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Eagles vs. Cowboys: Five takeaways from the Eagles’ 23-9 win over the Cowboys

Carson Wentz had been doing a better job of avoiding turnovers, but he had four Sunday night. Fortunately for the Eagles, the Cowboys only were able to turn the takeaways into 3 points.

Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz looks for an opening during the first quarter.
Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz looks for an opening during the first quarter.Read moreYONG KIM/ Staff Photographer

Five takeaways from the Eagles' 23-9 win over the Cowboys:

The pass rush

The Eagles sacked rookie Ben DiNucci just three times, but forced critical fumbles on two of them. Brandon Graham forced the first one in the first quarter when he hit DiNucci from behind and knocked the ball loose at the Philadelphia 17-yard line, spoiling a potential Dallas scoring drive. The second one, on a blitz by linebacker T.J. Edwards on a third-and-6 at the Philadelphia 20 in the fourth quarter, not only killed a potential Cowboys scoring drive, but was responsible for the Eagles' game-clinching touchdown when safety Rodney McLeod picked up the loose ball and returned it 53 yards for a score.

The Bad Carson

Carson Wentz had been doing a better job of avoiding turnovers. But that wasn’t the case Sunday night. He had two interceptions and lost a pair of fumbles against the Cowboys. Fortunately for the Eagles, the Cowboys only were able to turn those four turnovers into three points. Wentz completed just 15 of 27 passes and averaged only 4.6 yards per attempt.

» READ MORE: How the game unfolded in our live blog

Squandered opportunities

In the second quarter, the Eagles had the ball in Dallas territory four times and failed to score any points. Wentz had three turnovers in the first half, an interception and two fumbles. Two of those turnovers, including an interception on a first-and-10 at the Dallas 35, came in Cowboys territory.

Goedert’s quiet night

Tight end Dallas Goedert returned to the lineup Sunday night after missing four games with an ankle injury. He had only one catch and spent a good portion of the night blocking in 11-personnel packages. But his 15-yard catch in the third quarter helped set up the Eagles' go-ahead touchdown.

Stopping Zeke

The Cowboys needed their run game to take the pressure off of their rookie quarterback. But the Eagles did a good job of neutralizing Ezekiel Elliott. He rushed for just 63 yards on 19 carries. The Cowboys' biggest run play was a 19-yard gain by wide receiver CeeDee Lamb on a double reverse on the second play of the game.

» READ MORE: NFL Week 8 winners, losers and other observations

    Paul Domowitch
    I've covered pro football for the better part of the last four decades, including 35 Super Bowls.
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