Message Delivered: Eagles Make Statement in 33-10 Win over Cowboys

Nov 27, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly (right) meets with Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett after the game at AT&T Stadium.The Eagles beat the Cowboys 33-10. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Despite head coach Chip Kelly brushing off the notion in his post-game press conference, his Eagles made a definitive statement to the Cowboys and the rest of the NFC on Thanksgiving. Their 33-10 dismantling of Dallas, who entered the contest tied with the Eagles atop the division, felt like a much bigger margin and could end up having an impact that goes beyond just one week.

It would be wrong to lump the Eagles in with the Green Bay Packers as the ‘elite’ crowd of the NFC, especially after what they did to them a few weeks back in Lambeau. That said, it would be hard not to include the Eagles with a small cluster of teams that appears to be distinguishing themselves as the playoff race heats up. Especially with the injury to Carson Palmer, one could make a strong argument that the Eagles are the second best team in the conference and in contention with earning a first-round playoff bye, depending on how the records shake out.

Playing on short rest, the Eagles were given very little respect as many analysts, local and national, picked in favor of the Cowboys. With most sticking to the ‘tale of the tape’, it was hard not to see what they were seeing. Dallas entered the game with advantages up and down the depth chart. The two teams had split last season’s meetings and Dallas has been garnering a great deal of praise over the course of their season for their commitment to the run game and the performance of Tony Romo.

The chatter leading up to the game, for the most part, centered around the two primary running backs and the offensive lines for their respective teams. Demarco Murray entered the game well ahead of defending rushing champion LeSean McCoy and, at times this season, Shady has bristled at the notion that he had lost a step or his best days were behind him. Meanwhile, years of focusing their first round efforts on offensive linemen has finally been paying dividends for Dallas. Between Travis Frederick, Tyron Smith, and rookie Zach Martin, the Cowboys had been gashing teams on the ground and, more importantly, keeping Romo off of it.

Led by Fletcher Cox, a former first round pick himself, the Eagles were direct with their distaste for all of the talk surrounding Dallas. Various players acknowledged the improvements made by their division foes, but seemed determined to remind everyone who the division champion was. From the moment the two teams hit the field Thursday afternoon in Jerry’s World, it was plain as day who the class of the NFC East is in 2014.

The 33-10 thrashing was a game won off the field just as much as on. The Eagles’ level of preparation was a cut above Dallas’, who seemed gassed and ready to waive the white flag in the 3rd quarter. At no point did any member of any of Philadelphia’s three units seem winded despite having played earlier that week. In addition to putting in the right work to win before the game, Chip Kelly danced circles around Jason Garrett and only continued to widen the gap between he and the other young coaches in the division. The Eagles beat the Cowboys by attacking their strengths, thus revealing greater weaknesses.

As far as the vaunted Dallas offensive line, Fletcher Cox and the front seven backed up their talk with one of their finer performances of the season. DeMarco Murray finished with just 73 yards on 20 carries and was a non-factor one the Eagles lead got out of hand. Cox, who seemed to be living in the Dallas backfield, delivered one of four sacks of Tony Romo who looked uncomfortable for most of the game. The Eagles snapped his 38-game streak of throwing at least one touchdown pass and held Dez Bryant to four catches for 73 yards.

The Eagles offense did just as much their part as well. They took the air out of the building right away by driving the ball 80 yards on their first possession and capping it with a Mark Sanchez touchdown run near the goal line. The opening march featured a pair of big runs, one by McCoy and one by Darren Sproles, where the offensive line really shined as far as getting out in space and providing lanes for their runners.

Already up a touchdown, the following Eagles drive was just as much a statement as the opener. After starting with a 19-yard run by McCoy to improve field position, the Eagles featured six straight passing plays on another impressive drive. Sanchez found Jordan Matthews on the sixth of those passes and the rookie galloped into the endzone for his seventh touchdown of the season. Sanchez threw just one incompletion on the drive and hit all three of his primary receivers before connecting with Matthews for the score.

Though it did not end in a touchdown, the third Eagles drive signified a very big point in the game. After the Cowboys had reached the endzone to cut the lead to seven, Mark Sanchez nearly gave them the ball right back deep in Eagle territory when he was strip-sacked by Tyrone Crawford. Andrew Gardner, filling in once more for Todd Herremans, alertly fell on the ball and preserved possession for his team. The very next play Sanchez found Jeremy Maclin, who broke the 1,000 yard mark for the first time in his career, for a 58-yard pickup and stopped the momentum the Cowboys were slowly building. Like two other drives in the quarter, the Eagles would end up with a field goal but kept Dallas from building upon what would be their only visit to the endzone.

