Five Takeaways From Eagles Week 10 Rout Of Cowboys
There’s no better feeling as a Philadelphia Eagles fan than watching the team beat Dallas. It’s an even better feeling when the Eagles go down to AT&T Stadium, on the Cowboys’ home turf, and dominate their division rival. That’s exactly what happened in Week 10, when Nick Sirianni’s team blew out the Cowboys 34-6.
After a shaky start to the 2024 season, the Eagles have a 7-2 record, and took over first place in the NFC East. Here are five takeaways from the impressive Week 10 win:
Eagles Defense Dominated All Game Long
The Eagles’ defense has been one of the best units in the NFL over the last month or so. It’s been quite the turnaround for Vic Fangio.
The defense gave the Cowboys offense fits all game. Dallas managed only 11 first downs, compared to the Eagles’ 24. They had only 146 total yards of offense, including 49 passing yards on 29 attempts. The Cowboys averaged 2.6 yards per play, and an embarrassingly low 1.5 yards per pass.
The Eagles’ defense had five takeaways, including four fumble recoveries, and one interception. Cowboys superstar wide receiver CeeDee Lamb was held to 21 yards on 10 targets.
Jalen Hurts No Turnover Streak Came To An End In Week 10
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ offense got off to a sloppy start. They took advantage of a Cowboys fumble at Dallas’ 17-yard line, and punched it in the end zone for a touchdown, to take a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. Other than that, it was sloppy execution through most of the first half.
Hurts had a turnover problem through the first four weeks of the season. He had seven turnovers heading into the Week 5 bye week. The 26-year-old came out of the bye week looking like a completely different player. He played four consecutive games without turning the ball over. That streak came to an end in Week 10, when Hurts turned the ball over twice in the first half.
Hurts threw an interception in the end zone on the first play of the second quarter. It was a good play by the Cowboys defender, but it was Hurts’ first turnover since Week 4. Two possessions later, Hurts fumbled in Eagles territory, setting up a Cowboys field goal to make it a 7-3 game.
Hurts led a seven-play, 84-yard touchdown drive right before halftime, to give the Eagles a 14-6 lead. He finished the game 14/20 for 202 yards and two touchdowns. He had a passer rating of 115, and rushed for 56 yards and two touchdowns. Hurts overcame his early turnovers and played another good game. He’s playing himself into the MVP conversation.
Dallas Goedert Scored In His Return
The Eagles were without tight end Dallas Goedert for three games, as he was dealing with a hamstring injury. He returned to the field for the big Week 10 divisional matchup with the Cowboys.
Goedert didn’t see much action in his return. He caught two passes on three targets for 25 yards, but he hauled in a 14-yard touchdown grab in the final seconds of the first half.
The Eagles’ offense is much better when Goedert is on the field. He’s a do-it-all tight end, and gives opposing defenses another weapon to worry about on Philly’s offense.
Saquon Barkley Was Quiet But Effective
Saquon Barkley didn’t have the monster game NFL fans are accustomed to seeing from him in 2024. He ran the ball 14 times for 66 yards, and caught one pass for 12 yards. The league’s second-leading rusher had only six carries heading into halftime.
Barkley’s yardage in Week 10 might seem low, but he averaged 4.7 yards per carry. The Eagles didn’t need to rely on the 27-year-old as much as other weeks. He was effective when used, and he received much-needed rest, thanks to the large lead the Eagles had over the Cowboys.
Eagles Earned Third Blowout Win In Four Weeks
The Eagles dominated the Cowboys in all facets of the game. The Cowboys hung around for most of the first half, because the Eagles were hurting themselves. The Eagles turned it on coming out of halftime and never looked back. It was a great team win to improve the win streak to five games.
The Eagles have blown out the New York Giants, Cincinnati Bengals, and now the Cowboys in three of the last four weeks. The Eagles outscored those teams 99-26.
Sirianni was able to give most of the starters rest in the fourth quarter. That was a big deal, considering the Eagles have a short week to prepare for Thursday night’s huge NFC East matchup.
Looking Ahead
The Eagles take on the 7-3 Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football in Week 11. It will be just the fourth time this season that the Eagles will play in front of their home fans at Lincoln Financial Field. It will be the biggest game of the year so far for the Eagles, with first place in the NFC East on the line.
The Eagles will be on the road in Week 12 to face the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football, and then will have a date in Baltimore with the Ravens in Week 13.