles looking to tie the game up, he sees it again. Hurts follows his blockers and actually gains 12 yards. But, at the end of that run, there is one of the Cowboys defenders who makes big plays every season. Donovan Wilson’s strip and recovery of the ball that ended that drive was probably his biggest play in 2023 and a sign of a big night of making plays by this defense. The Cowboys stand tall and get the ball back.
From there, the Cowboys tactical acumen took over. Mike McCarthy showed zero hesitation going for it on fourth-and-2 and Tony Pollard got him 4 yards. Then, he showed the same aggressiveness having Brandon Aubrey attempt a 60-yard field goal, despite the critics ready to let him have it for giving the Eagles the ball at midfield if he misses it. The thing is Aubrey doesn’t seem to miss field goals. Good from 60 with ease and it is 10-0.
The Eagles did have some tricks ready and when they hit on their fake punt, we would see their second biggest offensive play of the entire night. Texas A&M’s Braden Mann took the opportunity to hit Olamide Zaccheaus for 28 yards and the game might have turned, but AJ Brown could not bring in a wrong-shoulder go route miss from Jalen Hurts that actually made it to his hands. Instead, an Eagles field goal would cut things to 10-3.
What made this evening so fulfilling for any Cowboys enthusiast had to be the way it was such a team effort.
As you look up and down the roster, you see remarkable contributions from all corners of the squad. Jake Ferguson was immense on a few huge plays in the game and is continuing to develop into a major upgrade from his predecessor because of his vertical and open field attacks. Malik Hooker broke up a huge play by getting his hand in on a big pass play. The chips all night long to help the tackles – Terence Steele, in particular – were all over the tape.
McCarthy threw the challenge flag on what appeared to be a touchdown from Rico Dowdle and got it confirmed to give Dallas a 17-3 advantage and now they had the Eagles right where they wanted them. That, of course, is where Micah Parsons can run over Lane Johnson for a sack of Jalen Hurts to stop another drive and hold them to just a field goal.
This Parsons sack moment before halftime was huge. The Eagles certainly had designs of doubling-up with the second half kickoff and if they can hit the back to back touchdowns, we might be 17-17. Instead, they settled for a field goal and then Prescott goes to work with an amazingly beautiful seam pass to Brandin Cooks and then a slant on a rub route to Michael Gallup and instead of a tie game, it is all but over at the half, 24-6 Cowboys.
There were moments of consequence in the second half, for sure. The next in a long line of Stephon Gilmore moments of greatness happened just after halftime as he and A.J. Brown were dueling all night. He allowed a slant, but then knocked the ball out. He would later wrestle DeVonta Smith to the ground on a big fourth down. He has not always stood out this season, but Gilmore’s quality is shining through in these last two meetings with huge receivers from Ole Miss. Gilmore has been a fantastic acquisition and don’t you dare call him old.
But, the one moment that caused the entire stadium to gasp was Prescott trying to keep a third down alive and paid dearly as Fletcher Cox got to him, stripped the ball, and rookie Jalen Carter ran it in for a touchdown. At 24-13, the Eagles had life with a gift touchdown and there was still 10:41 left in the 3rd Quarter. Virtually an entire half was left and the possibility of a gust of momentum helping, surely the ‘22 version of the Eagles would have made Dallas pay for that.
Instead, order was restored as Prescott put the Cowboys on the march again. This drive was back to running the ball well, but highlighted by a magnificent potential MVP moment from the veteran QB.
Third-and-6 from the Dallas 40-yard line. The Eagles are sending everyone. Seven man pressure and Prescott is facing Cover zero, with Philadelphia in man coverage everywhere. This is going to happen fast and Prescott is going to have to stand tall until the last moment and then put a pass right on target to make the Eagles pay.
He did exactly that.
What an immaculate moment of QB play and Ferguson looking every bit of Jason Witten in his prime. Remember that play because it might be one of the best of the entire season. If they don’t get it, they punt it right to the Eagles and maybe the game gets going in the wrong direction. But, the Eagles vibes were snuffed out right there.
A dubious clipping call later, McCarthy goes right back to Brandon Aubrey from 59-yards, because why not?
He nails it and it is now 27-13 and the game was in good hands. Aubrey has been one of the best acquisitions of the offseason and his story is becoming to good to be true. How the heck does a long-shot signing like this turn into one of the best kickers in the league in just a few months?
Dallas would seal the game by punching the ball out of Smith’s possession in the fourth quarter and would win the turnover battle decisively, 3-1. The defense stood tall against a desperate offense. The Dallas offense bossed the game with physical and dominant drives all night long that only punted once.
This is where the Cowboys are right now. They are 10-3 and have won every home game and seven of their last eight games overall. They have now played eight quarters against the NFC Champs and it seems pretty clear that they are a better team and would not in any way fear a 3rd matchup. I suspect the Eagles know this, too.
