Eagles-Cowboys analysis: Birds survive as the defense and Jalen Hurts gut one out in a 28-23 win
The Cowboys' last-second play fell short, and the Eagles hung on to improve to an NFL-best 8-1 record after a gutsy performance.
Jalen Hurts greets Dak Prescott at the end of the game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. Eagles won, 28-23.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Even hobbled, Jalen Hurts continues to find different ways to deliver.
The Eagles quarterback, after he sustained another brutal hit to his injured left knee, dug deep on Sunday evening, and he directed an electric, come-from-behind victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
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This Week 9 matchup involving a pair of NFC East rivals and conference contenders lived up to its billing. The Eagles entered halftime trailing by three, but it was the uncertainty about Hurts’ health that left nearly 70,000 fans at Lincoln Financial Field feeling uneasy. Right before the half, Cowboys defensive tackle DeMarcus Lawrence collapsed the pocket and his helmet collided with Hurts’ knee, which caused the quarterback to stumble backward before he was eventually sacked by linebacker Micah Parsons.
Hurts was noticeably in pain and distraught. After coach Nick Sirianni called a timeout, Hurts struggled to retreat to the sideline. He mustered enough strength to return to the huddle and hand the ball off one more time before Hurts slowly jogged toward the tunnel.
However, the 25-year-old Hurts exuded toughness coming out of the half. He used his legs to move the chains on a third-down scramble. Hurts then delivered the play of the night: a high-arcing, 29-yard touchdown completion down the left sideline to a streaking DeVonta Smith. The go-ahead score sparked the Eagles, who claimed a 28-23 victory over the Cowboys to improve their NFL-best record to 8-1.
“This is what it’s all about,” Smith said. “You can’t just do it for one half. You have to play a complete game. Jalen going out there, him being him — we’re not worried. Jalen is going to be Jalen. There’s nothing he won’t play through. We have all the trust in him. If he says, he’s all right, then we’re rolling with him.”
Hurts’ two touchdown passes came in the third quarter, and he finished the game with 207 passing yards. He also had 36 rushing yards, including a rushing touchdown.
“I don’t really know what to say. It was a gritty win,” Hurts said. “Selfishly I don’t think the bye week could have come at a better time.”
Prescott airs it out, but defense holds
Dak Prescott of the Cowboys entered Sunday’s game as the most successful quarterback in the league against the blitz. While defensive coordinator Sean Desai applied pressure sporadically, he often favored sending just four rushers, and he relied on the back end to clean up the rest of the action.
The Eagles lived — and nearly died — by that formula. Prescott had an opportunity to steal a win at the end of the game, but his completion to CeeDee Lamb on the game’s final play was just short of the end zone. Prescott completed 29 of 44 passes for 374 yards and three touchdowns, while Lamb paced the Cowboys with 11 catches and 191 receiving yards.
“I thought Dak Prescott played extremely well,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “In these circumstances it’s a tough place to play. Obviously their defense and their defensive line, I think it’s clear, is the strength of their defense. Dak made plays with his feet, hung in there in the pocket, took hits, I thought he played his ass off.”
The Eagles defense struggled on the game’s final drive as it committed three penalties. But defensive end Josh Sweat sacked Prescott to force third-and-21. With the game clock expiring, Prescott completed a heave to Lamb, but a handful of defenders led by Darius Slay and Sydney Brown pounced on the receiver as safety Reed Blankenship recovered the fumble.
“We’ve got a lot to clean up, a lot to clean up,” safety Kevin Byard said. “But I’m [undefeated] as an Eagle, so I feel pretty good heading into the bye.”
Slay added: “That last drive was crazy... It was an intense game. They ran great designed plays. It was about getting [Lamb] down. This win [feels like] it counts as double because it’s a divisional game.”
Eagles hobble into the bye week
The Eagles’ bye week has arrived at the perfect time for the hobbled Eagles. Hurts has remained tight-lipped regarding his knee injury, but he took another beating from the Cowboys. He’ll look to maximize the next week-plus to recover with the Kansas City Chiefs awaiting in Week 11.
In addition to Hurts, linebacker Nakobe Dean sustained a foot injury toward the end of the first half, and he did not return. Dean, who missed four games while on injured reserve earlier in the season with a foot injury, exited with a noticeable limp.
Tight end Dallas Goedert also suffered a forearm injury during the third quarter. The injury occurred after Goedert hauled in a 28-yard reception from Hurts and he attempted to stiff-arm through his defender.
