5 biggest takeaways from the Cowboys road loss to the Eagles

The Dallas Cowboys took their second loss of the season against the still-undefeated Philadelphia Eagles after a 26-17 defeat on Sunday Night Football. The game was a lot closer than it probably should have been, but the team stuck with it, making it close in the end.

America’s Team now sits at 4-2 and is somehow in third place in the NFC East behind the 5-1 Giants (what???) and the 6-0 Eagles. Now, it’s time to analyze what exactly needs to be taken away from the intra-division matchup.

5 things we learned from the Cowboys’ Week 6 loss to the Eagles

1. Stopping the run is a genuine issue for the Dallas defense

Although this was a known issue before this game, stopping the run is certainly an issue for this defense. It’s still very difficult to put a lot of blame on the defense after being on the field for the majority of the time, but it’s still an issue.

The group as a whole allowed almost 140 yards on the ground Sunday night, accounting for over half of the Eagles’ total offensive yardage. Despite allowing less than four yards per carry, the defense seemed like they let go a 10-yard gain for every stuff or two.

It helped extend drives for the Eagles, which didn’t help give the offense time on the field (although they didn’t help themselves much either). Not being able to stop the run wore the defense out and allowed long drives to end with points.

2. The “start Cooper Rush over Dak Prescott” argument has been laid to rest

There’s one thing for sure… the Cowboy offense, fans, and team really missed Dak Prescott on Sunday. While it was fun seeing Rush achieve team success through his first five starts, he was never spectacular in any outing the way Prescott can be.

Sunday night really made that known. To this point, it’s difficult to prove that Rush has succeeded against good defenses. The Bengals, Giants, Commanders, and Rams have proven to be not-that-great competition, and it showed against a good Eagles defense this week.

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On Sunday, the Central Michigan product had the worst game of his short career thus far. Rush completed just 18 of 38 passes for 181 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. In the first half especially, he looked very rattled and just couldn’t make throws.

This game truly shut down any argument regarding Dak Prescott’s job. If Prescott plays this game, it’s almost safe to say the Cowboys would win, or at the least lose by one possession. Rush just isn’t starter material, but he did a fantastic job of filling in for QB1 while he worked his way back onto the field.

3. Ezekiel Elliott showed he can still be the focus of the offense

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Ezekiel Elliott run like this. He’s had some good games just this year, including 73 and 78-yard efforts against the Giants and Rams respectively, but Sunday night, he was the motor of the Cowboy offense.

While the Cowboys’ offense didn’t show much, Elliott was running with purpose, as he always likes to do against the Eagles. He helped the offense control the pace of what they wanted to roll at and was keeping the defense on their toes.

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Zeke ended the night with 86 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. The Ohio State alum averaged an impressive 6.2 yards per carry with a long of 14 yards, meaning he was constantly ripping off chunks of yardage at a time.

This was an Elliott we haven’t seen in a while. One that can not necessarily take over a game, but be the focal point of the offense. Perhaps, with Prescott coming back likely next week, Zeke can become even more effective when the passing game gets its act together.

4. The Cowboys beat themselves more than the Eagles beat them

This may come off a bit petty, but it’s true at least in my eyes. This team beat themselves. Three turnovers on poor decisions and execution hurt this team. Dumb penalties that are completely avoidable hurt this team.

With how the box score looks (the three turnovers, time of possession, and the penalties), this should’ve been a complete lopsided win for the home team. However, the Eagles did not take advantage of these mistakes and make it a blowout.

10 penalties for 72 yards were a major factor in why the Cowboys lost. Big plays being taken away due to stupid penalties limited this team’s potential on Sunday night and ruined any chance for them to come back.

Again, looking at the box score would not make you think this game was close, but it was. Talent-wise, this team is not far off from the Eagles. Philly did not win this game entirely due to them being the better team, but simply because the Cowboys just could not play with any sort of discipline.

5. The NFC East race is far from over

As it stands, the Eagles are still the No. 1 team, not just in the NFC East but also in the NFL. In second in the division is now the Giants, who upset the Ravens and seem to be a legitimate contender for the NFC East title. And now, sitting in third is America’s Team.

This division is more than likely the most interesting in the league. Are the Eagles really the true No. 1 team in the NFL? Are the Giants for real? How elite can the Cowboys be when Prescott comes back? The Commanders are still not good, but the rest is valid.

The NFC East has the best-combined record in the NFL, with a 17-7 record. The next best is the Buffalo Bills-led AFC East, who stands with a combined 15-9 record. The Easts are arguably the most competitive divisions in terms of talent.

This division is going to be a three-team race down to the final weeks of the season. A lot of what it may come down to is the health of these teams. Whichever team stays the most healthy may be the ones who take the division, and the Cowboys are certainly gaining a boost here very soon in the form of a top-10 quarterback.