Slugfest. Defined as a tough and challenging performance, expert analyst and commentator Chris Collinsworth predicted the Cowboys and Eagles Sunday night matchup to be just that. Boy oh boy was he wrong. The Cowboys walloped the eagles to keep their rightful lead of the division in a 37-10 win.
Defensive Improvement
After several weeks of weak defensive performances, the Cowboys defense attacked with a passion against the Eagles, putting up one of their best performances of the season. The game started out well for them with two turnovers right off the bat. They didn’t look back from there, as they forced three turnovers and three sacks on the night.
One of the most prominent changes in the defense was the return of star D-lineman Demarcus Lawrence, who had a strip sack of Carson Wentz to start the game off right for the Cowboys. He was a presence the whole night in the backfield, putting pressure on Wentz all game with his partner in crime Robert Quinn, as he stuffed the Eagles for two tackles for loss. Lawrence proved to all his neigh-sayers exactly why the Cowboys are paying him this much. I hope he continues to perform at this level, like he is very capable of doing.
I also noticed the defensive playcalling seemed a bit more aggressive and actually made the Eagles uncomfortable at times, which was a much needed change from Richard and Marinelli with their uncommonly passive approach in past weeks. I saw several blitzes from the CB, safety, and LB position, most of which ended up in tackles for loss or a loss of down for the Eagles, with the highlight of these in a Jourdan Lewis blitz for a sack on third down.
The Cowboys did get a bit lucky defensively at the beginning of the game with those two quick turnovers. These two plays certainly got them hyped up for the rest of the game, but either way it was a solid performance that showed a return to their earlier and past season form.
Play Calling Improvement
In watching the game, I noticed a few instances where the playcalling seemed a little more creative than the last few weeks of ground and pound offense. This was perhaps sparked by a change in demeanor from Jason Garrett due to the massive outcry for him to be fired. Examples of this include a few shuffle passes from Dak, something we haven’t seen this whole season, the Prescott audible call to Randall Cobb, and the beautiful bootleg touchdown pass from Dak to Jarwin.
Other Thoughts
Unfortunately, the tornado that affected so many in the Walnut Hill area knocked out the power in my area, so I was unable to watch the majority of the second half. However, Brad Sham and Babe Laufenberg’s melodious voices on the radio were able to cover the rest of the game nicely for me on the radio.
It seemed like, despite leading Zeke to a great outing, the offensive line might be feeling a little banged up, as they racked up quite a few offensive holding penalties. This indicates that instead of straight up blocking opposing players as they’ve been able to in the past when they’re healthy, they occasionally must make dicier plays in order to successfully do their job.
There were some injuries, the most important of which were to LVE and Quinn, but it seems like both of them will be able to play at almost full health in the upcoming weeks. Amari was back from his injury this week, and his impact was immediately felt with his dirty ankle breaking play on a helpless Eagles cornerback, as he finished with 106 yards on the day. It’s became pretty clear that Amari might just be the most valuable offensive weapon on the team, with the almost night and day difference between the offense with him and without him.
It was also a game of records, as Dak broke the rushing TD record for the Cowboys with 22 touchdowns while Brett Maher, a kicker inconsistent from 30 and 40 yards, drilled a 63 yard field goal to capture the franchise record, record his third 60+ yard kick, and become one yard short from the NFL record of 64.
Trade Deadline
The Cowboys traded for Michael Bennett for a relatively low cost, getting an above average signing to boost the D-line for a pretty much negligible pick. He’ll certainly boost the defensive rotation, coming off a solid season in 2019.
Trade talks were picking up right around the deadline that the Cowboys might pick up star safety Jamal Adams from the Jets, but unfortunately a deal wasn’t able to be struck between the two teams. Every Cowboys fan and I would’ve loved to have a talent like Adams on the team, who could instantly make an impact in both his playmaking and consistent defensive ability, but if the terms of the deal were as reported (two first round picks) then I agree with and understand why the Cowboys didn’t pull the trigger.
The Cowboys play the Giants after their bye week, as they look to further cement their position atop the NFC East.
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