Eagles start slow, finish strong in dominant prime time win over Cowboys
21 November 2017 Eagles News
Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys: Week 11 Recap and Reactions
Division rivalry games are always a coin toss and after the first half of Sunday’s game, the score certainly showed it. From being horrendous in the first half to getting back to their dominant self, the Eagles put together a show in “Jerry’s World” and were able to get a win on the road under the same adversity as their opponent. After coming back and winning 37-9, here are some of the takeaways:
Eagles depth showing: Both the Eagles and Cowboys were without their left tackle, stud linebacker, running back and starting kicker in Sunday’s showdown. However, the Eagles depth at each position were far superior to the Cowboys depth. Halapoulivaati Vaitai played well for Peters, Corey Clement is showing up as a great red zone threat and the rest of the back-ups are stepping up and getting the job done. Special teamer Kamu Grugier-Hill even came in as an emergency kicker on kickoffs when Jake Elliott went down early in the game.
Pressure led to Dak Turnovers: The Cowboys offensive line played nowhere near the level that it did all last year. Missing a couple of pieces and lack of chemistry opened up room for the Eagles defensive line to come storming at Dak Prescott all night. Constant pressure forced Prescott to throw wild passes and ended up giving the Eagles defense four total takeaways (three interceptions, one forced fumble).
Wentz-Jeffery chemistry building: Alshon Jeffery has yet to total 100 receiving yards in a game this season. One good reason for this is because there are multiple targets for Carson Wentz. However Sunday’s game showed that this is the point in the season where the two of them are really clicking. Wentz is giving Jeffery opportunities as a No. 1 receiver and putting his trust in him while Jeffery is making catches like the best receiver in the league. Putting the yardage total aside, Jeffery is making plays worthy of a No. 1 receiver and is developing his trust with Wentz which will be more dangerous as the season progresses.
Darby’s immediate impact: After 10 weeks of being off the field, Ronald Darby came back into the lineup and made an instant impact on the defense. Reports before the game said that Darby threw up and practices because he was forcing himself to go hard so that he would be in shape come game time. He basically shadowed Dez Bryant all night and limited him to only a couple catches. Darby wrapped up like no other and was a sure tackler all game, preventing open field plays. There’s no doubt the Eagles have their No. 1 cornerback back in the rotation.
So here are the biggest questions coming out of Sunday’s game: Does Derek Barnett deserve more snaps? Which running back deserves the most touches? Is Carson Wentz the MVP as of right now?
Stay tuned for my periscope on Thursday where I will go further into detail about the Eagles depth and who should be starting at each position.
#FlyEaglesFly
Brendan Walker Alshon Jeffery, Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles, Ronald Darby