The result of this game will give them great confidence as they head way north to Buffalo for another showdown game against another playoff contender. But, before that, it is fair to offer them big credit for playing their best game against a 10-2 rival and really taking care of business with some ease.
That was well done from every aspect of this rolling Cowboys team. They should be pretty happy about the position they have put themselves in as they hit the road.
Dallas used a big night from all corners of the roster to take down the NFC Champions.
BOB STURM
DEC 11, 2023
The buildup to Dec. 10 has been gaining steam for weeks.
This would be a day of reckoning for the Dallas Cowboys roster and the 2023 season. Everything they have done to this point had convinced folks that too much has changed about them. We are relatively sure that the bar will be moved again, anyway, but the point remains clear — this team badly needed a win against a team of consequence to show the world they don’t just beat up on patsies.
Well, there are certainly a few ways to process yet another 20-point victory from the Dallas Cowboys as they demolished the Philadelphia Eagles 33-13.
First, we should start with the fact that Dallas continued to drill teams at home at a remarkable rate and continue the NFL’s longest home winning streak. In those seven wins at home in 2023, they have never had fewer than 30 points. They have blown out nearly every team but Seattle, it seems, as their 279-108 margin of victory in these home games is something that Nebraska or Alabama may have posted over the years, but NFL teams don’t do this.
Philadelphia was supposed to change that Sunday. After all, you don’t want to play those Eagles coming off a loss when they will be determined to set things right and stop the bleeding. Dallas still needs help to fully take away the top of the NFC East, but Philadelphia needed this game to avoid handing the entire NFC to San Francisco – something these two mortal enemies can probably agree on is to avoid a trip to play the 49ers at their place in the playoffs.
Not only did they not change that direction of their nose-dive, but they seemed to confirm most of the alerts we had about the Eagles heading into this game. They could not generate offense like they once did as they did not score a single offensive touchdown. Imagine the chances of beating a team that scores no fewer than 30 points in their home stadium if the Eagles defense was going to outscore their own offense on Sunday night.
The Cowboys job was to do what we talked about in our pregame piece this week and it seems they thought the same thing. It was a chance to play the Eagles coming off a brutal stretch in their schedule and also the Cowboys enjoying a 10-day break between games. They should make sure that they keep the Eagles defense on the field and dealing with a physical game plan.
Yes, Dallas has turned into more of a pass-first operation, but I absolutely know how Mike McCarthy understands the concept of punishing an opponent into submission. He believes that December football is more a war of wills than it is a finesse game. If you get a chance to play a team that is hurting, you make them hurt more. You run the ball 32 times and keep them on the field for nearly 37 minutes. You start the game with ground and pound and you build a lead by banging it up in there and you are putting deposits in the bank early of physical football because the cumulative toll of those body blows will pay massive dividends as the night goes along.
It was brilliant to see how on the very first drive it was a series of tone-setting runs with Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle behind that big offensive line to send a message that this is going to be a long and grueling day for all the Eagles defenders. It will not be quick and decisive, but rather a trench war and you better pack a lunch.
The ran on first down all night: times on first-and-10 and if you are familiar with how things have been going in 2021 and 2022, you know that the offensive stats in Kellen Moore’s offense were certainly flashy. But, the reality was that when this team wanted to take the physical game to its opponents in these situations in December, it wasn’t happening. They were not able to win on the ground and to set a tone. First-and-10 in December of 2021 and 2022 was either a 1-yard gain or a 2-yard loss as Ezekiel Elliott had nowhere to go and no inventive alternates.
But, last night? They marched right down the field at about 6 yards per clip. Pollard showed strength and Dowdle had his normal ferocity. They were given opportunities and they brought their hammers. The Cowboys did not even use their wide receivers until they were in the red zone. Of course, once they got there, it was time for yet another hookup between Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb for a touchdown. Tough to beat 10 plays for 75 yards and a touchdown on your opening drive when you want to send a message to the Eagles that you are in for a night of body blows so get ready. The opening script could not have gone better.
Then it was time for the defense to join in. We have talked about the problematic issues with the defense in this space before. Now, there aren’t many, but the one that I keep coming back to is the following:
Dallas has lost three games this season: at Arizona, at San Fran, and at Philadelphia.
Dallas has three games without a defensive takeaway: at Arizona, at San Fran, and at Philadelphia.
Jalen Hurts was determined to try to open the offense up by running again. He has not been running the ball at anything approaching his 2022 levels and many assume it has been because he isn’t right physically. But, he also sees that it is breaking down his offense from “unstoppable” to “pretty average” from year to year.
So, on that opening drive, Hurts decides to call his own number a few times. The first one moves the chains with a nice 11-yard gain in a way that sort of made the Cowboys look like they were not expecting it.
So, facing a first-and-20 from the Dallas 31-yard line and the Eagles looking to tie the game up, he sees it again. Hurts follows his blockers and actually gains 12 yards. But, at the end of that run, there is one of the Cowboys defenders who makes big plays every season. Donovan Wilson’s strip and recovery of the ball that ended that drive was probably his biggest play in 2023 and a sign of a big night of making plays by this defense. The Cowboys stand tall and get the ball back.