One of the more spectacular defensive plays by the Eagles came just before halftime. The lead was 20-7 but, given the fact that they were getting the ball to start the second half, Dallas could conceivably take the lead without letting the Eagles get the ball back. Up to that point, it was somewhat unnerving to realize that the Eagles could be staring at a deficit the next time their offense took the field. Brandon Boykin saw to it that no such situation would occur. On first down, Romo found Cole Beasley on a crossing route over the middle. As the receiver scampered toward the sideline, Boykin flew through the air, ala Brian Dawkins, and swiped down hard at the ball as he made the tackle. Beasley coughed it up and the ball settled on the turf near the sideline where Nate Allen was there to pick it up. The turnover would lead to free points for the Eagles who went into the locker room with a 23-7 lead.

It took a sequence of three drives in the 3rd quarter for a game slightly in the balance to be decided. After forcing Dallas to punt on their first drive, the Eagles got the ball back with a chance to start putting the game out of reach. On a short run up the middle, LeSean McCoy had the ball jarred loose by Andrew Gardner, of all people, and the Cowboys recovered on Philadelphia’s 13 yard line.

A touchdown seemed all but inevitable after Murray collected nine yards on first down to get the ball down to the three. However, a tackle for loss on second down and a sack by Casey Matthews (with a little help of some miscommunication by the Dallas offensive line) forced the Cowboys to settle for three and keep the lead at two possessions.

With their turnover having not cost them too much, the offense used their next possession to put the game on ice. Using a strong run/pass balance, the Eagles matriculated their way into Dallas territory. On a 2nd down play from   the 38-yard line, LeSean McCoy burst to the second level and, for the first time all year it felt like, ran away from the opposition before reaching paydirt. Shady would go on to mock Dez Bryant’s touchdown celebration after putting his team in front by 20. McCoy would finish with 159 yards on 20 carries and is starting to look more and more like the back who captured the rushing title a season ago.

From there, the Eagles were content to continue to run the ball and the clock while the Cowboys continued to self-destruct. Romo would end up throwing two interceptions and lost for just the second time in his career on Thanksgiving. The home team’s frustration was made abundantly clear late in the 4th quarter when punt returner Dwayne Harris de-cleated Nolan Carroll as he was attempting to down a Donnie Jones punt. The cheap shot earned Harris a 10-yard unnecessary roughness penalty and assured the maximum level of embarrassment for his team. Though the final score of the game read 33-10, it really feels like the Eagles beat Dallas by a much wider margin.

So with a head-to-head win over Dallas and a blemish-free division record, the Eagles are firmly in the driver’s seat for the NFC East. A win at home against the Cowboys two weeks from Sunday would all but put a bow on the team’s 2nd straight division title. To say the Eagles did themselves a favor by winning on Thanksgiving would be an understatement.

In addition to its importance in the standings, the psychological impact of Thursday’s win cannot be overstated. The Eagles took everything that the Cowboys had been succeeding with and flipped it on them to the tune of a humiliating loss. Though the team still had issues scoring in the red zone, the offense was crisp and efficient both through the air and on the ground.

Mark Sanchez also was able to put perhaps his biggest demon a little further in the rear-view mirror. Given the fact that his infamous ‘butt-fumble’ game occurred during a Thanksgiving-day tilt with the Patriots, to have him perform so well with such high stakes figures to pay dividends for his confidence down the stretch. Sanchez was masterful throwing the ball and very rarely left one concerned over whether he was going to throw an interception. He was also demonstrative and forthright as a leader, commanding his teammates and taking control of the offense. He was seen lighting up Riley Cooper at one point for failing to line up correctly and forcing Sanchez to use a timeout. It was refreshing to see Sanchez make it through another game without a turnover and lead this team to a win.

The contrast between the two teams on the field Thursday was a stark one. The Cowboys seemed to try to rely on emotion and rah-rah support rather than the Eagles who approached everything in a far more professional, almost business-like manner. The tempo was as fast as it’s ever been and their was no extraneous activity that cost the team at any point.

Since last season, everyone has wanted to see what Chip Kelly’s offense could do against the Seattle Seahawks. In ten days, the two teams will meet at Lincoln Financial Field and one will finally get to see the showdown that was prevented by the Eagles losing to the Saints in last year’s playoffs. Both teams are coming in on a high note after winning road games in the division. It should make for an entertaining showdown