DALLAS — It’s early but the Dallas Cowboys find themselves leading the NFC East standings, as they bask in the glow of dominating the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
The 41-21 beating was an impressive change of pace for a team that had gotten used to playing in so many close games.
Dallas, ultimately, played complementary football as they found success in all three phases of the game. Before we turn the page and look ahead to this week’s matchup, let's find out what we learned about the Cowboys in their Week 3 win over the Eagles:
Kellen Moore’s game plan impresses:
The offense for the Cowboys is one of the best in the NFL, ranking fifth in the league with 416 total yards per contest. There’s some high-quality talent to play with, but offensive coordinator Moore is putting together great game plans each week to tailor to Dallas’ strengths and attack the opposing defense’s weaknesses.
Against the Eagles, the Cowboys ran when they saw two safeties deep and were successful on the ground to the tune of 160 yards. The scheme also called for tight ends Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz to attack the soft Philadelphia linebackers. Combined, the TE duo caught eight passes for 94 yards and two scores.
Schultz was on the receiving end of the majority of that, but that was a product of him playing more snaps. Utilizing the tight ends was a clear objective and it worked wonders for the Cowboys.
Moore also added a new wrinkle, using reserve guard Connor McGovern as a fullback on multiple occasions, which proved a success. Each week, we’re seeing Moore streamline his game plan and it’s keeping defenses guessing.
Defense has speed to burn – This was an observation made in the preseason, which was made more evident against the Eagles and fleet-footed QB Jalen Hurts. The Dallas team speed on defense is light years ahead of where it was last year.
The Cowboys have had trouble keeping up with mobile quarterbacks in the past, but they contained the athletic Hurts in part because they had the speed to chase him down. DE/LB Micah Parsons kept Hurts from gaining the edge on RPO plays, while DE Randy Gregory and LB Leighton Vander Esch cut off the path to extra yards as well.
Then there’s cornerback Trevon Diggs, who swiftly drove on the ball when he intercepted a Hurts pass in the second half and returned it for a score.
The speed for the Cowboys on defense continues to show up each week and it made a definitive impact against the Eagles.
Dak not attacking with legs:
It’s early in the season, and relatively early in Dak Prescott’s return from a major ankle injury – still not a year removed – but the franchise QB doesn’t look anything like the runner that we saw in his first five years in the NFL. Prescott looked hesitant to scramble when he had room and chose to get down instead of fighting for extra yards like he used to do.
It’s good that Prescott still has mobility and can still avoid the pass rush, but it doesn’t appear as if he’s willing to pull the ball down and take off anymore. That may change the further away he gets from the injury, but Prescott doesn’t look like a threat as a runner right now.
Safety help has arrived – The Cowboys have been trying to find safety help for years. They might have had a solid one here and there, but rarely two, and never much depth at the position. That doesn’t appear to be the case this season.
With starter Donovan Wilson out of the lineup, the Cowboys have found a solid three-man core of Damontae Kazee, Malik Hooker and Jayron Kearse.
Against the Eagles, the trio had a solid showing with Kearse in particular standing out as one of the top performers. The free agent out of Clemson led the team in tackles and had a pass deflected in the win.
Issues on the interior – It wasn’t all great for the Cowboys on Monday night as the interior of the offensive line got manhandled for much of the game. Guard Connor Williams and center Tyler Biadasz had poor performances and contributed to Prescott getting sacked four times.
Williams also got called for three holding penalties (two accepted) and Biadasz allowed the most pressure among the offensive linemen. The Eagles have one of the best defensive tackle duos in the league with Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave, but Dallas needs better from both Williams and Biadasz going forward.
Are you happy with how things are going for the Cowboys so far in 2021? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.