The Dallas Cowboys were looking to get on another winning streak heading to Philadelphia on Sunday. Instead they reverted back to their old ways of mistakes and turnovers, losing 41-7 to their division rivals. Even with the team out of playoff contention and battling injuries, many expected a more competitive game from Dallas.
The blame can always start at the top with Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy. Sunday's loss was a massive step backwards. McCarthy's future of course will garner full attention after next week, but for now it is all speculation. Despite questionable decisions in the Eagles' game by McCarthy, a few players deserve to be blamed for Dallas not being able to keep this game close.
3 Cowboys who deserve the most blame for Eagles loss
3. TE Jake Ferguson
Sunday's game was a good representation of Jake Ferguson's season in microcosm. After a Pro Bowl season in his first year as a starter last year, many expected an even better season no matter who the quarterback is. Ferguson has battled injuries this season, but more noticably turnovers.
In the first quarter Dallas actually managed to keep the game close. After an early interception return for a touchdown, the offense tied the game at 7. Even with Philadelphia marching down the field on a 10-play drive, the Cowboys offense looked to have some life.
Unfortunately, Jake Ferguson gave all their momentum away when he fumbled the ball just two plays into the drive. The turnover led to an Eagles' field goal and the game went all downhill from there. Once again the turnover bug got Dallas like it had earlier in the year during the losing streak. Even worse, the fumble was the second one Ferguson committed against the Eagles this season.
He fumbled in the game earlier in the year in Dallas, giving him now two fumbles lost for the year. In total Ferguson has fumbled the ball four times this season after not committing one in his first two seasons. Being a critical member of this offense as he has been, Ferguson has to be better at holding onto the ball.
It is hard to blame just one player for one play, but when momentum swings in the NFL it can fully go in the other direction. The Eagles had all the momentum from that point on and Dallas did not score again. For once again making a huge mistake against the Eagles that gave them a surge of momentum, Ferguson deserves blame for the loss.
2. CB Andrew Booth
If there is one player on that defense who looked out of sorts all game, it was Andrew Booth. With Trevon Diggs, Caelen Carson and Josh Butler done for the season and other injuries at corner, Booth got the start on Sunday opposite of DaRon Bland. The Eagles smelled the mismatch and they took full advantage all day.
Just like in the first game against Philadelphia when A.J. Brown torched Carson, DeVonta Smith did the same thing against Booth. Smith led the Eagles in receiving for the game with six catches for 120 yards. Most of them came with Booth lining up on him.
On the Eagles' first offensive touchdown, Smith beat Booth off the line cleanly to haul in a 22-yard touchdown pass. The day would only get worse for him. Towards the end of the half with the Eagles up 17-7, they only had 36 seconds to try to get more points before halftime. That ended up being plenty of time for Kenny Pickett as he hit Smith again for a 49-yard pass that brought them down to the goal line where they eventually punched it in to go up 24-7, effectively ending the game. Once again Booth got burned.
In the fourth quarter, Smith scored his second touchdown after running a simple slant route. Booth clearly looked lost on the play and before he could react, Smith was off to the races. The play was the third one Booth got beat lining up on Smith. Needless to say, he would like to forget about this game.
The Cowboys traded for Booth from Minnesota in exchange for Nahshon Wright. Wright never became a depth corner Dallas could depend on and Booth has looked lost all season. Even with Diggs and Bland here for the foreseeable future, Dallas needs to address cornerback depth this offseason. Right now it looks like Booth will not be retained in 2025. He deserves a good amount blame for the blowout loss.
1. QB Cooper Rush
Cooper Rush regressed Sunday afternoon after having arguably his two best career performances against Carolina and Tampa Bay. Rush has had to deal with the huge task this season of replacing Dak Prescott for most of the season. However, for a backup quarterback Rush has looked capable for the bulk of the back half of the year. He struggled in his first few games this season, but took better care of the football during Dallas' wins. Sunday against the Eagles was arguably his worst game of the year.
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The first drive showed how this game was going to go for him. On third down near midfield, Rush was looking for Brandin Cooks on a slant route for the first down, but instead found C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Johnson ended up taking it back for a touchdown that set the tone for the game. Rush looked like he clearly did not see him and stared down his receiver, making it easy for Johnson to go get the ball.
Later in the second quarter, Rush was trying to get something going downfield but instead threw a ball into triple coverage, one of the worst things a quarterback can do. Gardner-Johnson ended up with his second interception. The Eagles went on to score before the half, putting the blame for that touchdown on Rush. It marked the first time all season Rush had thrown multiple interceptions in a game and his first ones since the Cincinnati game.
With two camps of fans who love Dak Prescott or Cooper Rush, Rush's performance on Sunday did not tip the scales in his favor. Prescott is still the undisputed starter due to his talent and new contract, but Rush has been winning over a lot of fans this season. After a game likes this though, it shows how much Dak means to this team. Even with Rush being the backup, most expected a better outing from him based on the last two games. For that, he deserves the most amount of blame for this loss.