They finally did it. The Dallas Cowboys finally won a game that they would have had no business losing to a backup quarterback in Philadelphia. On Monday night, the Cowboys run game stole the show as they trampled all over what I thought was a pretty good Eagles defensive front.

I’m not going to go and recap stats in this column. You’re welcome to go to the box score and check the different stats that the Cowboys recorded. This one is going to be my pure, unadulterated thoughts on the Dallas Cowboys after seven weeks. They finally got their win in a game that they absolutely should have won. This Eagles team is decimated by injuries, starting with their QB Jalen Hurts in what has been an inexplicable story regarding Eagles doctors keeping him up for 36 hours before their London game, and then him subsequently being diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs the week following- sidelining him for the remainder of the NFL season. I hate the Eagles and I don’t like Jalen Hurts as a football player, but we at J.A. Riley industries are absolutely wishing him the best as a human being. I hope he manages to recover his health quickly and safely- and I will put out good Karmic vibes for his recovery. I may write something about the developing story of the Eagles handling the Jalen Hurts injury at a later date. Seriousness done, back to your regularly scheduled Eagles slander.

The Eagles were also without WR1 Devonta Smith, and Saquon was on limited snaps (even though he was killing the Cowboys when he was in the game.) Ultimately though, I just want to applaud the Cowboys for winning a must-win game that they were favored in by a decent margin. Dak looked great once again, but did have a few errant throws including missing CeeDee for a touchdown (even though he ended up catching the ball.) The run game could not be stopped, Javonte had patience when hitting the gaps and the Cowboys ended up gashing the Eagles on the ground which is not something I have been able to say in a long time. Aubrey continued to be automatic from chip shots, Pickens had some spectacular plays, and Spann-Ford has cemented himself as TE1.

The defense held up well enough. They killed themselves with some stupid penalties that would have allowed them to get off of the field on critical third downs. Big Q was a monster in the middle, Overshown recorded the second interception of the year for the Cowboys (slightly dire stat), and Downs continues to get better and better week by week. Joey Porter Jr. showed off why the Cowboys traded for him, excelling in his press coverage and stopping some really good Eagles opportunities. The Boys still cannot get pressure consistently, only recording one sack this game with their fairly expensive defensive line.

Team discipline and penalties are of concern. A kick return touchdown ended up getting called back on a truly unnecessary hold. There was a roughing the passer call that kept an Eagles drive going where they ended up scoring. It really seemed like the refs were on my screen for half of the game. I also think the Cowboys need some sort of pass rusher that doesn’t need his defensive coverage behind him to hold in order to get pressure. I keep hearing Khalil Mack as an option, but they truly just need somebody who can get to the QB and put some fear into their hearts.

The Cowboys are now 1.5 games back from the Giants who I believe are on a bye this week. They have the Cardinals and Colts coming up these next two weeks, and will hopefully be over .500 after these two games.

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J.A. Riley