The Cowboys are who we thought they were. Sunday evening’s 17-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was a re-run of the same 2019 episode; a team led by a quarterback and coach who haven’t found a way to get it done during big games.
The Eagles played like a shot fighter who still possessed the heart of a champion. Philadelphia entered the game with numerous key injuries and more went down throughout the game. Both starting cornerbacks, Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby, left the game due to injuries, though Mills would return. Zach Ertz and Fletcher Cox also left the game for a short period due to injury. The Eagles adopted a next-man mentality and find ways to make plays.
Philadelphia scored on their first two drives, securing a 10-0 early lead as the Cowboys started flat. Their first two drives were three and outs and QB Dak Prescott and his wide receivers never quite developed a rhythm. Ezekiel Elliott never became a factor. The Pro Bowler finished with 13 carries for 47 yards. Philadelphia loaded the box with seven to eight men and dared Prescott to beat them with his injured shoulder.
The Cowboys’ loss felt shocking. It’s almost as if they weren’t prepared or didn’t want to win ugly. The loss doesn’t eliminated the Cowboys from contention, but does Dallas really deserve a playoff spot after this season’s turmoil? One could also say that about the Eagles; however, there’s been no team with more key injuries.
America’s Game of The Week was a defining moment for both franchises. Beyond a NFC East lead (a playoff clinch for the Cowboys if they won), the outcome changes the narratives circulating around two underperforming teams and their quarterbacks.
Both 2016-drafted quarterbacks, Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz have received their fair share of praise and criticism, especially in recent weeks. They might be the two most scrutinized play callers in the NFL, 1A and 1B.
Prescott’s statistics are amazing. His passing yards, passing yards per game, passing touchdowns, and quarterback rating are all among top five in the league. That’s extremely impressive, however he hasn’t shown he can win the games he needs to be regarded as elite as his numbers would indicate.
Despite the Cowboys appearing to be an offensive juggernaut as the number one offense in the NFL, the team entered Sunday’s game, 7-7. Prescott, the leader of the team, needed a win to stave-off more criticism and solidify his future with the team.
Wentz, on the other hand, hasn’t quite been the quarterback that graced television screens during the Eagles’ 2017-2018 Super Bowl season. Before the season-ending leg injury, fans and pundits remember his MVP performances. Furthermore, there’s the two Nick Foles’ magical playoff runs during consecutive seasons. Foles’ ability to lead the Eagles to heights Wentz didn’t was an indirect indictment on Wentz’ leadership.
In the words of Jay-Z on Grammy Freestyle “Hov got flow though he’s no Big and Pac, but he’s close. How I’m ‘posed to win, they got me fightin’ ghosts.”
Wentz has been and still is fighting ghosts, of both his pre-injury self and Foles.
His statistics and team performances would indicate he’s a middle-in-the pack quarterback who was paid too early and too much. Sunday’s game was a prove-it-ground to silent naysayers. Similarly to Prescott, a loss magnifies the pressure and the noises in his heads become louder and louder. The stakes for both quarterbacks were higher than a divisional bout for the NFC East title.
Wentz delivered a career defining performance. Devoid of his top three wide receiver weapons, Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, and Nelson Algholar, starting running back and right tackle, Jordan Howard and Lane Johnson, and losing his absolutely his favorite target for some series, Zach Ertz, he made play after play to win the game. He elevated back-ups and practice players to carry his depleted team to a win. Wentz finished 31/40 for 319 yards and one touchdown.
Unfortunately for Prescott, his performance was a bit of a letdown. Yes, Prescott was injured. Yes, the receivers dropped six passes including a Michael Gallup dropped catch that may have been a game-tying touchdown. Despite all of that, Prescott’s performance was still a letdown. He finished 25 of 44 passing for 265 yards and no touchdowns.
From the opening drive he very was inaccurate. The ball placement and velocity was very inconsistent. Too hard. Too high. Too behind. Too low. Too far. A lot of too much that resulted in too little.
It’s likely this contributed to drop passes. Wide receiver is a rhythmic position where they tend to adjust catches to how the quarterback is delivering the ball. When Prescott isn’t placing the ball how they expect it or used to, routine catches become increasingly difficult. Ironically, Wentz and his receivers struggled with this exact problem earlier in the year.
Here are some examples of Prescott and his wide receiver miscues:
There was a low bullet pass to Amari Cooper that Cooper point blanked dropped. Of course Cooper should have caught the pass, but Prescott also could have taken a little off of the throw. Another example was an underneath throw to Gallup. If Prescott hits Gallup in stride, it’s a big gain. The throw is behind Gallup. Gallup then has to break while going full speed to adjust to the inaccurate pass, contributing the dropped pass. Lastly, there’s the over throw to Tavon Austin. If Prescott delivers the pass where Austin wants it, he struts into the end zone for a touchdown.
Prescott’s mediocre performance hindered what the Cowboys wanted to do. The Eagles dared Prescott to beat them, and he failed to take advantage of a subpar secondary. The lost isn’t completely on Prescott, but he deserves a huge slice of the humble pie the Eagles served.
Prescott had more to lose than to gain. If the Cowboys won, well the Eagles were injury riddled and the Cowboys had a more talented roster. If the Cowboys lose, it’s domino effect of Cowboys’ criticism and the last and most important piece to fall is Prescott as he hasn’t yet to be truly handed the keys to franchise. Seriously, how does Jerry Jones write a blank to Prescott after another subpar performance and distraught loss in a big game? In defense of Prescott, how does he take less than Jared Goff? Let the ongoing negotiations begin. A franchise tag could be in play.
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