Eagles

HOW BOUT THEM COWBOYS – 30 Immediate Takeaways from Eagles 28, Dallas 23

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Nov 5th, 2023 · 7:49 PM EST

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Alright, so that wasn’t the smoothest ending of all time, but what a game. Hallelujah! Holy shit! Where’s the Tylenol?

That one had a little bit of everything – big runs, big throws, big plays, big hits, and big balls, with numerous high-leverage 3rd and 4th down attempts and conversions. This was high-quality football for three quarters, followed by a total circus, but probably the most entertaining game the Eagles have played all year long. Credit to both teams for slugging it out and going back and forth.

What was the difference in this one? The Eagles just made a few more plays. That’s about it. Time of possession was split pretty much down the middle. Both teams moved the ball down the field. Penalties? 10 apiece. No turnovers at all. The Birds found the end zone four times while Dallas had three TDs, a field goal, and a two-point conversion that didn’t come off. That was pretty much the story of the game. The Cowboys had their opportunities late and the Birds dug deep to find a way to get the job done.

The Eagles are 8-1 going into the bye.

 

1) Watching the Patriots lose at home to fall to 2-7 was a wonderful segue into this game.

2) Eagles first drive – if Jalen Hurts is 100% healthy, does he convert that third down on the feet? I think so. He just looks a little slow getting to the edge sometimes, which we’ve seen throughout the year. No matter, though, when you can go to the Brotherly Shove to convert on 4th and 1.

3) Funny how quickly a promising drive can turn around, and then come right back. The Birds were marching down the field, then committed a delay of game penalty on first down, followed by a 2nd down sack. That put them in 2nd and 23, then 3rd and 15, and 4th and 3, which was converted on a beautiful Dallas Goedert catch. They went twice on 4th during that opening touchdown drive, and converted both times.

4) Kenneth Gainwell getting the first red zone touch and scoring with it was apropos after the recent criticism, and probably a Nick Sirianni troll job. They ran to the boundary side and he went through a gaping hole before doing a front flip over Stephon Gilmore for 6. Of course, you can ask yourself whether or not D’Andre Swift could have scored on that same play, and the answer is probably yes, but regardless of what you’ve felt about Gainwell’s usage this season, these are the kinds of sequences that can get a guy going.

5) First Dallas score was gross. It started with the unacceptable 48-yard kickoff return, then a converted 4th down in which Eli Ricks got completely cooked by CeeDee Lamb. Too easy: 8 plays, 53 yards, 4:09.

6) Shouldn’t have had Ricks on Lamb in the slot even 1% of the time. You’ve got Slay and Bradberry matched up against who? Jalen Tolbert? Turd Ferguson? Put your best players on their best players. I guarantee it is not worse than putting a backup on a Pro Bowler.

7) KaVontae Turpin’s touchdown reception? Dunno. Even if it wasn’t a catch, there probably wasn’t enough to overturn it.

8) The D’Andre Swift fumble and ensuing recovery was the correct call by the cheating bastard refs, but of course FOX did what they do, which is go IMMEDIATELY to commercial break and kill the entire moment. They love to destroy the flow of the game by ditching the action as soon as possible so they can run some more stupid fucking ads.

9) Gotta admire the response after going down 14-7. They came back with an 11-play, 60-yard drive that took up 6:07 and featured a critical 3rd and 9 completion to DeVonta Smith.

10) Jalen Hurts set an Eagles franchise record with 33 rushing touchdowns when he found the end zone in the 2nd quarter. He’s only played 54 regular season games. That’s incredible, and shows just how effective the shove is. Randall Cunningham, who is now 2nd, played 122 regular season games.

11) The 3rd and 15 that turned into a 4th and 2, that turned into a first down, was ridiculous. No clue what kind of soft shit the Birds were playing there, but Dallas made that look way too easy.

12) After that 3rd down drop, Michael Gallup will be receiving a holiday card.

13) Mixed feelings on Hurts’ cleats. On one hand, they looked like Uggs and didn’t fit the color scheme. On the other hand, who gives a shit what he’s wearing?

14) They showed Bryce Harper on the jumbotron and had the audacity to give him a chyron saying “Phillies Player” –

Imagine Jalen Hurts going to the Phillies game and they label him as an “Eagles Player.” No shit! 100% of people at the Linc know who Bryce Harper is. He doesn’t need a sub-chyron.

15) What a halftime cut-in from FOX 29! The shot of four people standing in a Wawa parking lot and doing an Eagles chant really got the blood pumping. (h/t Steve B)

16) We had a Rashaad Penny sighting! (stats)

17) Jesus, Mary, and Joseph what a dime this was:

JALEN HURTS TO DEVONTA SMITH 👀

📺: #DALvsPHI on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/d4RDZpcMkc pic.twitter.com/hdlrCir7KF

— NFL (@NFL) November 5, 2023

18) Love A.J. Brown but not totally sure about throwing it to him 1v3 in the end zone.

19) This is preferable:

MegaJawn for 6 🙌 pic.twitter.com/nFiFM8Taft

— New Heights (@newheightshow) November 5, 2023

Twice on this drive they went to multi-option/RPO looks with the pass targets pulling across the line. It’s really effective because they read the defensive end, and if he stays put to address the QB run, they simply slip the receiver right in front of him instead. Shades of last season, when they were optioning Micah Parsons all night long.

20) The entire sequence with the Dallas sneak and Kevin Byard penalty was funky. The flag came after the play, so if they had challenged and succeeded, they would have gotten the ball back and then the penalty yardage would have been marked off AFTER the change of possession. It mattered not, ultimately, because the refs went with the call on the field, and gave Dak the first down yardage.

21) Slay and Cunningham… WHAT A HIT! Let’s fucking go!

22) HE’S SHORT! THE KNEE IS DOWN:

FOX coming out of commercial to tell us this had been overturned is a joke! We don’t want to be told what happened while we were watching movie trailers. We want you to STAY ON THE GAME SO WE CAN EXPERIENCE THE CALL BEING MADE IN REAL TIME!

I hate FOX with every fiber of my being.

23) Honestly, I was stunned that Dak stepped out here. It looked like he was gonna reach with ease. What a huge break at this point in the game:

24) Can’t be throwing a bomb to A.J. Brown on 3rd and 3, up five points with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. They went three plays, seven yards, and only took 1:40 off the clock. What the hell was that?

25) “Are you fucking serious?” – heard that one loud and clear from Nick Sirianni on the sidelines.

26) Two straight sacks on Dak, and they couldn’t have come at a more important time. Stunned that Dak went to Tolbert on that 4th down throw, but that’s Dak for you.

27) 0 turnovers for the Birds for the first time in three weeks. They tried to cough it up at the end, but Tyler Steen made the biggest play he’s made in his entire life. Holy shit.

28) I don’t even have words for what we watched from the defense in the final 50 seconds. Just a complete shit show saved by a Josh Sweat sack and a couple of Dallas penalties. I just kept muttering “what are they doing?” over and over to myself.

29) The bye week couldn’t come at a better time with all of the injuries piling up.

30) HOW BOUT THEM COWBOYS!