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ARLINGTON, Texas — There was no need (or way) to sugarcoat the situation for the Dallas Cowboys going into their first matchup of the season against the Philadelphia Eagles. Sitting at 3-5 on the year and having not won a game at AT&T Stadium in their initial three outings at home, the mission was as simple and clear-cut as it could have possibly been:
Defeat the Eagles and, in the process, snap the three-game home losing streak and simultaneously climb back to within one game of the .500 mark — a win against Philly also being more heavily weighted as a division win.
But winning a game after losing four fumbles is a tall ask, especially in the NFL, and those giveaways all but cratered what was a stellar defensive outing, at least until the time of possession began to exhaust that unit.
So in naming the gamebreakers for Week 10, it's a no-brainer that it consists entirely of names on that side of the ball.
[This list is unranked.]
DeMarvion Overshown, LB
With every passing week, Overshown continues to turn up the volume on what's becoming a breakout season for the former third-round pick. He flew out of the gates in his NFL debut in Week 1 and, in Week 10 against Jalen Hurts and the Eagles, he graduated to demon time. Overshown racked up nine tackles and two sacks … before halftime … nearly adding a third sack that was narrowly eluded by Hurts to end the first half with an Eagles' touchdown. It was a coming out party for Overshown, whose future is bright enough to scorch your corneas.
Micah Parsons, EDGE
You probably couldn't tell by looking at what he did against the Eagles, but Parsons hadn't played a down of football since September. That didn't stop the all-world edge rusher from making his presence felt when Philadelphia flew into town, though. Parsons took Hurts down for two sacks over the first two quarters and one of them forced a fumble that was recovered by Marist Liufau on the Eagles' six yard line, acting as a delete button for Ezekiel Elliott's lost red zone fumble on the previous play. Starved for a win, and for some game action, the lion was hunting.
Trevon Diggs, CB
If it's one thing Diggs loves doing, it's taking the ball away. This is especially true if it's the Eagles who are being victimized by his talents, as proven once again this time around. When Hurts, who has been made to pay on multiple occasions in his career when targeting Diggs, dropped back at the Cowboys' 12-yard line on 1st-and-10 to try and give the Eagles a 14-3 lead, it was Diggs laying out to grab the interception in the end zone — his first since Week 1 and fifth of his career against Philly. The offense didn't reward him for it, but he did his job, and then some.
Marist Liufau, LB
Overshown wasn't the only rookie linebacker impacting the game. Liufau, as mentioned, put his stamp on it when he recovered the fumble forced by Parsons to give the Cowboys sensational field position in a 7-3 contest. The Cowboys could only muster a field goal thereafter, but Liufau did his best to get them as close to the goal line as he could. It also served as the first takeaway of Liufau's young NFL career and, if he continues to trend upward, the Cowboys' duo at LB could be a problem for opposing offenses for years to come.
Osa Odighizuwa, DL
The tone was set early by the Cowboys' defense in this one. For weeks, the unit has struggled mightily to get off to a fast start and it's helped (a starving offense) push Dallas in the wrong direction in the win-loss column. That wasn't the case against the Eagles, however, because Odighizuwa was one who helped make things difficult early on for Hurts and Co.; and that includes joining Carl Lawson on the Eagles' opening drive that set up Overshown for a sack to force a punt. And he was also key in helping to keep a lid on Saquon Barkley.
Carl Lawson, DE
For the second consecutive game, Lawson earned his way to the opposing quarterback. He followed up his two-sack outing against the Falcons in Atlanta with a shared sack with Odighizuwa against the Eagles. Even with the return of Parsons, Lawson found a way to be effective at a high level. Acquired to help provide a stabilizing veteran presence at the edge, and for insurance against injury, Lawson is making good on his one-year deal.
