Beasts of the East: Cowboys Snatch Control of Division

The Dallas Cowboys reasserted themselves as NFC East leaders on the national stage of Monday Night Football

The NFC East might not be the NFL's strongest division, but it might be one of the most physical. 

Entering the Monday Night Football matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys were 1-1 in two very close road games. The Eagles were also 1-1.

That's where the similarities end. The Cowboys and Eagles were anything but equal on Monday night.

READ MORE: Cowboys Rely on 3 'Eagles Killers' for Monday Win

The Cowboys dominated the Eagles 41-21, including a garbage-time Eagles touchdown to make the score look deceptively respectable. 

The Cowboys are now 2-1, with the lone loss being a final-drive Tom Brady special in Tampa Bay on opening night. The Washington Football Team and Eagles are tied at 1-2, and the New York Giants are 0-3.

The division is far from settled in this new 17-game NFL schedule, but the Cowboys are the only team in the division that's showed any signs of life. At this point it looks like their division to lose.

From the start on Monday night, the Cowboys appeared to be the better team. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott showed off his new-found long-ball accuracy with a bomb to receiver CeeDee Lamb that set up a 1-yard touchdown run from running back Ezekiel Elliott, who appears to be back to his old form after a disappointing 2020.

READ MORE: Cowboys 41, Eagles 21: Top 10 Whitty Observations

After an interception of Eagles' quarterback Jalen Hurts giving the Cowboys the ball at their own one yard line, Philadelphia scored on an awkward fumble off Prescott in the end zone. The Cowboys, however, were unfazed. 

The Eagles never really showed any competitive spirit after that defensive touchdown, and Dallas led 20-7 at the half. Philadelphia would never recover.

The Cowboys are far from perfect, but after three games they appear less flawed than the rest of the NFC East.

The presumed strength of the Washington Football team, their defense, doesn't appear to be very good after three games and the New York Giants look like they're a  complete mess. 

The Eagles looked good in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, but since then have looked shaky at best.

The Cowboys played a complete game on Monday night, and it's hard to imagine the rest of the NFC East having many of those in 2021.

CONTINUE READING: Eagles @ Cowboys Halftime Report: Let Zeke Eat