Jake Ferguson's insane practice request to prep for Eagles pays off after early TD

The Dallas Cowboys needed a big boy drive from the offense after the Philadelphia Eagles opened up an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter and they answered the bell. In fairness to KaVontae Turpin, he sparked the drive with a long kickoff return that allowed the offense to start near midfield.

Dak Prescott and Co. did the rest. After picking up multiple first downs with his legs and completing a 29-yard pass to CeeDee Lamb on fourth down, Prescott connected with Jake Ferguson on a short touchdown to even things up at 7-7.

It was all Lamb and Ferguson on the scoring drive.

Ferguson caught two passes for 11 yards and his hot start isn't all that surprising. His production fluctuated early in the season, but he's really emerged as a security blanket for Prescott over the last three games, including on Sunday.

As it turns out, Ferguson was overly prepared for this game. This week in practice, the young tight end brought out ice buckets to prep his hands for the cold Philadelphia climate ... even though the forecast didn't call for winter attire.

Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson using ice buckets to prep for Eagles somehow paid off

While a low of 48 degrees isn't bad at all for a November game at Lincoln Financial Field, the Cowboys played at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles last week. Weather conditions weren't at all a factor. Going from that to a potentially windy Philly is a big change, even if most NFL players wouldn't consider it during their mid-week prep.

That alone encapsulates why Ferguson is beloved by Cowboys fans. Scoring a huge touchdown against Dallas' foremost rival certainly won't hurt his growing popularity.

On the field, he's an ascending pass-catcher and his ability to create yards after the catch is among the top TEs in the league. He's also taken major strides as a run-blocker. That's obviously a testament to the work he puts in off the field.

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