5 Cowboys studs (and 1 dud) from revenge win vs Eagles in Week 14

We survived a scare before kickoff as the Dallas Cowboys were the overwhelming favorites from the Football Night in America Team. Just about any Dallas fan understands how quickly things can go wrong once others start to believe, but that wasn't the case this time.

The Cowboys were out for revenge on the Philadelphia Eagles, who held on for a 28-23 win in their first meeting of the year. Dallas nearly came back in that one but late penalties wound up being their downfall. This time, they made sure it didn't come down to the wire.

Dallas jumped out to a 7-0 lead on the opening drive and went into the half up 24-6. They won this one going away as the defense forced three turnovers. Added all up, the Cowboys won 33-13 to improve to 10-3 on the season and 8-0 at home. Now, let's look back at who stood out as studs and duds from the revenge game win.

Cowboys stud: Donovan Wilson, S

Donovan Wilson has taken his share of criticism this season — and it's hard to argue that he hasn't had his share of struggles. You wouldn't know that from the way he came out on Sunday Night Football, making two big plays on the opening defensive series of the night.

Dallas was up 7-0 and the Eagles were trying to match the opening-drive touchdown. They were on the move until Wilson hit Jalen Hurts at the 20-yard line and forced the ball out. The fumble was recovered by Wilson as well, stopping the Eagles after they had gone 54 yards.

That was the second play he made that stood out, the first being when he broke up a deep pass to DeVonta Smith. It originally looked as though Smith had a huge gain but Wilson came in along with Damone Clark to force an incompletion. Wilson finished with five tackles and was a major part of setting the tone early.

Cowboys stud: Tony Pollard, RB

Tony Pollard has put together a solid season but he hasn't been the explosive player we're used to seeing. Still, he's been a trusted weapon on offense and was making plays early and often in this one. On the opening drive alone, he had three receptions for 17 yards. While the long was just eight yards, he was providing his quarterback a safe check-down option as they moved down the field for a touchdown.

On their next drive, he again stepped up with his biggest play coming on a fourth-and-two. This time, he took a handoff from Dak Prescott and ran it up the middle. He followed that up with an 18-yard gain as well, but that one was called back due to a hold from Terence Steele. They wound up with three points thanks to a 60-yard field goal from Brandon Aubrey — which wouldn't have happened without Pollard's clutch run.

Pollard ended the game with 59 yards on the ground while adding 37 yards on seven receptions. He split more time with Rico Dowdle this week with the fourth-year back gaining 46 yards on the ground and six as a receiver. Dowdle even ran in a one-yard touchdown after Pollard made it to the goal line. Keeping the rotation closer to even should help Pollard stay fresh, which will be important down the stretch as they look to steal the NFC East from the Eagles.

Cowboys stud: Brandon Aubrey, K

Brandon Aubrey is the special weapon that no one saw coming. Dallas signed him this offseason after a short stint in the USFL. At the time, many wondered what they were doing by signing a former soccer player who converted to kicker, without bringing in competition. Now, no one is wondering.

Aubrey has been a major weapon for the Cowboys and broke the record for the most made field goals in a row to start a career. Entering Week 14 with 26 made kicks, he came out and made even more history with his first two attempts against the Eagles.

In the first half, he nailed one from 60 yards out to make it 10-0. His next kick was in the third quarter after a penalty-filled drive ended in a 59-yard attempt. That one was perfectly down the middle — as was the 60-yarder — making it 27-13. What made this historic was the fact he's now the first kicker in NFL history to make two kicks from 59 yards out in the same game.

He's now 8-of-8 from beyond 50 and 30-of-30 after making all four of his kicks. His final ones on Sunday were from 45 and 50 yards, which felt like chip shots after his first two.

Cowboys stud: Stephon Gilmore, CB

This weekend, Stephon Gilmore had a tough assignment. The 13th-year veteran spent much of the night covering A.J. Brown, who can be a game-changer. Gilmore held his own throughout the night and even had a turnover early in the third quarter to kill the Eagles' momentum.

After receiving the second-half kickoff, Philadelphia had moved into Dallas territory when Brown hauled in a seven-yard pass. Gilmore was able to strip the ball out of his hands and Damone Clark picked up the fumble.

Dallas nearly capitalized on the turnover when Dak Prescott dropped the ball into CeeDee Lamb's hands deep downfield but the normally sure-handed wideout dropped the pass. Even though they had to punt — which was their first time doing so since Thanksgiving — the play from Gilmore gave them the momentum back and they forced a quick three-and-out on the next series.

Near the end of the third quarter, the veteran again stepped up for the Dallas defense. After Brandon Aubrey kicked a 59-yarder to make it a 27-13 game, Gilmore stopped Brown for just two yards on third-and-11. Then with the Eagles getting aggressive on fourth-down, he made a sure tackle on DeVonta Smith to give his team the ball back once again. Gilmore had nine tackles on the night and was constantly making key stops, proving to be a steal considering it took a mere fifth-round pick to land him.

Cowboys dud: Jalen Tolbert, WR

Jalen Tolbert was the gunner on fourth-and-two from the Philly 33. He was too far off his man, which allowed the Eagles's punter, Braden Mann, to throw to a wide-open Olamide Zaccheaus who gained 28 yards and gave them a fresh set of downs.

In Tolbert's defense, he's a wideout and doesn't play in coverage. But that would be more excusable if he were to be beaten by Zaccheaus for a reception. That wasn't the case since he wasn't even in the vicinity to attempt to cover — making it far too easy of a decision from Mann to fire the pass.

The Dallas defense was able to hold after that as the Eagles had to kick a 52-yard field goal. Even with that being the case, the Cowboys were about to get the ball with a 10-0 lead but instead, saw the score cut to a single touchdown after the gaffe.

Tolbert, a third-round pick from South Alabama was almost non-existent as a rookie in 2022. He came into this season looking to make a larger impact but due to a stacked receiving corps, he finds himself at No. 4 still and has been a regular on special teams. He's been vastly improved based upon what we saw from him last year but this was a play he needs to learn from.

Cowboys stud: Dak Prescott, QB

At this point, Dak Prescott should make sure there's room for his MVP trophy. He's been playing at an elite level throughout the season but once again, the sticks continued to move for him. Despite his performance, the claim was that he couldn't beat the Eagles — even though he has. He put that to rest with another dominant night.

Prescott moved the offense right down the field on a 10-play, 75-yard drive. He capped that one off with a 13-yarder to CeeDee Lamb, giving his team an early 7-0 lead. A second touchdown included an absolute dart to Jake Ferguson for seven yards and ended with a Rico Dowdle touchdown run.

He then ended the first half with yet another 75-yard drive. This time, he did so with just under two minutes to go. He had several solid plays and finished with a one-yard touchdown pass to Michael Gallup, putting his team up 24-6 at the half.

When all was said and done, Prescott threw for 271 yards on 24-of-39 passing. He had two touchdowns and no interceptions, with his only miscue coming when he fumbled the ball while being sacked. That one was taken back for a touchdown by Jalen Carter but the Eagles were still never truly back in the game.

Dallas has a tough stretch with just one more game at home in their final four outings. They'll also have to take on the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, and Detroit Lions over the next three weeks. It's a gauntlet but with the way Prescott is playing, they have to believe they can handle it.

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