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Major Takeaways
- The Cowboys beat the Eagles 38 to 21 on Monday night in Philadelphia.
- Javonte Williams ran for a career high 155 yards and one touchdown.
- Dak Prescott threw three touchdown passes with no interceptions.
- Saquon Barkley scored in his return, then left with a back injury.
- Philadelphia has lost five straight games and fell to 2 and 5.
The Cowboys needed this one, and they took it on the ground.
Dallas beat Philadelphia 38 to 21 on Monday night at Lincoln Financial Field.
The win lifted the Cowboys to 3 and 4 in the NFC East.
It also pushed the Eagles down to 2 and 5 on the season.
Philadelphia has now lost five games in a row.
For Black fans in both cities, the stars at the center were familiar faces.
Dak Prescott directed the Dallas offense with calm and control.
Javonte Williams powered it with the best rushing night of his career.
And Saquon Barkley gave Philadelphia early hope before his body gave out again.
Cowboys ground game wore Philadelphia down
Dallas ran the ball 38 times for 204 yards on Monday night.
The Cowboys threw it 27 times for 212 yards in a balanced plan.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer leaned into the run from the start.
That choice followed a week of criticism about abandoning the run late.
Williams carried 25 times for 155 yards and one touchdown.
His longest run went for 34 yards in the fourth quarter.
He is the first Dallas runner to reach 150 yards since Ezekiel Elliott.
Elliott last reached that mark for the Cowboys back in 2018.
Philadelphia recorded zero tackles for loss against that ground attack.
The Eagles also finished with zero sacks on Prescott all night.
Coach Nick Sirianni pointed to coaching and execution after the game.
He said it is never just one thing when a defense gives up that many yards.
He said the staff has to coach better and players have to shed blocks and tackle better.
Javonte Williams in a file photo. Photo credit: All Pro Reels, CC BY SA 4.0
Prescott, Lamb and Pickens made it count
Prescott finished 15 of 27 for 212 yards and three touchdowns.
He threw no interceptions and posted a passer rating of 118.1.
CeeDee Lamb caught five passes for 74 yards and two touchdowns.
George Pickens added four catches for 57 yards and one touchdown.
Pickens scored on a 21 yard catch in the second quarter.
That play put Dallas back in front at 17 to 14.
The game saw six lead changes before Dallas finally pulled away.
The last change came late in the third quarter.
Lamb scored on a 16 yard catch with 1:30 left in the third.
Prescott then ran in the two point conversion for a 28 to 21 lead.
Brandon Aubrey added field goals of 55, 27 and 24 yards.
Williams closed the scoring on a short touchdown run late in the fourth.
That score stretched the margin to 38 to 21 and ended the drama.
Dak Prescott in a file photo. Photo credit: Gage Skidmore, CC BY SA 2.0
Barkley return gave hope, then concern
Barkley returned after missing two games with a hamstring injury.
His first carry of the night burst outside for 29 yards.
He finished that opening drive with an 8 yard touchdown run.
But something grabbed at him on that first long run.
He later said he tweaked the hamstring on that opening carry.
Trying to play through it, he hurt his back as he compensated.
Barkley finished with seven carries for 62 yards and one touchdown.
He also caught two passes for 9 yards on a limited workload.
Sirianni confirmed Barkley was on a pitch count for the night.
The team announced in the fourth quarter that he was questionable to return.
His injury was listed as a back injury by the end of the game.
Afterward, Barkley kept the focus on getting his body right.
He said he just has to find a way to get healthy.
He called the run of injuries annoying and said his body is not responding how he wants.
Dameon Pierce filled in with 14 carries for 47 yards and one touchdown.
Pierce then left in the fourth quarter with an injury of his own.
Philadelphia finished the game without either of its top two runners.
McKee and a rookie gave Philadelphia a fight
Tanner McKee started for the second straight week in place of Jalen Hurts.
McKee went 23 of 35 for 211 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown picked him off in the second half.
Philadelphia started without Hurts and receivers DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks.
Rookie Makai Lemon stepped up with seven catches for 67 yards.
Lemon scored his first career touchdown on a 4 yard catch.
That score capped an 84 yard drive that ate almost ten minutes.
It gave Philadelphia a brief 21 to 20 lead in the third quarter.
Dallas answered on the very next drive and never trailed again.
The Eagles scored no points at all in the fourth quarter.
CeeDee Lamb in a file photo. Photo credit: All Pro Reels, CC BY SA 2.0
What this Cowboys win means going forward
Dallas snapped a two game losing streak with this win.
The Cowboys also moved ahead of Philadelphia in the division standings.
The Giants sit at 4, 2 and 1 at the top of the NFC East.
Dallas is now second at 3 and 4, with Philadelphia third at 2 and 5.
For Dallas, the formula on Monday looked simple and repeatable.
Run Williams early, protect Prescott, and let Lamb and Pickens finish drives.
For Philadelphia, the questions now reach beyond one bad night.
Hurts is out, Smith keeps battling a hamstring, and Barkley is hurt again.
The November 10 trade deadline now hangs over the whole roster.
Veteran names could draw interest if the front office decides to reset.
Barkley insisted the locker room still believes the season can flip.
He pointed to one win as the spark this team needs.
That belief will be tested fast, because the margin is now gone.
Five straight losses have turned a proud contender into a desperate team.
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Read how the Falcons handed San Francisco its first loss in our Monday recap.
