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November 10, 2024

The pivotal plays from the Eagles' thrashing of the Cowboys

Jalen Hurts shrugged off early pressure to help send the Eagles flying to five straight wins over a crumbling division rival.

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By Nick Tricome
PhillyVoice Staff
Eagles NFL
Milton-Williams-Fumble-Recovery-Eagles-Cowboys-Week-10-NFL.jpg Tim Heitman/Imagn Images

Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams falls on a first-quarter fumble during Sunday's game against the Cowboys in Dallas.

The only smiles in the building were on those wearing green. 

The Eagles pummeled the Cowboys, 34-6, Sunday down in Arlington. 

Jalen Hurts shrugged off five sacks and two turnovers in the first half to post up 202 passing yards and two touchdowns while rushing for two more on the ground. 

A crumbling Dallas team short their starting quarterback Dak Prescott, meanwhile, continued to rapidly fall apart. Backup Cooper Rush could only swing 36 passing yards through the opening half, and anytime the Cowboys were a threat to score, the Eagles' defense stepped up and cracked down with either a stop, a turnover, or a limiting field goal. 

AT&T Stadium grew quiet – save for the Eagles fans in the crowd who made the trip – and the Cowboys' sideline stood dejected. Trey Lance was in under center for Dallas by the fourth quarter and so was Kenny Pickett for the Birds to run down the clock. 

It was a dominant move to five straight wins and a 7-2 record for the Eagles, along with their first win in Dallas since 2017 and even footing in the NFC East race with the Commanders, who lost to Pittsburgh earlier in the day and are on deck for Thursday night back in Philly.

So basically, it's the ideal scenario that will have the Delaware Valley flying high on Monday morning (well, in the context of sports, at least).

Here are the pivotal plays that got it all there...

Jump on it

The Eagles and Cowboys traded punts to begin Sunday, with Braden Mann's kick touching back to set Dallas up at their own 20 for their second go. 

Cooper Rush lined up in the pistol, then bobbled the snap, scrambling after the live ball as it scurried across the grass.

Milton Williams burst through the chaos at the line and fell on the fumble, giving the Eagles the ball back at the Dallas 17 with the game's first turnover. 

And from in that close, Hurts and the offense cashed in...

Punch it in

On a 3rd and 6, Hurts dumped a check down off to Saquon Barkley in the flat, and with a ton of open space in front of him, the running back proceeded to make fools out of even more defenders on a catch and run to the Dallas 1. 

At that distance, everyone knew what was coming next. 

The Eagles went up, 7-0, early. 

Then...trade it off...

The Cowboys drew close enough for a field goal to get on the board, 7-3, to follow up. 

The Eagles took the ball back and were set to strike again, but Trevon Diggs jumped in front of the throw to Dallas Goedert in the end zone for the pick (all while Grant Calcaterra was visibly open):

Throughout the Eagles' four-game win streak heading into Sunday, a big part of that turnaround since the bye was how much better Hurts was taking care of the football, as he hadn't turned it over since the two week in early October. 

That streak snapped Sunday though, and wasn't limited there. Granted, Dallas couldn't keep themselves clean either. 

With time winding down in the first half, Dallas was knocking on the door of their first touchdown and called a run for Ezekiel Elliott. 

The Dallas running back took it up the middle, but ran into Zack Baun in the gap, with the collision knocking the ball loose and rolling into the end zone for Cooper DeJean to recover for Philadelphia. 

Then Micah Parsons swung momentum right back, rushing to Hurts in the pocket and poking the ball out of his grasp for the Cowboys to recover it at the Eagles' 6 approaching the two-minute warning. 

Luckily, the Philly defense limited the damage with no room for error. They held a Dallas offense that was overall struggling to move throughout the half to only a field goal, keeping a narrow lead, 7-6, with a 1:48 left. 

MORE: Eagles overcome sloppy first-half play to take NFC East control

Shrug it off

Hurts and offense took it as a reset, and even though they were running the two-minute drill without Barkley, who was having his arm looked at out of precaution from trying to salvage that last fumble, they marched seven plays and 84 yards down the field to build up their lead. 

A.J. Brown made a crucial reception over the middle of the field to run down into Dallas territory, then Hurts saw his opening and ran 24 yards to bring the Eagles just shy of the red zone. 

Kenny Gainwell hauled in a quick pass for nine yards to set the Eagles up at the Dallas 14, then Hurts rolled out and away from pressure to find Goedert at the goal line for the score – making it 14-6, Philly with 23 seconds left, and with the Eagles getting the ball back coming back from the break. 

The Cowboys, as they were, just weren't equipped to answer, with only 36 net passing yards to that point and only seconds to operate. There was nothing there. 

And run away with it

DeJean took an early third-quarter punt return around the corner and up the right sideline for 31 yards and into Dallas territory. 

Barkley checked back in, and between him and Gainwell, the Eagles chipped away with the run (and help from an illegal contact penalty on Dallas), then Hurts scrambled and waited to fire a pass to Johnny Wilson cutting across the back of the endzone to finish the drive and make it a three-score game – 21-6, Eagles. 

Dallas went three-and-out after, and following the punt, Hurts stepped back onto the field and immediately launched a 44-yard bomb down the sideline to A.J. Brown in one-on-one coverage – a known recipe for disaster to any opposing defensive back.

Brown came down with it over his shoulder, and a few plays later, Hurts took it himself eight yards across the plane to make it 28-6, Eagles. 

The rout was on from there. 

The Eagles tacked on a couple more field goals and then got the starters out of there, while Dallas essentially waived the white flag in handing the remaining offensive snaps off to Lance, as the Cowboys fell further into a pit of ineffective playcalling and turnovers tossed right up for Philly's taking. 

MORE: Eagles beat Dallas on road for first time since 2017 – Final observations

Follow Nick on Twitter: @itssnick

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Nick Tricome
PhillyVoice Staff

nick@phillyvoice.com

Read more Eagles NFL Philadelphia Cooper DeJean Dallas Cowboys Cooper Rush Johnny Williams Saquon Barkley A.J. Brown Jalen Hurts Milton Williams

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