Eagles’ defense destroyed by Dallas, lose to Cowboys | How it happened

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PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles have lost yet again, dropping their fifth straight in a XX-XX defeat to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night at Lincoln Financial Field.

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The Eagles’ offense, without Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith and more, actually looked much better than it had in recent weeks. But the defense got torched by Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Javonte Williams and the rest of Dallas’ playmakers.

The Cowboys took a step toward winning the wide-open NFC East division. The Eagles, meanwhile, took another step in the wrong direction with the NFL trade deadline looming.

Here’s how the Eagles’ fifth consecutive loss unfolded.

FOURTH QUARTER

2:21 — Cowboys 38, Eagles 21

The Eagles had to go for it on fourth down deep in their own territory to keep some semblance of hope alive. They failed — and six plays and 16 yards later, Javonte Williams scored his first touchdown of the night to put this one to bed.

7:47 — Cowboys 31, Eagles 21

That Tanner McKee INT might be the ball game. The Eagles needed a score on that drive to cut into the Cowboys’ double-digit advantage. McKee’s pick nixed that.

9:10 — Cowboys 31, Eagles 21

The Eagles’ defense is still getting carved up. Dallas just chewed up five minutes on a nine-play, 78-yard drive that ended with a chip-shot Brandon Aubrey field goal.

The Cowboys have scored on six of their seven possessions so far. A night to forget for Vic Fangio’s unit.

THIRD QUARTER

1:30 — Cowboys 28, Eagles 21

Dak Prescott is absolutely cooking the Eagles’ defense right now. Riq Woolen is the prime subject; Prescott is just picking on the volatile Eagles cornerback. But the Eagles are giving Prescott way too much time to throw, and he’s making them pay with precision passing. His third touchdown pass, a second to Ceedee Lamb, retakes the lead for Dallas.

5:44 — Eagles 21, Cowboys 20

That was maybe the best drive of the season for the Eagles. It was certainly their best third-quarter drive; it’s the first time the Eagles have scored a TD in third quarter all season.

Tanner McKee and a heavy dose of Makai Lemon propelled the Eagles’ 17-play, 86-yard touchdown march that lasted more than nine minutes. Lemon, the first-round rookie, finished it off with his first NFL touchdown — a four-yard quick slant with some pre-snap motion. The good stuff.

SECOND QUARTER

0:00 — Cowboys 20, Eagles 14

The Cowboys marched 78 yards on 14 plays in the final 1:14 of the half to take a six-point lead into halftime thanks to a Brandon Aubrey chip-shot.

The Eagles’ four-man front is getting zero pressure on Dak Prescott, who is sitting back there and dicing ‘em. Prescott has 174 passing yards at the break, and it feels like more.

The Eagles’ offense, for the most part, is doing its job. Tanner McKee would like to have a couple of throws back. But for the most part, McKee is playing fine, and the ground game is finding holes in Dallas’ porous defense.

The Eagles’ defense, though, needs to regroup at halftime and come out a more cohesive and chaos-creating unit.

5:37 — Cowboys 17, Eagles 14

George Pickens’ beautiful, 21-yard touchdown catch in the back of the end zone was hard for any DB to guard against. But the Eagles’ defense is getting ripped up right now. The defensive line is getting washed away on the ground. And Dak Prescott has enough time, especially on play-action, to find his guys. Just not good enough from Vic Fangio’s unit.

For weeks we watched the Eagles’ offense hang the defense out to dry. In the first half, we’re seeing the inverse.

13:25 — Eagles 14, Cowboys 10

After what might have been the offense’s best quarter of the season, the Eagles kickstart the second quarter with a Dameon Pierce touchdown run. Pierce’s five-yard burst into the end zone capped a 13-play, 76-yard march.

This Dallas defense is bad, that’s for sure. But Sean Mannion’s offense looks far more varied and creative through two drives than it has in recent weeks. Credit to Mannion and the rest of the staff for a solid plan so far.

Something to monitor: it’s clear Saquon Barkley is managing his hamstring injury. He’s come off the field gingerly a couple times. Barkley hasn’t been looked at by trainers. But the superstar RB appears to be on a bit of a pitch count.

FIRST QUARTER

5:32 — Cowboys 10, Eagles 7

We’ve got a high-scoring affair early. Dallas answered Saquon Barkley’s touchdown with a red-zone TD strike to Ceedee Lamb, who beat Cooper DeJean one-on-one.

The Eagles had a chance to get off the field, forcing a third-and-8 early on Dallas’ drive. But a 35-yard connection from Dak Prescott to Ryan Flournoy kept the drive alive.

The Eagles’ defense has to tighten up.

10:25 — Eagles 7, Cowboys 3

Saquon Barkley is back in a big way. The Eagles’ star running back dominated on his first drive back in action after missing most of the last three weeks with a hamstring injury.

Barkley touched the ball three times — a 12-yard catch, a 29-yard run and an eight-yard TD run. There was also a key 21-yard catch and run by Makai Lemon in there as the Eagles popped Dallas in the mouth with a 75-yard TD drive.

Huge statement early on from the Eagles’ offense.

12:30 — Cowboys 3, Eagles 0

Dallas gets on the board first with a 55-yard field goal by Brandon Aubrey. The Cowboys had an opportunity to accept an illegal formation penalty and go for it on fourth-and-3, but they decided to take the points. We’ll see if that plays a factor later on.

PREGAME NOTES

— In addition to Dickerson, the Eagles will also have center Drew Kendall back. A reinforced offensive line should be able to open holes for Barkley against Dallas, the NFL’s worst run defense. If it doesn’t happen tonight, it won’t happen.

— Joe Milton will be the backup quarterback with rookie Cole Payton serving as the emergency QB3. Milton was on the Cowboys’ practice squad as recently as last week. Now, he’s one injury away from facing his old team. We talked to Milton about his decision to join the Eagles.

— Rookie tight end Eli Stowers, who was activated off the IR, is set to make his NFL debut. He had a rough preseason. But can he showcase the athleticism that gave Howie Roseman the confidence to take him No. 54 overall?

— Edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Jalyx Hunt are both active. They’ll be playing hurt, realizing the Eagles need them in some capacity to pressure Dak Prescott. How much of a pitch count will Greenard and Hunt be on, if any?

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