Dallas Cowboys vs Eagles: Standouts, Notes, and Observations

By Reid Hanson | Nov 1, 2016

Oct 30, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) signals a first down in overtime after a quarterback sneak on fourth down against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys beat the Eagles 29-23 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /

The Dallas Cowboys hosted the Philadelphia Eagles for a week eight edition of Sunday Night Football. Here were Sunday night’s standouts, notes, and observations.

As expected, the Eagles committed to stopping the run early. The Dallas Cowboys decided to fight it by spreading out the Eagles defense and running multiple receiver sets. The plan was solid as long as Dak Prescott and his receivers made the plays. But from Drive1 on, both had problems making the plays despite beatable coverage. Expect to see this from opposing defenses from here on out.

The Cowboys’ coaching staff certainly came into this game prepared. The creativity and execution of the plays was top-notch on Sunday. On offense they attacked the aggressiveness of the edge players and on defense they focused on stopping the short routes. The Cowboys’ coaching staff has stepped up in a big way this season and is putting their players in position to succeed.

Normally, I try to avoid praising or criticizing play-calling. The inherent nature of the act says that if a play is properly executed we praise it and if it’s not we criticize. If I do try to breakdown and judge the play-calling, I’ll need to analyze the situation: down and distance, statistical strengths and weakness, defensive scheme being shown, transparency, etc… In other words, it may be easy to be critical with the benefit of hindsight but it’s not fair unless you’ve studied and weighed all the factors.

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That said, the fake punt seemed idiotic. It worked and it brought the Cowboys back in the game but if it hadn’t it could have given the Eagles the ball in the redzone which would have probably been the nail in the coffin, potentially going up by three possessions. Keep in mind, this succeeded because an Eagles player, who was in position to make the play, screwed up. You generally want a play’s success to depend on personal execution rather than blatant mistakes from the opposition.

It’s still OK to do fakes and trick plays from time to time, but not on the 27-yard line in the 3rd quarter when you stand to go down three possessions against a very strong defense. Still, because it worked, Garrett is getting praised. It’s good that he got aggressive but in this situation I believe the risk to outweigh the reward.

The Eagles’ first 10 points came because of drive-extending penalties. The drives should have died on the field but Cowboys’ mistakes allowed them to continue and materialize into points.

This was a very off night for Dak Prescott. Even before the interception in the endzone, Prescott wasn’t seeing free running receivers, he was missing targets, and making questionable decisions. Not seeing open receivers has been the primary criticism of the rookie this season but Sunday it was glaringly apparent.

Sean Lee followed up two uncharacteristically mediocre performances with a great one on Sunday. He finished plays, was well positioned, and had no hesitation. For a defense devoid of star power, Lee is required to play perfectly every week. And he did on Sunday.

I’ll have to check the All-22 to see what was going on with Cole Beasley. He didn’t appear to be completely neutralized (although his route did collide with a fellow receiver on one critical 3^rd down). Beasley is too important to this offense not to include him early and often.
I was surprised the Cowboys forced the ball to Dez Bryant so often, especially when trailing. Timing and chemistry take time, especially on fades, back shoulder passes, and timing routes. Things worked out between them but I was expecting to see it happen organically.

Next: Cowboys Trade Talk: Tony Romo for DeMarcus Ware?

Standouts included Sean Lee, Morris Claiborne (by far the best in the secondary), Maliek Collins (who had amazing gap penetration), Geoff Swaim (for his run-blocking), and Zack Martin (for being the best player on the field).

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