The Eagles extended their win streak to five in a row after beating Dallas, winning 34-6, Philly's largest margin of victory this season. They've outscored the Cowboys and Giants 62-9 in their two divisional games! This was Philadelphia's first win in Dallas since 2017, and it couldn't have been more dominant. Jalen Hurts had another impressive outing, although his no-turnover streak ended with him throwing an interception and losing a fumble. This was the defense's third game this season not giving up an offensive touchdown after allowing two or more TDs in three of their first four games. It took a little while, but the defense found their groove.
Texas Held Em
Philly’s defense just put together another outstanding performance. They held the Cowboys to just six points and never allowed them to get to the End Zone, even after Jalen Hurts lost a fumble setting Dallas up at Philly’s six-yard line. This is the first time since 1949 that the Birds have won three straight games on the road by 20+ points, and a HUGE part of that is the defense. During this five-game win streak, the Eagles D leads the league in takeaways with 10, and PPG allows only 11 a game! They finished with three sacks, six QB hits, and five TFLs from five players.
A big part of this defense's success is the improvement in the secondary, mainly the success of Philly’s first and second-round draft picks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Mitchell has been lock down all year, performing as one of the league's top corners in his first year. His number as of right now is 23 receptions allowed on 40 targets for a 57% reception percentage allowed, which ranks 8th best in the league, 8.8 tackle percentage, which is 4th best in the league, 7 PBUs, and ZERO touchdowns allowed, which are both tied for best in the league. Cooper DeJean didn’t play much to start the season due to a pre-season injury, but he’s been one of the best nickels in the league since he took over for Avonte Maddox. Last week, he put up the highest coverage grade in the NFL at 85.9, allowing three receptions on five targets for just 11 yards, including snaps where he was guarding CeeDee Lamb. This Eagles DB duo is scary, and they’ll lead the Eagles' secondary for years to come.
Offense Pushes Past Mistakes
Despite his two turnovers, Jalen Hurts did his thing, putting up four touchdowns and completing 70% of his 20 passes. Passing under pressure, Hurts completed seven of his nine passes for 115 yards and two TDs while being pressured on 53.6% of his dropbacks. Hurts had more fantasy points than the entire Cowboys offense combined, having 29.6 points compared to the Cowboys' 25.9. It's a bit of an ESPN stat, but Jalen Hurts is the first QB in NFL history to have a passing touchdown, a rushing touchdown, and a 100+ passer rating in four straight games. AJ Brown had himself a game reeling in five of his seven targets for 109 yards. Dallas Goedert had only two receptions for 25 yards, but he did score in his return.
The Birds had a first-quarter touchdown for the second straight game after not scoring a single point in the first quarter in their first seven games. They have scored 28 or more points four weeks in a row now, averaging 31.7 PPG in that stretch. Philly had 187 team rushing yards, averaging 4.9 per carry as a team; Jalen Hurts had both teams rushing touchdowns. Rookie RB Will Shipley got nine carries, mainly because the Eagles were up by so much that they pulled the starters, but he did have 34 yards, averaging just 3.8 per carry.
Are the Birds Legit?
Despite the Eagles' win streak, some people aren't convinced this team is a championship contender since the five teams they've beaten aren't all that great. That is a valid point when you look at the fact that no team they beat during this streak has over four wins, and three of them actually only have two wins in the season. The Birds are 1-1 against teams with a winning record, beating the now 6-3 Packers and losing to the now 6-4 Falcons. However, it's not like the Eagles barely win these games; they're mauling these teams, leaving no doubt that they're better in every way. Every Bengals loss this season has been by one possession, besides the Eagles, who beat them by 20 points, dropping almost 40 points in the game. Of the Giants' eight losses, three were by more than one possession: one was a ten-point loss to the Bengals, a 28-6 loss to the Vikings in the season opener, and a 28-3 loss against none other than the Philadelphia Eagles. The Jaguars have kept every game close this season besides their matchups against the Bills and Bears, and the Cowboys suck to be honest. They've been blown out 44-19 by the Saints, 47-9 by the Lions, and this week, the Birds dismantled them, winning 34-6, all those games being in Dallas.
Everyone said the same thing about the Birds' strength of schedule in 2022, and they ended up making the Super Bowl, nearly winning it all. Philly has a chance to silence these doubters in this upcoming six-game stretch, facing the 7-3 Commanders twice, the 7-3 Ravens, 7-2 Steelers, and they have a couple of more accessible games sprinkled in there facing the 4-5 Rams and 3-7 Panthers. Come playoff time, this team will be at the top of their game and battle-tested, ready to face the NFC's top contenders.
Final Score: Eagles 34, Cowboys 6
Dixon's Three Stars
1st Star- Zach Baun (8 Tackles, 1 TFL, 2 FF, 1 FR, NFC Defensive Player of the Week)
2nd Star- Jalen Hurts (14/20, 258 Total Yards, 4 Total TDs, 2 Turnovers)
3rd Star- Quinyon Mitchell (4 Targets, 2 Receptions Allowed, 14 Yards, 1 PBU)
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