Eagles-Cowboys up-down drill: Pederson, Schwartz, Barner in spotlight | Jeff McLane

DOWN – The risk, aside from injury, was that Foles would play just as poorly as he did against the Raiders. An early drop from Torrey Smith didn't help, but the Eagles can't be feeling too hot about their quarterback heading into the postseason.

SIDEWAYS – The feeling here was that Pederson needed to play Foles and his starting offense and establish some chemistry with an extra week off before the divisional round of the playoffs. So why the early hook after four drives when the performance was abysmal?

UP – He's the leading candidate to be the Giants' next head coach. The dynamic of Schwartz vs. Pederson and Carson Wentz over the next X-number of years is an intriguing one. But first things first. The Eagles likely need Schwartz's unit to carry them to victory in two weeks.

SIDEWAYS – He wasn't terrible by any measure. But he wasn't anything special, either. But Sudfeld, in his first NFL game, didn't have the luxury of playing with the Eagles' starting offense. He had a few nice downfield throws.

DOWN – The rookie cornerback went from starter to inactive in a matter of weeks, but mostly because of Ronald Darby's return and the numbers game. But Douglas showed why he's still a work in progress on Sunday. He made several mistakes on the Cowboys' touchdown drive.

UP – Curry was the lone defensive starter to play into the second half — out of necessity with Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett inactive — and the defensive end played his every snap as if it had meaning.

UP – In a game as boring as watching paint dry, Jones wearing sweats out onto the field provided some much-needed color. The Eagles punter nonchalantly pulled them off and tossed them aside, but he's likely to be fined for a uniform infraction. Of more importance was Jones' punting. He helped flip the field several times.

UP – He was clearly rusty. The rookie cornerback failed to hold the edge on Ezekiel Elliott's 16-yard carry around the corner in the first half. And he bit on a second-half double move — the pass was overthrown. But Jones mostly held up in his first NFL game. His future is bright.

DOWN – The early-season drops that plagued the wide receiver had gone away for a significant stretch. But Smith had a perfect third-down Foles pass slide through his hands.

UP – He picked up a $300,000 incentive when he eclipsed 750 yards rushing for the season. Blount's role may have decreased with Jay Ajayi's recent surge in touches, but the veteran running back was a major season for the Eagles' success this season.

DOWN – Signed after Darren Sproles' season-ending knee injury, Barner had several early strong punt returns. But he hasn't done much since and had an unseemly muff on Sunday.

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