3 things we learned from the Cowboys win against the Eagles
123. 26. 54. Final. 51
The Dallas Cowboys came out and dominated against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 18. Their 51-26 victory marked the second-highest point amount scored against the Eagles and the most the Cowboys have ever scored in Philadelphia.
Against the wishes of many Cowboys fans, head coach Mike McCarthy sent all of his healthy starters to the turf in Philadelphia for the Week 18 matchup. That ended up being a good decision for many reasons, mainly that it ended in a dominating win and nobody got hurt. The Cowboys have closed the season 6-0 in the NFC East, marking just the third time in franchise history that the ‘Boys went undefeated in their division (1969 and 1998).
Yes, the Eagles sat most of their starters. Yes, there were moments where backup QB Gardner Minshew seemed to be rolling all over a shorthanded Cowboys defense. But a win is a win, and the momentum heading into the playoffs is nothing to complain about. With the win, remember that if (by some miracle) the Buccaneers, Rams, and Cardinals all lose, Dallas will jump from the No. 4 seed to the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff seeding.
So, what did we learn from this victory? Here are three things we discovered from the Cowboys Week 18 win over the Eagles.
3. The Cowboys’ have historic depth
We know what you’re thinking. The Cowboys’ offense has been in a slump for a good chunk of the season. You’re right. But this off-and-on offense also helped set an NFL record this year.
The #Cowboys have now set the NFL record for most players to score a TD in a season (22).
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) January 9, 2022
Incredible.
A remarkable 22 different Cowboys found the endzone at some point in the 2021-22 season. That is pretty darn impressive.
How do you do that? With tons of offensive and defensive weapons. The usual suspects like Ezekiel Elliott, CeeDee Lamb, and Amari Cooper all scored multiple touchdowns. Additionally, guys like Cedrick Wilson, Malik Turner, and Dalton Schultz performed much better than expected. But the rest of the list may surprise you:
- JaQuan Hardy
- Ito Smith
- Anthony Brown
- Trevon Diggs
- Carlos Watkins
- DeMarcus Lawrence
- Terence Steele
- Chauncey Golston
- Dorance Armstrong
- Sean McKeon
- Nahshon Wright
The point is… whether it’s a pick-six, a short touchdown run, or a deep touchdown pass, the Cowboys have figured out ways for multiple guys to score. That could be a problem for whoever they play in the playoffs. The more threats, the harder it is to plan for a team.