Eagles-Cowboys takeaways: Defense is pass rush or bust; Jalen Hurts is an MVP contender

The Eagles head into their bye week with a meaningful cushion over the rest of the conference and division after holding off the Dallas Cowboys for a 28-23 win on Sunday.

Here’s what we learned about the 8-1 Eagles:

This year’s Eagles defense, more stylistically than schematically, reminds me of the Jim Schwartz era a bit.

When the pass rush is getting home, it can be easy to forget the disparity in investment and personnel on the back end. And when opposing quarterbacks get time, things can get ugly.

Schwartz’s tenure as defensive coordinator from 2016 to 2020 featured an even greater gulf in pedigree and production on the back end than this year’s defense.

Darius Slay and James Bradberry give the Eagles a credible pair of starters at outside cornerback, even if neither has played quite to the level of last season. At the slot, though, defensive coordinator Sean Desai’s reliance on undrafted rookie cornerback Eli Ricks in high-leverage moments has begun to fray.

The Eagles have given up nearly 800 yards of passing offense alone in the last two games, which, on its face, is certainly cause for concern. Washington exploited the Eagles’ pre-snap predictability, and Dallas successfully went matchup hunting with CeeDee Lamb.

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This isn’t to say there weren’t answers for Desai outside of getting timely rushes or having Slay follow Lamb all over the field. The Eagles kept the Miami Dolphins in check with Ricks lined up against star receiver Tyreek Hill, so there is a formula for success there. The Eagles helped Ricks by mixing in zone coverages that gave him another defensive back in off coverage, sometimes simplifying his assignment to a handful of routes rather than a true one-on-one matchup.

Against the Cowboys, Ricks was more isolated than insulated, and he struggled as a result.

Overall the Eagles defense still was able to deliver in the way it is built to: The deep, talented group of pass rushers made timely plays in spite of a shaky secondary.

Operating from the pocket more than usual, Jalen Hurts has still bolstered his MVP candidacy considerably in the last two weeks.

His quarterback ratings in each of the last two games have been over 130, something he managed to do just twice in his entire career before this season. After finishing second in MVP voting last year, Hurts has a 68.9% completion rate, a career high, and his 6.9% completion rate over expectation, which measures how improbable a passer’s completions are, is the best in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats.

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts has grown as a passer, and the Eagles are winning without heavily relying on the run game

His game averages in passing yards, total touchdowns, and success rate are all up from last year as well.

MVP winners typically have a blend of gaudy statistics, signature plays, and a supporting narrative to solidify their candidacy. Hurts has a chance to go over 4,000 passing yards and has made plenty of perfectly placed touchdown throws, and has done so by evolving as a passer because of a knee injury that has put his toughness on display.

It’s early yet, but Hurts’ case for the MVP may be even stronger than last year.

Sunday marked the sixth time this season that the Eagles eked out a one-possession game.

As hard as it is to nitpick an 8-1 team with a quarterback playing at an elite level, it’s only fair to acknowledge that teams with results like this are often considered ripe for a regression to the mean. It’s one of the biggest differences from last year’s team, which played in just three one-score games in the first nine weeks and went 7-1 in such games all season.

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Through nine weeks, the Eagles are 6-1 in such games, which goes a long way toward explaining why their advanced metrics don’t match the lead they’ve built in the standings. They’re 10th in defense-adjusted value over average, still behind the Cowboys even after Sunday.

Perhaps this year’s Eagles team is capable of “finding ways to win late,” but history shows that playing in so many tight games is a hard way to make a living in the long term. All that said, the cushion in the standings gives the Eagles room for some regression, and there’s still reason to believe they’d be favored in just about any interconference matchup at home.

After voicing concern with the Eagles’ red-zone offense a few weeks ago, it’s only fair to give offensive coordinator Brian Johnson some credit for the turnaround in the last few games.

The team’s issues inside the 20 against the Commanders came down to ball security more than play-calling. The Eagles had two fumbles at the goal line, one coming from Kenneth Gainwell and another when Hurts fumbled the snap on a quarterback sneak after a premature push from Olamide Zaccheaus.

The Eagles were 3-for-3 in the red zone against the Cowboys, which turned out to be one of the major differences in the game. Dallas ranked 29th in red-zone efficiency coming into the game and went 3-for-5 inside the 20 against the Eagles.

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Hurts’ final red-zone touchdown, a 4-yard completion to A.J. Brown, was a particularly encouraging call from Johnson, who dialed up a run-pass-run option play out of a pistol formation.

The Eagles typically use pistol sets with a running back lined up directly behind Hurts instead of to one side to avoid tipping defenses off on what direction a rushing play is headed. But the offense hardly threw out of pistol coming into the game — just a dozen passes compared to roughly 40 running plays.

Calling a run-pass-run option with Brown going in a jet motion is the type of wrinkle that you want to see from offensive coaches when things get predictable. Johnson delivered just that in a big game.

Dallas Goedert’s extended absence with a forearm fracture will leave the Eagles offensive staff with some problem-solving to do during the bye week.

For as much as Goedert brings to the passing game, his contribution to the running game may be just as important. The star tight end, who seems likely to land on injured reserve, gave the Eagles flexibility to run out of light formations because of his blocking ability while also offering a legitimate receiving threat when the Eagles go with heavier personnel groupings.

The team was able to tread water when Goedert missed time last season with a shoulder injury. With Jack Stoll starting in his place, the Eagles actually went 5-0, although Stoll didn’t contribute as much in the passing game as Goedert over that stretch.

It’s also important to point out that the Eagles’ running game was more effective last year than it has been this season, especially with Hurts hobbled.

The Eagles’ passing game should be talented enough to compensate for Goedert’s absence, but the dominant running game the team has used to put teams away may be harder to ignite without Goedert’s presence.