In front of a full house at the AT&T Stadium on Monday night in Arlington, Texas, the Cowboys went on a rampage, dominating the Eagles on both sides of the ball. Cowboys quarterback, Dak Prescott, took the field for the first time since suffering a season-ending ankle fracture last season. Dan Quinn’s revamped defense demonstrated their talent and depth yet again by shutting down the Eagles quarterback, Jalen Hurts, while Prescott took advantage of the offensive team to secure a 41-21 win.
The Eagles offense did not score until midway through the first quarter. Javon Hargrave, Eagles defensive tackle, forced a fumble from Prescott in the end zone. The fumble was recovered by Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox for a touchdown. From there, Micah Parsons and the Cowboys defense stepped up and blocked Eagles offense for much of the rest of the game.
Parsons, who got to start as the defensive end due to the suspension of La’el Collins, continued to demonstrate that he deserved to be the 12th overall pick in 2021, if not higher. He was credited with a half-sack, recorded three tackles and one assist during the game. He exited the game late in the fourth after taking a hit to the ribs.
Prescott was nearly perfect throughout the game, but was inches short on a fourth-and-goal from inside the one yard line. Replay review could not overwhelmingly determine whether the ball broke the plane of the goal line, resulting in a turnover. Prescott completed 21 of 26 passes for a total of 238 yards. He scored three touchdowns and had no interceptions. Some of his failures in the game included a dropped snap, but he managed to recover the ball himself.
Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard effectively ran the ball all night, recording a combined 155 yards and averaging about 5.6 yards per carry. Elliott came five yards shy of his first 100 yard game of the season. He recorded a touchdown and nearly had another, but was stopped inches short of the goal line by Eagles cornerback Darius Slay Jr.
Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs, who was involved in numerous big plays throughout the night, jumped a three-step drop by Eagles quarterback, Jalen Hurts, and returned it 59-yards for a pick-six in the third. Anthony Brown also collected a pick-off of Hurts on a deep pass, landing at the one yard line.
The receiving core did an excellent job of presenting targets for Prescott. Tight end Dalton Schultz led the team in receptions and yards, snatching six passes on seven targets and scoring two touchdowns. He finished the night with 80 yards receiving. CeeDee Lamb also had a big night, catching all three of his targets for 66 yards. Lamb attempted a receiver sweep play that resulted in a one-yard loss.
During the preseason, the quarterback drama was all about the backup; Cooper Rush eventually landed the position. Rush was able to do what the fans had hoped he would and go on the field to end the game. The victory formation is always one of the best offensive plays.
The Dallas Cowboys will face the Carolina Panthers next Sunday. The Cowboys are now 2-1 on the season and 1-0 in the NFC East. The Panthers are off to a great start at 3-0 for their season after shutting the Houston Texans down this weekend.
