October 17, 2022

Three pivotal plays from the Eagles' win over the Cowboys

By Shamus Clancy
PhillyVoice Staff

It was a night of peaks and valleys in South Philly. A first half explosion had this Lincoln Financial Field crowd smelling blood. A third quarter Dallas run quieted a once frenzied bunch. The Eagles, however, played the fourth quarter like it was the second quarter and prevailed with clutch moments to wrap up the 26-17 win.

As I do every week, here are the three most pivotal plays from the Eagles' win over the Cowboys:

• Cowboys ball, 1st and 10, Dallas 25, 14:55 remaining in the second quarter, Eagles 7, Cowboys 0

The game became increasingly uncomfortable for the Birds as the night went on, but the early vibes were tremendous and it was plays like this from James Bradberry and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson that had the makings of a blowout:

.@Brad_B21 and @CGJXXIII combine for the INT! #FlyEaglesFly

📺: #DALvsPHI on NBC
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/exBLpd1qy0 pic.twitter.com/Pn8dViZWCo
— NFL (@NFL) October 17, 2022

That's an expert tip drill that would make any JV elementary school coach proud. After Miles Sanders' touchdown put the Eagles up one score, the Eagles' followed Gardner-Johnson's interception with another TD on a pass from Jalen Hurts to A.J. Brown. Dallas could only play catch up from there and, despite how nervous Eagles fans probably were, they never caught the Birds.

• Eagles ball, 1st and goal, Dallas 7, 7:02 remaining in the fourth quarter, Eagles 20, Cowboys 17

I could never be an NFL defensive coordinator, but, if you ask me, I simply would not leave DeVonta Smith wide open in the end zone at the most crucial point of the entire game:

Hurts finds DeVonta Smith!

The @Eagles answer with a 13-play, 75 yard drive.

📺: #DALvsPHI on NBC
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/exBLpcJhjS pic.twitter.com/ft4V73AjQV
— NFL (@NFL) October 17, 2022

That was a sneaky tough catch as Hurts had to make that throw while on the run. That's not a slight to Hurts, who oversaw that game-saving touchdown drive, but just speaks to Smith's pure ability. What a difference a year or two can make for an offense when you're running Brown and Smith out there at wideout.

• Cowboys ball, 2nd and 10, Dallas 40, 5:03 remaining in the fourth quarter, Eagles 26, Cowboys 17

Have yourself a day, Ceedy. Gardner-Johnson's first half interception got things rocking at the Linc, he battled back from what looked to be a rough hand injury and then his second of the evening started putting nails in the coffin for Dallas:

CJ Gardner-Johnson snags his SECOND INT of the night! @CGJXXIII

📺: #DALvsPHI on NBC
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/exBLpcJhjS pic.twitter.com/LvG35ksjwS
— NFL (@NFL) October 17, 2022

It was a two-score game for the Cowboys, but they were still moving the ball. There was time for a "I can't believe this is happening" comeback from Dallas that was running through every Eagles fan's mind. Much credit here goes to Brandon Graham, who absolutely crushed Rush on this, causing an errant pass that found its way into Gardner-Johnson's diving arms. Rush was looking for a penalty call after, but I'd expect nothing less. Too little, too late, Coop.

I came up with the idea to do the "three pivotal plays of the game" that went either in the Eagles' favor in a win or against them in a loss before the season. Well, six weeks in, I have yet to write a story with "Three pivotal plays from the Eagles' loss" and I really don't know when I'll be doing that for the first time!

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