The Dallas Cowboys defense has romped unrepentant through the early half of the 2022 NFL season but met a rock against the League’s only unbeaten team. On Sunday Night Football, the Dallas Cowboys fell to the Philadelphia Eagles by a final score of 26-17. A furious second-half rally by America’s Team was derailed by the first turnovers of the season for Cooper Rush in what might be his last start at quarterback.
The final score doesn’t represent what the Eagles did against Dallas. Philly found multiple ways to sober the Animal House defense that Dallas brings by eliminating linebacker Micah Parsons and shutting down the Cowboys to continue the best start to a season the NFC East rival has posted in years.
For Cowboys backup QB Cooper Rush, this was one of those games that any starter learns to forget. For the career backup QB, it might be a more somber moment. Rush finished the game throwing for 181 yards, but his three interceptions corralled any chance at a Cowboys victory. After four starts this season, the three interceptions on Sunday Night Football mark the only turnovers Rush has committed in 2022, and all signs point to Dak Prescott returning next week against Detroit.
The Cowboys got down quickly in the game, falling behind by a score of 20-3 at halftime. A furious second-half rally saw Dallas claw back to 20-17 in the third quarter, but Eagle quarterback Jalen Hurts proved his mettle against the Cowboys pass rush, earning the win on a 155-yard, two-touchdown night that saw the former OU star throw no interceptions.
Hurts was taken down four times by Dallas’ vaunted defense. Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler Jr., Donovan Wilson, and Chauncey Golston each registered sacks in the game, but it wasn’t enough to stop a furious Eagles offensive attack. Parsons was limited to just three solo tackles and one tackle for loss in the game. Philly eliminated Parsons by not blocking him, a trick no opponent had yet tried. Stuck in cover or run protection, Parsons was unable to impact the game the way he typically does.
Rush has had success in his previous four starts because the defense had set the offense up in good spots to capitalize on field position. On Sunday, the Eagles refused to spot the Cowboys’ easy yards, and the offense wasn’t able to get on track until running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard got moving in the second half.
Elliott scored only his second TD of the season while leading the team in rushing yards, but it was too little too late as the Eagles were able to shut down the Cowboys in the late stages of the game. After surrendering back-to-back touchdowns from Rush to tight end Jake Ferguson and a rushing TD by Elliott, the Eagles ended a Cowboys drive on an interception and a missed field goal to secure the sixth win of the season and mark the first time an NFC East opponent has beaten the Cowboys since the 2020 season.
The Cowboys host the Detroit Lions on October 23 in what is likely to be the first start for Dak Prescott since breaking his thumb in Week 1 against Tampa Bay. The Cowboys fall to 4-2 behind the currently unbeaten Eagles (6-0) and the New York Giants, who have crawled out of the NFL’s cellar to find themselves at 5-1.
