Cowboys studs and duds: Cooper Rush falters in Week 6 defeat

The Dallas Cowboys fell to 4-2 on the season as they were unable to beat the Philadelphia Eagles on the road. It was a game full of highs and lows that included a 20-0 start for Philly, a 17-point run by Dallas to get back into the game, and several miscues from the offense including a late pick and missed field goal that sealed their fate.

Surely the Cowboys would have taken a 4-2 start if asked following the debacle we saw in Week 1 but they still have to be frustrated knowing they had a shot to upset the Eagles at their own stadium. Now, the ‘Boys are third in the suddenly tight NFC East and hopeful to get Dak Prescott back for their Week 7 showdown against the Detroit Lions.

Before looking ahead to that one, let’s take some time to highlight the studs and duds from the Cowboys’ second loss of the year.

Dallas Cowboys studs and duds from Week 6 loss to the Eagles

Stud: Jake Ferguson, TE

With Dalton Schultz out, the Cowboys have been leaning heavily on Jake Ferguson who has been playing well for a mid-round rookie. On Sunday Night Football, however, he stepped up his game another notch.

Ferguson made several catches in the game but the most impressive came early in the fourth quarter when he took a short pass to the house after making a nifty move in the open field.

The seven-yard touchdown made it a 20-17 game as the Cowboys were making it a contest. For Ferguson, it was his first career touchdown. In all, he had four receptions for 40 yards as one of the few bright spots in the defeat.

Dud: Dante Fowler Jr., EDGE

The Dallas defense had been on the field for a while as the Eagles had covered 70 yards on 14 plays, but they appeared to have been stopped at the 10-yard line. Facing a fourth-and-four with the first quarter ending, Philadelphia lined up as if they were going to go for it. Chances were high that they were just trying to get the Cowboys to jump, and it worked.

Dante Fowler Jr. fell for a hard count and moved across the line, getting flagged for a neutral zone infraction. That gave Philly a fresh set of downs, and Miles Sanders ran it in for a touchdown to put his team up 7-0. It was a four-point swing early, and it fell on Fowler’s shoulders since his gaffe allowed it to happen.

As we saw later, those four points were huge and might have changed how the Cowboys approached things, especially when it came to their terrible decision to throw it on fourth-and-one deep in their own territory.

Stud: KaVontae Turpin, Returner

The Cowboys added KaVontae Turpin as a player who could give them a spark on special teams and he gave them that late in the first half on Sunday night. Trailing 20-0, Turpin took the ball from four yards deep and ran it for 63-yards.

He showed off his speed and vision as he was flying down the field until he was bumped into by Kelvin Joseph. Had his own teammate not gotten in the way, Turpin might have taken it to the house.

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While he didn’t take it back for six, he set the offense up at the Philly 41. They were unable to get it in the end zone, although Noah Brown nearly did, but still managed to put three points on the board. It wasn’t much, but it was their best drive of the first half, and it was all thanks to Turpin.

Then, in the third, Dallas started to make a comeback and Turpin had another huge play. This time, he took a punt back 34-yards to the 39. The only issue is, this one didn’t count thanks to a holding penalty on Joseph, which meant they started at the Philadelphia seven instead.

Dud: Kelvin Joseph, CB

This game might have looked much different if not for two mistakes from Joseph. The former second-round pick has yet to find a role in the base defense and spends most of his time on special teams.

On Sunday night, he got in the way of Turpin’s kickoff return which might have cost him a touchdown. He then cost them 32 yards on his third-quarter punt return, forcing the offense to cover 93 yards in order to score. Overall, Joseph has been good on these units but being a second-round pick, they expected more.

Stud: Ezekiel Elliott, RB

This hasn’t been the best season for Ezekiel Elliott, but he really gave it his all on Sunday. He’s been rushing for less than four yards per attempt through the first five games but against the stout Philly defense, he went for 81 yards on 13 carries, which is an average of just over six yards per attempt. Elliott even scored a touchdown from 14-yards out to cut the lead to 20-10.

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The Cowboys did well to get back into this game after being pushed around in the first half and it was Elliott who really got things rolling for them. When he was running well and keeping them out of third-and-long situations, everything became easier. He loves to play against the Eagles.

Dud: The offensive line

During the four-game win streak for Dallas, Cooper Rush had a lot of time to pass the ball. On Sunday Night Football, he had almost no time to get the ball out of his hand, which had a lot to do with him finishing 18-of-38.

While he deserves criticism for his misfires, he was also feeling the pressure right up the gut all night long. Tyler Biadasz and Connor McGovern especially struggled with the defensive tackles and rookie Tyler Smith had some issues as well. Rush somehow avoided the sack every time but he was easily hit 10 or more times in this one.

Stud: DeMarcus Lawrence, EDGE

His stats aren’t what he would like them to be this season but DeMarcus Lawrence continues to be a disruptive force on the Cowboys defensive line. He pushes his blocker around and was able to flush Jalen Hurts out of the pocket several times.

One play he made that might have saved points didn’t even make it into the box score. Trailing 14-0, the Cowboys just turned it over on downs and Lawrence blew up a third-down play by getting pressure on Hurts. The Eagles had to settle for a field goal but 17-0 isn’t as bad as 21-0, which it could have been if not for Lawrence’s play.

Lawrence ended this one with eight tackles as he continued to show off his high motor.

Dud: Cooper Rush, QB

As good as Cooper Rush has been this season, he was not on top of his game on Sunday Night Football. He missed several passes including one early where Jake Ferguson was wide open, and the Cowboys ended up having to punt.

He then threw an interception right after the Eagles had gone up 7-0, allowing them to take a 14-0 lead. Looking to respond and get back in the game, Rush and the offense took the field again and after what should have been a first down for CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys inexplicably hurried up on fourth down and Rush threw an incompletion to give the ball right back to the Eagles.

Dallas led a second-half comeback and scored 17 unanswered to make it 20-17 and during that span, Rush was turning it around. But then, their hopes were dashed when he missed an open CeeDee Lamb in the fourth quarter on a deep pass that landed in the hands of Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.

Rush, who had been so careful with the ball, threw three picks on the night. It was a tough performance and might end his run with a sour taste should Dak Prescott return in Week 7. It also reminds us how silly it was that anyone even thought there could be a controversy brewing.

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