DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys dominated the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football, earning a 33-13 win, bragging rights over a division rival, and first place in the NFC East. It was a game where the Cowboys intended to prove to doubters that they could beat good teams, and they did so by blowing out a team that came into the contest with the league’s best record.
In the win, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott presumably took the lead in the MVP race while the Dallas defense didn’t allow an offensive touchdown. The new division leaders got contributions from all three phases and looked easily like the better team from the start.
If you’re counting, that’s 15 straight wins for the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium, seven of which have come this year. It was another impressive performance at home, where Jerry Jones’ team has now won six of their seven games by at least 20 points.
The victory also made it three consecutive double-digit winning seasons for the Cowboys under head coach Mike McCarthy, an impressive feat that hasn’t happened since the 1990’s.
Cowboys fans had this Week 14 contest circled on their calendars. The last loss for the team came in Week 9 against these Eagles, a game in which the Cowboys couldn’t come up with a few yards necessary to walk away victorious. That 28-23 loss put Dallas in a hole in the division, one that they climbed out of by putting together a five-game winning streak.
Prescott led the way with 271 yards passing and two scores. The offense got out to a 7-0 start on their first possession and never looked back. The opening drive went 10-plays for 75 yards and ended with a touchdown pass to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Dallas’ defense didn’t take long to get started either, causing a Jalen Hurts fumble as the Eagles were driving looking to respond. Safety Donovan Wilson knocked the ball loose from the Eagles’ quarterback and the Cowboys recovered.
On their next series, the Cowboys got more points when kicker Brandon Aubrey was called upon for a 60-yard field goal attempt. The rookie kicker split the uprights to remain perfect on the season. It was a big kick to give the team a 10-point lead early, and ensured that the Eagles wouldn’t have great field position if he missed.
McCarthy would continue to believe in Aubrey, who made three more deep kicks, one from 59-yards, another from 50, and his final make from 45-yards out. It was an impressive night from Aubrey, who keeps rewriting the NFL record book.
The only special teams blunder in the game came when the Eagles converted on a successful fake punt where wide receiver Jalen Tolbert failed to cover the gunner. It seemed like everyone knew the fake was coming but Tolbert and the Cowboys missed the memo. The fake led to three points for the Eagles, but the Cowboys would answer.
To take the momentum back, the Cowboys went on a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that ended with running back Rico Dowdle finding the end zone on a one-yard score to go up 17-3.
The Eagles kicked another field goal to inch closer, but Prescott and McCarthy answered three points with seven of their own ahead of halftime. Dallas went on a scoring drive that took just 1:28 seconds at the end of the second quarter when Prescott hit wide receiver Michael Gallup on a quick slant for a one-yard touchdown.
Scoring on the opening drive and last drive of the half proved big as Dallas played keepaway from the Eagles before the end of the first half. Philadelphia has had a habit of getting back into games that they’ve trailed by doubling up at the end of halves and opening the third quarter, but the Cowboys made sure that didn’t happen.
However, even with an 18-point lead to start the second half, the Eagles fought back with a defensive touchdown when Prescott fumbled less than five minutes into the second half. The 11-point lead made for some uncomfortable moments, but just like they did all game, Dallas answered points with points.
When things got tight, and after one of the only poor plays in the game, and with Philadelphia trying to feed off the newfound momentum, the offense grinded out a nine-play drive that ended with an Aubrey 59-yard field goal. It was another clutch kick where, if he misses, the Eagles have the ball at midfield and are down just two scores. Aubrey gave the Cowboys nothing to worry about.
A 14 point lead late in the third quarter meant that the defense could finish off the win in 2023 Cowboys style. First they got a critical stop on fourth down when cornerback Stephon Gilmore made a textbook open field tackle to stop Eagles’ wide receiver DeVonta Smith. On their next series, safety Markquese Bell forced a fumble, which the Cowboys recovered deep in their own territory. It was the third fumble recovery for the Cowboys in the game, which felt ironic considering the fact that the defense forced three fumbles in the first meeting but didn’t recover any of them.
Just as the little things didn’t go their way in the Week 9 matchup, the ball bounced the Cowboys’ way in the Week 14 win. But make no mistake, Dallas made their own luck, played well, and dismantled the Eagles in the rematch.
It’s no easy feat to hold one of the best offenses in the league to no touchdowns, yet Dan Quinn’s defense played one of their best games of the season, with the veteran Gilmore leading the way.
The offense did what good teams do, they answered the call to put up points every time that the Eagles tried to get back in the game. After every series where the Eagles scored, the Cowboys came back with points of their own on the next drive. And with Aubrey’s four field goals, the special teams played a major role in the win as well.
The Cowboys won in every phase of the game and blew out another team on their way to their 10th win of the season. That team just happened to be the Eagles, which makes it even sweeter.
There’s a new leader in the NFC East, and it’s the Dallas Cowboys.
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