Five Big-Picture Takeaways From Eagles Week 9 Win Vs Cowboys

4.) The Offense is Equipped to Win a Game In Spite of Shortcomings of Other Phases

Nov 8, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Ryan Mathews (24) celebrates his touchdown with quarterback Sam Bradford (7) during the second half of a game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

The Eagles defense gave up a handful of second half leads against the Cowboys. The special teams unit allowed Lucky Whitehead to return a kickoff to the Eagles 21 yard line. Needless to say, Sunday’s win was not a three-phase victory in Dallas. The defense had some moments, none bigger than Jordan Hicks’s 67-yard pick six in the early stages of the 4th quarter, but allowed a 100-yard rusher for the 2nd straight game and let Dez Bryant burn them on a couple of occasions. Matt Cassel also had his best game of the season against the Eagle D.

Despite two of the three phases having par-at-best showings against Dallas, the Eagles were able to walk out of AT&T Stadium with a win. For the first time all season, the offense picked up the rest of the team and emerged as the most impressive phase of the team in a win. Every time the Cowboys tied the game back up, the offense had a response to stem the tide. Sam Bradford didn’t turn the ball over, was sacked just once, and delivered his most dramatic moment as an Eagle to cap off a very strong showing. Zach Ertz looked to take another step towards distinguishing himself as a go-to target for Bradford. Finally, the offensive line handled a Cowboys front that had embarrassed the full-strength version of the growth earlier that season.

There is still something to be desired when it comes to the Eagles offense. Their is so little production along the outside from players not named ‘Jordan Matthews’ and it still took a quarter to get things rolling. That being said, the Eagles were not derailed from playing ‘behind the sticks’ on Sunday. On multiple occasions, they were able to overcome negative yards on early downs to sustain drives and keep Dallas on the field. For the first time in what seems like over a year, the high-tempo approach had its desired effect and left a Cowboys unit gasping for oxygen on multiple occasions. Save for the bizarre drive before the half, the Eagles offense was very impressive for three quarters on Sunday.

The defense isn’t always going to be able to deliver three or more turnovers. The special teams cannot constantly be depended upon to provide a spark. Chip Kelly’s hallmark is offense and that group has to be able to make up for sub-standard showings by the rest of the team. Over the past season-plus, both the defense and special teams have done so on a handful of occasions while the offense went through a funk. Sunday was a case where the offense was able to take on the weight of responsibility in delivering the team a win.