Eagles beat Cowboys: Ben DiNucci loses his first NFL start
A primetime loss for the Dallas Cowboys sums up the NFC East perfectly
The NFC East has been an absolute mess this season. A primetime matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles in Week Eight continued this disappointment on Sunday night.
Heading into the game, the Cowboys only forced two turnovers. In the first half of the game, they recovered two fumbles and intercepted one pass. That included cornerback Trevon Diggs‘ first interception of his career.
Dallas’ defense has been terrible all season long, but they had a great first half. They only gave up one touchdown and held the Eagles to 142 total yards. The one touchdown was rookie wideout Jalen Reagor’s first of his career.
While the defense played well, the Cowboys offense was just as bad as the Eagles’. They had only 92 total yards and failed to score one touchdown. They did, however, kick three field goals.
Only one of Dallas’ seven drives was longer than 20 yards. The only one that surpassed 20 yards went for 47 yards, resulting in a field goal.
At halftime, Dallas Cowboys were winning 9-7
The Cowboys defense continued their momentum to start the half. Diggs picked off quarterback Carson Wentz for his second of the game.
After a missed field goal by kicker Greg Zuerlein, the Eagles responded. A touchdown pass to Travis Fulgham and a two-point conversion put the Eagles ahead by six points.
Coach Mike McCarthy showed his aggressive playcalling on a fourth and two at Philly’s 35-yard line instead of opting for a field goal. It was a controversial decision that did not pay off.
Just as commentator Cris Collinsworth was applauding quarterback Ben DiNucci for seeing the field better in the second half, he was strip-sacked and ended with a touchdown for the Eagles.
Instead of punting the ball away at their 16-yard line, Dallas’ special teams coordinator decided to take a delay of game penalty, give up a safety, and punt the ball short in an attempt to grab the ball. While it was a close call, the Eagles ended up with the ball.
DiNucci tried to get the first touchdown of his career late in the fourth, but he couldn’t get the ball into the endzone. It was a rough first start for the rookie quarterback.
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The loss was the lowest-scoring game for a Cowboys opponent since they played the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1. It’s been a rough season. The final score: Eagles 23, Cowboys 9
Next week, the 2-6 Dallas Cowboys will play the 7-0 Pittsburgh Steelers at AT&T Stadium on Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CDT