PHILADELPHIA − The Eagles got a quick jump on taking control of the NFC East, but the Cowboys were making a game of it in the third quarter.
Once again, the Eagles got yards on the ground when they had to. Jalen Hurts also threw the ball effectively. And the defense completely shut down the Dallas Cowboys.
But the Eagles 20-point lead was quickly cut to 10 midway through the third quarter.
Dallas quarterback Cooper Rush, starting his fifth straight game in place of Dak Prescott, threw his first two interceptions of the season. The Eagles converted the first into a touchdown. The Cowboys also turned the ball over on downs, trying to convert a 4th-and-1 from their 34. The Eagles converted that into a field goal.
The Cowboys got a field goal in the final seconds of the first half, keyed by KaVontae Turpin’s 61-yard kickoff return. That was the first time Dallas was on the Eagles’ side of the field.
Miles Sanders scored from 5 yards out while A.J. Brown caught a 15-yard TD pass from Hurts.
Hurts was 11-for-17 passing for 111 yards and a touchdown. Sanders had 39 yards on the ground.
But it wasn’t all good news for the Eagles. Right tackle Lane Johnson went into the locker room in the final seconds of the first half. He was later diagnosed with a concussion and was ruled out for the game. Jack Driscoll replaced Johnson. Driscoll played left tackle for Jordan Mailata the last two games.
Another key player injured
In addition to Johnson, the Eagles lost safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a hand injury. Gardner Johnson, who had an interception in the first quarter, was hurt early in the third quarter.
He was replaced by K’Von Wallace. The Cowboys went at Wallace and ended up with a touchdown on their first drve with Wallace in the game.
Gardner-Johnson returned later in the third quarter.
2nd quarter domination
The Eagles came into the game outscoring their opponents 92-24 in the second quarter.
After scoring all 20 of their points in the frame, beginning with Sanders’ touchdown 5 seconds into the quarter, the margin is now up to 112-27.
Incredibly, it’s the third time in six games this season that the Eagles had at least a 17-point lead at the break. The Eagles led 24-0 against Minnesota in Week 2 and by the same score against Washington in Week 3.
Don’t call it a sneak
For the Eagles, the quarterback sneak is a misnomer.
Everyone knows it’s coming when the Eagles have about a yard or less to go for a first down or a touchdown. Yet just about every time, quarterback Jalen Hurts will line up under center, take the snap from Jason Kelce and push his way forward.
Sure enough, the Eagles made it work late in the first quarter against the Cowboys on Sunday night, when Hurts converted a 3rd-and-1 from Dallas’ 18. The Eagles ran the QB sneak seven times last week against the Arizona Cardinals, converting five times.
It’s easy to see why the Eagles are so good at it, and why they do it so often.
“If you run the play properly as an offense, you should execute it most of the time,” Kelce said. “You only need a yard. You know when the snap count’s coming. There aren’t many reasons why it shouldn’t work.”
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Then Kelce added an aspect that Hurts brings to the equation, even though it’s not a prerequisite.
“Obviously, having a quarterback that squats 600 pounds helps,” he said, referring to Hurts. “Carson (Wentz) couldn’t squat 600 pounds, though, and he was just as decent at it, too.”
Hurts downplayed his success at it, saying, “It’s a testament to the guys up front. And I just kind of follow their lead.”
But Hurts does bring a dynamic to it that other quarterbacks don’t, beyond the willingness to sacrifice his body and keep churning his legs forward for that 1 yard.
Eagles make a penalty work
It was risky even for the Eagles, going for it on 4th-and-4 from the Dallas 10 near the end of the first quarter. But it worked out when Cowboys linebacker Dante Fowler was whistled for lining up in the neutral zone.
The Eagles scored on the very next play as Miles Sanders took the ball up the middle from the 5, giving the Eagles a 7-0 lead.
The run culminated a 15-play, 80-yard drive that chewed up 7 minutes, 36 seconds.
Eagles fully healthy on O-line
The Eagles are back to full strength on the offensive line after left tackle Jordan Mailata, who missed last week’s game with a shoulder injury, was cleared to play. So were Jason Kelce and Landon Dickerson, who missed some plays last week.
In addition, RB Boston Scott was cleared to play after missing two games with a concussion. Cornerback Avonte Maddox was also cleared to return after missing two games with an ankle injury.
Left tackle Andre Dillard was activated off injured reserve Saturday and is expected to be on the game-day roster. Dillard was placed on IR after breaking his forearm during a practice in late August. Dillard would have started in place of Mailata last week.
The Eagles’ inactives included a surprise in DE Tarron Jackson, their sixth-round pick last season. The others were QB Ian Book, CB Josh Jobe, S Reed Blankenship, RB Trey Sermon and G Josh Sills.
For the Cowboys, quarterback Dak Prescott, listed as questionable after injuring his thumb in the season opener, was not on the game-day roster. Neither was tight end Dalton Schultz.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
