Cowboys beat Eagles as NFC East remains up for grabs

In an odd playoff push/Tank Bowl matchup, the Dallas Cowboys beat the Eagles

The Dallas Cowboys returned to their usual midday Sunday matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys won their first matchup this season, and the Eagles were looking to come away with this one as both teams tried to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The Eagles struck early as wideout DeSean Jackson caught his 25th 60+ yard touchdown to put Philly up by 11 in the first quarter. That set a record for the most 60+ yard touchdown catches in NFL history.

What has been the issue with the Cowboys defense all season continued in this Week 16 matchup. The big plays by Jackson and quarterback Jalen Hurts were costly.

The run defense continued to disappoint as the team gave up 96 rushing yards in the first half. Luckily, the team turned things around come the second quarter.

Defensive lineman Fletcher Cox left the game in the first quarter with a stinger. Since that, the Cowboys scored 34 points, while the Eagles scored only three points.

Third-year receiver Michael Gallup had himself a great game. It was highlighted by a screen pass, which he caught and ran for a 55-yard gain. By the final whistle, he caught six passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns.

Gallup wasn’t the only impressive player for the Cowboys, as quarterback Andy Dalton shined as well. He played his best game of the season by a mile. The Red Rocket completed 73 percent of his passes for an impressive 377 yards, three touchdowns, and only one interception.

Eagles quarterback Hurts played well but ended up being outplayed by his opponent. He completed just over 50 percent of his passes for 342 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. The shifty quarterback also ran for 69 yards.

The game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Eagles was one filled with big plays. That’s because there were four plays of 50+ yards. They finished the game with a total of 990 yards, the most in one game between these two teams.

Dallas’ defense forced at least two turnovers for the third consecutive game. Cornerback Anthony Brown picked off Hurts in the endzone, and defensive lineman Randy Gregory forced a fumble for linebacker Jaylon Smith to recover. To seal the game, cornerback Trevon Diggs grabbed an interception.

Someone that quietly played great for Dallas is running back Ezekiel Elliott. He won’t get the appreciation he deserves, but he broke tackles and ran with authority all game. He ran for 105 yards and averaged 5.5 yards per run.

Final Score

The Dallas Cowboys will travel to MetLife Stadium to play the New York Giants in their last regular-season game. Kickoff is on Sunday at 12:00 pm CDT.