This was an odd defensive performance because the Eagles made the splash plays you absolutely need to stay in games against elite offenses, yet across the majority of the snaps, they were beaten pretty badly. The Cowboys’ offense is genuinely excellent right now, and they stressed the Eagles in ways they struggled to handle. In fairness, the Eagles were also dealing with a secondary that lost a few players throughout the game.
Defense
The Eagles were beaten badly for most of the game, but they still created big plays in key moments, as I stated above. Dak Prescott had all day because the Cowboys came into the game with an excellent protection plan. That allowed the Cowboys to hit these deep crossers repeatedly, especially off play action. Adoree’ Jackson was isolated far too often, with no help from the rush and no help from the scheme. He was fortunate CeeDee Lamb dropped the throw, because the Eagles were already showing signs early on that they wouldn’t be able to stop this passing attack consistently.
The Blankenship interception was one of the critical plays this defense made. Dak Prescott made a poor decision, but Blankenship read the crosser beautifully, undercut the route, and made a fantastic catch. His absence later was absolutely enormous. The defense played worse the moment he exited, and this interception served as a reminder of how important he has become.
The Cowboys’ offense is simply operating at a very high level right now. We have to admit it. Prescott’s timing, his eye manipulation, and the amount of protection he had allowed him to get into a rhythm the Eagles never broke. Dallas used trap protection repeatedly, pulling a guard or center to help out in protection, and it worked very well. Watching the Cowboys’ protection plan (use of backs and tight ends) compared to the Eagles’ offense was a little depressing. This was the kind of game where the Eagles, realistically, needed their offense to score 25 or 30 just to match Dallas’ output. I predicted this in the preview. Their inability to apply pressure put everything on the secondary, who were already struggling.
I was a little annoyed we didn’t ask Quinyon Mitchell to travel more with Pickens in this one. The staff left Adoree’ Jackson alone against Pickens, with no safety help, while Quinyon lined up over Ryan Flournoy too often. Pickens is one of the best receivers in football this season, and Jackson should not be left alone covering him. Honestly, I couldn’t blame him for getting beaten at times.
Jordan Davis offered one of the few bright spots in the trenches. While the pass rush struggled, the run defense was mostly strong, aside from a couple of Cowboys chunk plays created by motion and design. Davis bullied Tyler Booker on this rep, throwing him aside and blowing up the run instantly. Dallas had two long, untouched runs earlier, but aside from those, the interior was sturdy. Davis, Jalen Carter, and Nolan Smith did enough in the run game to keep things respectable.
This clip of Nakobe Dean as a pass rusher is exactly why he needs to be used more aggressively. He was the Eagles’ most efficient pass rusher in the game, and his timing is elite when blitzing through the A-gap. He rushed only six times but produced two pressures and a sack. Against a quarterback like Prescott, who is lethal when comfortable, the Eagles needed more of these snaps. Dean’s explosiveness could have changed drives if used more frequently.
The next Pickens shot is a tough watch because Jackson gets beat again, but once more, Dak has all day in the pocket. The Cowboys ran play-action dagger concepts constantly, including trap-protection variations where the center pulled to influence the linebackers, and the Eagles’ pass rush couldn’t break through. You can blame Jackson, but he was being asked to cover an elite receiver without much help at times.
Watching Dallas’ tight ends block all game highlighted an obvious difference between these two offenses. I was very jealous. Luke Schoonmaker and Brevyn Spann-Ford consistently helped protect, seal edges, and widen pockets for Prescott to step into. They were also important players in the run game. The Eagles do not get that level of blocking from their tight end room. It showed throughout the game. Dallas’s ability to protect Dak allowed them to attack intermediate windows without fear. The Eagles, by contrast, were forced to play under duress because their tight ends cannot assist the line in the same way.
Cooper DeJean didn’t have his sharpest game in coverage, but he remains one of the best tackling defensive backs already. This open-field tackle is absurd. Even when the coverage was messy, his physicality and tackling never dropped. But with all the injuries at safety, the Eagles had no choice but to move him around far more than they’d like, including playing snaps at outside corner and eventually finishing the game at safety.
Quinyon Mitchell had some really strong moments, including this gorgeous blow-up of the slant to Lamb. He starts eight yards off and still beats Lamb to the spot. That’s elite trigger, elite anticipation, and a demonstration of why he’s so gifted.
Cooper DeJean simply looked less comfortable outside compared to the slot. Lamb beat him deep early in the game on a rep that was borderline offensive pass interference, and here he looks unsettled again against Pickens. He regains ground, but the ball is completed anyway. Moving DeJean outside simultaneously weakens both the outside corner and the nickel, and the Eagles felt those ripple effects once Makuba and Blankenship were gone.
Sydney Brown’s film was not disastrous, but this rep is infuriating because violent hitting is his one defining trait! He had a chance to blow up Dak at the goal line, and he completely whiffed. Brown will now be asked to start due to injuries, and the mental side of his game, angles, discipline, and route recognition, becomes the question moving forward. I hope he’s ready! I think he faced a bit of unnecessary criticism from the fan base in this game due to his tackle injuring Mukuba (which was not his fault at all), so I hope he comes out and plays well. Ben Johnson will test him, that’s for sure!
Even though the defense had been beaten for most of the day, they still responded in some huge moments. Blankenship’s goal-line interception, and this fourth-down stop, should have put the game in the Eagles’ hands. Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith finally won on the rush, and the staff put Quinyon on Pickens at the right moment, which forced Dak into a misfire. If the offense does anything on the following series, this game might have ended differently.
And finally, the play that effectively sealed the loss. Michael Carter didn’t have a bad game overall, but this bust is brutal. He aligns far too deep for a flat responsibility, drifts into Quinyon Mitchell’s path, and the two collide, leaving Pickens completely uncovered on the slant. It’s the exact same concept the Cowboys used on the first play of the game. Fangio blitzed here because he knew they weren’t getting home with four, a sign of frustration as much as anything. But the mistake turned it into the easiest throw of the night.
Final Thoughts
This defensive performance was a strange blend of splash moments and overall defeat. They made big plays. They produced turnovers. They had fourth-down stops. But the Cowboys dominated the majority of the matchup. The Eagles couldn’t pressure Dak, couldn’t consistently cover Pickens, and the injuries in the secondary devastated the structure of the defense. Dallas is very good, and the Eagles needed offensive support in the second half that never came. Instead, they were put on the field repeatedly against one of the best offenses in football, with their secondary collapsing, and the result looked exactly like that.
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