Brandon Graham celebrates after a stop against the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay celebrates as he walks off the field after the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-23.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Eagles cornerback Darius Slay celebrates after the Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb catches a pass on the final play during the fourth quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Dak Prescott is sacked by Brandon Graham in the fourth quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship recovers a fumble on the final play during the fourth quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback James Bradberry is called on pass interference as Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup tries to make a catch late in the fourth quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat sacks Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott late in the fourth quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham sacks Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in the fourth quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith yells after Eagles cornerback James Bradberry stopped Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb on a fourth and eight in the fourth quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scrambles with the football past Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (left) during the fourth quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott steps out of bounds on a two-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Eagles safety Sydney Brown jumps on Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb during the fourth quarter as Eagles safety Reed Blankenship (left) watches.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick reacts after seeing the replay stopping the Dallas Cowboys on fourth and goal in the fourth quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox reacts after the Dallas Cowboys touchdown is ruled short and the Eagles get the ball back in the fourth quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Eagles linebacker Zach Cunningham and cornerback Darius Slay take down Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott during the fourth quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Eagles safety Reed Blankenship stops Dallas Cowboys tight end Luke Schoonmaker from scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles safety Kevin Byard gets in a scuffle in the fourth quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Eagles fans react after the Dallas Cowboys fourth quarter touchdown was overturned after replay.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback James Bradberry stops Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard in the fourth quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown runs past Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland with cornerback Stephon Gilmore (left) for a third quarter touchdown.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown celebrates a third quarter touchdown.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay (left) and linebacker Nicholas Morrow tackle Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard in the fourth quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys safety Markquese Bell gets tangled up with Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert as he makes a first down catch in the third quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert shoves off Dallas Cowboys safety Markquese Bell in the third quarter. Goedart got hurt on the play.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert leaves the field after getting injured against the Dallas Cowboys in the third quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith celebrates a third quarter touchdown with wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Eagles running back D'Andre Swift runs with the football against Dallas Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson in the third quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts looks toward wide receiver DeVonta Smith in the third quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland can’t catch Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith as he makes a third quarter touchdown.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Eagles fans celebrate after wide receiver DeVonta Smith caught a third quarter touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith celebrates his third quarter touchdown catch with teammate center Jason Kelce against the Dallas Cowboys.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Eagles running back Rashaad Penny runs with the football during the third quarter against the Dallas Cowboys.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts runs for a first down in the third quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts lays on the turf after Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons took down Hurts late in the second quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts gets taken down may Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons with Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata on the turf late in the second quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts gets taken down by Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons late in the second quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scrambles with the ball late in the second quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scrambles with the football late in the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean (right) and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox celebrate their sack on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in the fourth quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean (left) and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox sack Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in the fourth quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Eagles running back D'Andre Swift misses getting into the end zone stopped by Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons in the second quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse brings down Philadelphia Eagles running back D'Andre Swift in the second quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Eagles fans watch the jumbo screen after Dallas Cowboys wide receiver KaVontae Turpin scored a second quarter touchdown.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson runs with the football past Eagles safety Kevin Byard during the second quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb runs with the football against Eagles cornerback Eli Ricks in the second quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick celebrates a second quarter sack on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox celebrate after Reddick sacked Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in the second quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis chases Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott late in the first quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick (right) and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox celebrate after stopping Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott forcing fourth and one late in the first quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni greets running back Kenneth Gainwell after his first quarter touchdown.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell celebrates a first quarter touchdown.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell scores a first quarter rushing touchdown over Dallas Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell (right) celebrates his first quarter rushing touchdown with teammate wide receiver DeVonta Smith.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell scores a first quarter rushing touchdown against Dallas Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell runs for a first quarter rushing touchdown pat Dallas Cowboys defenders.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys safety Israel Mukuamu (left) and safety Markquese Bell try to bring down Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown in the first quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Eagles safety Reed Blankenship goes after Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb in the first quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott gets pressured by Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick in the fourth quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox is slow to get up in the first quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts gets the football stripped against Dallas Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams in the first quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts throws the football during the first quarter against the Dallas Cowboys.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Eagles safety Reed Blankenship defends Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb on a third down for the Cowboys during the first quarter.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat (left) and defensive tackle Jordan Davis tackle Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard on the first play of the game.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham runs on the field during player introductions before the Eagles play the Dallas Cowboys.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles Fletcher Cox does his spitting water routine during player introductions before a game against the Dallas Cowboys.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
A young Eagles fan dressed as an eagle boos Dallas as they take the field before the game.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham hugs a member of the Eagles coaching staff before the Eagles take on the Dallas Cowboys.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Eagles fan cheer while tight end Dallas Goedert signs his autograph before the Eagles play the Dallas Cowboys.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles play the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Brown surpasses 1,000 receiving yards
Wide receiver A.J. Brown needed just nine games to exceed the 1,000-yard receiving mark. He became the fastest player in franchise history to reach the milestone after Mike Quick (1983) and Pete Retzlaff (1965) each crossed 1,000 yards in 11 games.
Brown hauled in seven catches on nine targets for 66 yards and one touchdown. The 26-year-old is now up to 1,005 receiving yards this season.
“They doubled me on third down a couple times,” Brown said. “But I definitely still had my opportunities. We didn’t cash in on some of them. But other players stepped up, and that’s what it’s about.”
Smith also recorded his 200th career catch during his touchdown reception. Smith finished with three catches for 51 yards.
“A.J. is the best [wide receiver] in this league,” Smith said. “That’s what they brought him here to do. I’m excited for him. I’m happy for him. I feel like this is only the beginning for us.”
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