Further Review: What Happened & What Now?
The Cowboys had the NFC East title wrapped up perfectly, sitting under the tree with a big bow on it. But instead, chose not to open it, and now the Eagles are in control of winning the division.
Player of the Game: Kai Forbath – That's when you know the day didn't go your way. When the kicker is the best player, it doesn't suggest a strong effort from either side of the ball. Give Forbath credit for hitting all of his kicks, and managing to keep his kickoffs in bounds. Forbath provided the only points and continues to have success from 40-49 yards, a range that gave problems to Brett Maher.
Nemesis: Teams have challenged the Dallas defense with screen passes for weeks, and Miles Sanders was the latest to find success out in space. The Eagles' rookie rusher racked up 5 catches for 77 yards, including a 29-yarder on their first-quarter touchdown to take a 10-0 lead. Sanders added 79 rushing yards on 20 carries.
Unsung Hero: Sean Lee. The defense had a rough start Sunday, giving up 10 points and 125 yards on the Eagles' first two possessions. But the group settled down after that, and Lee piled up a game-high 17 tackles in his fifth straight start for an injured Leighton Vander Esch (neck).
Turning Point: Tony Pollard's fumble on the opening drive of the third quarter. The Cowboys' offense finally found its rhythm after halftime. Ezekiel Elliott, held to 9 yards on 5 carries in the first half, led the Cowboys inside the Eagles' 30-yard line before getting briefly banged up. With Elliott substituted out, Pollard lost a yard – and the ball – on third-and-1 from the Philly 25. The Eagles took over still up 10-6 and extended the league to 11 later in the quarter.
Don't Forget ... After the Cowboys had cut the Eagles' lead to 10-3, the next play could've been even bigger for Dallas. DeMarcus Lawrence deflected a Wentz pass that went up in the air and into the hands of Xavier Woods, who couldn't corral the pass and dropped it. The Cowboys could've had the ball inside the Eagles' 30 with more room for Woods to run, potentially even getting some blocks to the end zone. Instead, the Eagles kept the ball and drove it to the Cowboys' 31.
For other game-changing moments that might be forgotten, check out these other four plays that affected Sunday's outcome.
Need More From ... The Cowboys had three offensive linemen named to the Pro Bowl this week, along with running back Ezekiel Elliott. But the ground game certainly didn't look like a group sending four players to the Pro Bowl. Zeke rushed for just 47 yards and he only had five carries in he first half alone. After the Cowboys pounded the Rams for 263 yards just a week ago, they were stuffed by the Eagles in Philly, turning a balanced offense into a one-dimensional unit.
Stat of the Game: Sunday pitted the top two third-down offenses against each other, the Cowboys ranked first entering the game. But the Eagles did a better job of sustaining drives – 6 of 14 compared to the Cowboys' 3 of 14 conversions – and overtook Dallas in that season category.
Remember Me? The Cowboys would never admit, but there was a strong speculation that they were interested in drafting Dallas Goedert in the second round of the 2018 draft. However, while the Cowboys had the No. 50 overall pick and reports were flowing that Jason Witten was about to retire, the Eagles traded into the No. 49 spot to take Goedert. The Cowboys claim they were always going to take Connor Williams – if not trade it to Seattle for Earl Thomas – but either way the Eagles thought they had to jump Dallas to get Goedert. On Sunday, he was the main option for Philly's passing game, catching nine passes for 91 yards and a touchdown.
Milestone: Longtime long snapper L.P. Ladouceur played his 236th consecutive game for the Cowboys, passing tight end Jason Witten for the most consecutive games played in franchise history.
Injury Watch: Starting safety Jeff Heath continues to battle through injuries to both shoulders. He aggravated his left shoulder in third quarter when he delivered a hit on Patriots receiver Jakobi Meyers, forcing an incompletion and a punt. "It's just something that I'm going to have to deal with for the rest of the season, and luckily I was able to finish the game," he said. "I don't think I hurt them any worse to where I won't be able to go on Thursday (against Buffalo)."
Trending Downward: The entire team seems to fall into this category as the Cowboys are now out of first place in the NFC East for the first time all season. But specifically, Amari Cooper has definitely struggled as of late, especially on the road. He had another dismal performance away from home on Sunday, even getting pulled in the second half in key situations. While the Cowboys said it was part of the rotation, there were several moments when Cooper was not on the field, including the fourth-down pass at the end of the game that proved to be the team's last offensive play of the game.
Building Blocks: The only silver lining from that game is that the season isn't technically over. And that was always going to be the case, so as far as something positive that came out of the game, that's really it. The offense didn't score a touchdown. The defense couldn't make the necessary stops when needed and the only positive part is that the kicker made kicks he's supposed to make. That's a good thing, but nothing to build from. The only building block is that Sunday's game still has some meaning, but they'll obviously need some help.