From there, the Cowboys tactical acumen took over. Mike McCarthy showed zero hesitation going for it on fourth-and-2 and Tony Pollard got him 4 yards. Then, he showed the same aggressiveness having Brandon Aubrey attempt a 60-yard field goal, despite the critics ready to let him have it for giving the Eagles the ball at midfield if he misses it. The thing is Aubrey doesn’t seem to miss field goals. Good from 60 with ease and it is 10-0.
The Eagles did have some tricks ready and when they hit on their fake punt, we would see their second biggest offensive play of the entire night. Texas A&M’s Braden Mann took the opportunity to hit Olamide Zaccheaus for 28 yards and the game might have turned, but AJ Brown could not bring in a wrong-shoulder go route miss from Jalen Hurts that actually made it to his hands. Instead, an Eagles field goal would cut things to 10-3.
What made this evening so fulfilling for any Cowboys enthusiast had to be the way it was such a team effort.
As you look up and down the roster, you see remarkable contributions from all corners of the squad. Jake Ferguson was immense on a few huge plays in the game and is continuing to develop into a major upgrade from his predecessor because of his vertical and open field attacks. Malik Hooker broke up a huge play by getting his hand in on a big pass play. The chips all night long to help the tackles – Terence Steele, in particular – were all over the tape.
McCarthy threw the challenge flag on what appeared to be a touchdown from Rico Dowdle and got it confirmed to give Dallas a 17-3 advantage and now they had the Eagles right where they wanted them. That, of course, is where Micah Parsons can run over Lane Johnson for a sack of Jalen Hurts to stop another drive and hold them to just a field goal.
This Parsons sack moment before halftime was huge. The Eagles certainly had designs of doubling-up with the second half kickoff and if they can hit the back to back touchdowns, we might be 17-17. Instead, they settled for a field goal and then Prescott goes to work with an amazingly beautiful seam pass to Brandin Cooks and then a slant on a rub route to Michael Gallup and instead of a tie game, it is all but over at the half, 24-6 Cowboys.
There were moments of consequence in the second half, for sure. The next in a long line of Stephon Gilmore moments of greatness happened just after halftime as he and A.J. Brown were dueling all night. He allowed a slant, but then knocked the ball out. He would later wrestle DeVonta Smith to the ground on a big fourth down. He has not always stood out this season, but Gilmore’s quality is shining through in these last two meetings with huge receivers from Ole Miss. Gilmore has been a fantastic acquisition and don’t you dare call him old.
But, the one moment that caused the entire stadium to gasp was Prescott trying to keep a third down alive and paid dearly as Fletcher Cox got to him, stripped the ball, and rookie Jalen Carter ran it in for a touchdown. At 24-13, the Eagles had life with a gift touchdown and there was still 10:41 left in the 3rd Quarter. Virtually an entire half was left and the possibility of a gust of momentum helping, surely the ‘22 version of the Eagles would have made Dallas pay for that.
Instead, order was restored as Prescott put the Cowboys on the march again. This drive was back to running the ball well, but highlighted by a magnificent potential MVP moment from the veteran QB.
Third-and-6 from the Dallas 40-yard line. The Eagles are sending everyone. Seven man pressure and Prescott is facing Cover zero, with Philadelphia in man coverage everywhere. This is going to happen fast and Prescott is going to have to stand tall until the last moment and then put a pass right on target to make the Eagles pay.
He did exactly that.
What an immaculate moment of QB play and Ferguson looking every bit of Jason Witten in his prime. Remember that play because it might be one of the best of the entire season. If they don’t get it, they punt it right to the Eagles and maybe the game gets going in the wrong direction. But, the Eagles vibes were snuffed out right there.
A dubious clipping call later, McCarthy goes right back to Brandon Aubrey from 59-yards, because why not?
He nails it and it is now 27-13 and the game was in good hands. Aubrey has been one of the best acquisitions of the offseason and his story is becoming to good to be true. How the heck does a long-shot signing like this turn into one of the best kickers in the league in just a few months?
Dallas would seal the game by punching the ball out of Smith’s possession in the fourth quarter and would win the turnover battle decisively, 3-1. The defense stood tall against a desperate offense. The Dallas offense bossed the game with physical and dominant drives all night long that only punted once.
This is where the Cowboys are right now. They are 10-3 and have won every home game and seven of their last eight games overall. They have now played eight quarters against the NFC Champs and it seems pretty clear that they are a better team and would not in any way fear a 3rd matchup. I suspect the Eagles know this, too.
The result of this game will give them great confidence as they head way north to Buffalo for another showdown game against another playoff contender. But, before that, it is fair to offer them big credit for playing their best game against a 10-2 rival and really taking care of business with some ease.
That was well done from every aspect of this rolling Cowboys team. They should be pretty happy about the position they have put themselves in as they hit the road.
