NFC East Wrap: Dallas Comes Up Short vs. Eagles, Commanders Roll
The good news for New York Giants fans is that this team, losers in a 30-6 thrashing by the Las Vegas Raiders, seem destined for a top-five draft pick where they are almost certain to take a quarterback given the ongoing injury issues current starter Daniel Jones has experienced.
Jones, back from a three-game absence brought about by a neck injury, lasted just over one quarter before his right knee buckled underneath him while trying to escape pressure. He was ruled out of the game, and it's feared that he suffered a significant knee injury that is likely season-ending.
The Commanders snapped a two-game losing streak with a narrow win over the Patriots while the Cowboys and Eagles duked it out at the Linc, the Cowboys coming up short yet again in a big situation. Here's your full NFC East Recap.
Eagles 28, Cowboys 23
In a highly anticipated NFC East matchup, the Philadelphia Eagles asserted themselves as the class of the division by defeating the Dallas Cowboys, 28-23, at Lincoln Financial Field.
Despite being outgained in total yards 406-292 and time of possession being roughly equal, Philadelphia scored a pair of third-quarter touchdowns that would prove decisive. Meanwhile, despite allowing over 400 total yards, the Eagles defense forced a pair of critical turnovers on downs and kept the Cowboys four yards outside of the end zone on the final play of the game.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was efficient, putting up a 130.2 passer rating by completing 17 of his 23 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 36 yards and another score. Wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert had 66, 51, and 50 receiving yards, respectively, while Brown and Smith each hauled in a touchdown pass.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott also had a strong game, posting a 115.2 passer rating by completing 29 of 44 passes for 374 yards and three touchdowns despite being sacked five times. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had 11 catches for 191 yards, while tight end Jake Ferguson had 91 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions.
After Dallas began the game with a three-and-out, the Eagles put together a 13-play, 77-yard touchdown drive that consumed 7:51 of the clock. The drive featured a pair of fourth down conversions, the first being converted via the “Tush Push” and the second by a 15-yard pass to Goedert that moved the ball inside the red zone. Running back Kenneth Gainwell took off for a 12-yard touchdown run on the next play, and Philadelphia drew first blood.
But Dallas began their next drive with great field position, as wide receiver/kick return specialist KaVontae Turpin returned the kickoff 48 yards to his own 47-yard line. From there, the Cowboys drove 53 yards in eight plays, featuring a 4th-and-1 conversion from Prescott’s 29-yard pass to Lamb that moved the ball to the Eagles 4. Prescott then threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Ferguson on the next play to tie the game.
After an Eagles punt, both teams scored touchdowns on their next drives; Dallas drove 82 yards in nine plays and took the lead on Prescott’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Turpin, while Philadelphia drove 60 yards in 11 plays and tied the game again on a 1-yard “Tush Push” touchdown run by Hurts. The Cowboys would ultimately take a 17-14 lead on Brandon Aubrey’s 51-yard field goal with 1:15 left in the second quarter and forced the Eagles to punt to maintain that lead at halftime.
But the third quarter was dominated by Philadelphia. They opened the second half with a 6-play, 60-yard touchdown drive that ended on Hurts’s 29-yard strike to Smith that gave the Eagles a 21-17 lead.
After forcing a punt, they moved 87 yards in 11 plays, aided by a questionable pass interference penalty on Cowboys cornerback Stephon Gilmore. Despite losing Goedert for the rest of the game (albeit on a 28-yard pass that moved the ball inside the red zone), Philadelphia still took a two-score lead on Hurts’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Brown.
The Eagles’ last three drives ended in three-and-outs, but their defense forced a pair of crucial turnovers on downs and made a climactic stand on the Cowboys’ final possession.
First, Dallas drove 71 yards in 13 plays, as Prescott completed passes of 20 and 11 yards to Lamb and Michael Gallup, and an unnecessary roughness penalty on Philadelphia’s Kevin Byard gave Dallas a fresh set of downs at the Philadelphia 7. But facing 4th-and-1 at the Eagles’ 1-yard line, Prescott’s 1-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Luke Schoonmaker was reversed by replay, as it was determined that Schoonmaker failed to break the plane, resulting in a turnover on downs.
The Cowboys responded on their next drive when Prescott completed a 32-yard pass to Jalen Tolbert and threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Tolbert two plays later. However, in what would be another crucial replay review, Prescott’s rushing attempt on the two-point conversion was reversed after it was determined that he failed to break the plane. Had Dallas converted, they would have only needed a field goal to tie the game.
Philadelphia was forced to punt on their next drive, but Dallas could only advance just outside the red zone before turning the ball over on downs again when Prescott’s pass to Tolbert fell incomplete. The Cowboys’ defense successfully forced a three-and-out to give their offense one last chance with 46 seconds left; they would be aided by a 36-yard pass interference penalty on James Bradberry and a roughing the passer penalty on Hassan Reddick.
A 14-yard pass to Lamb would give Dallas a first down at the Philadelphia 11-yard line with 27 seconds left, but an 11-yard sack by Josh Sweat and a delay of game penalty made it 3rd and 26 with just five seconds left. On the final play of the game, Prescott completed a 23-yard pass to Lamb but was tackled by Darius Slay and Sydney Brown at the 3-yard line while also losing a fumble that Reed Blankenship recovered to end the game.
The Eagles continue to sit comfortably atop the division with an 8-1 record, while the Cowboys are a distant second with a 5-3 mark.
Commanders 20, Patriots 17
The Washington Commanders picked up a crucial road win over the New England Patriots, 20-17, to keep themselves in the playoff picture.
Despite selling at the trade deadline last Monday, the Commanders played with purpose and urgency. They racked up 432 yards of offense and held the ball for 37:10, while the defense held the Patriots to just three points in the second half and sealed the game with an interception with 30 seconds left in regulation.
Washington quarterback Sam Howell completed 29 of 45 passes for 325 yards and a touchdown, with one interception, while rushing for 27 yards. Five different receivers had four receptions or more, with Terry McLaurin leading the team with five receptions for 73 yards. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. had 63 of the team’s 124 rushing yards and scored a touchdown.
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones completed 24 of 44 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown but threw an interception on his final drive that dropped New England to 2-7 on the season. Similarly to the Commanders, the Patriots had four different receivers with at least four receptions; wideout Juju Smith-Schuster had six receptions for 51 yards. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson had a fantastic day; he rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries and caught four passes for 42 yards.
Washington went three-and-out to begin the game, and the Patriots moved 45 yards in 11 plays on their opening possession. However, they would eventually face 4th-and-3 at the Washington 39-yard line; New England coach Bill Belichick decided to go for it, but this decision backfired when Jones’s pass to Tyquan Thornton fell incomplete.
From there, the Commanders opened the scoring by driving 42 yards in nine plays to set up Joey Slye’s 37-yard field goal. After forcing the Patriots to go three-and-out, Washington marched 80 yards in 11 plays to extend their lead. The drive was jump-started by Byron Pringle’s 26-yard reception and was finished by a 9-yard touchdown run by Robinson Jr. for a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter.
However, momentum would soon shift to the Patriots. Although the offense went three-and-out again, they would soon be granted a short field when Robinson Jr. fumbled, and defensive lineman Davon Godchaux recovered it at the Commanders 25-yard line. It took just three plays for New England to take advantage, as Jones threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Hunter Henry to cut the deficit to three.
Then, after a Washington punt pinned New England at their own 16-yard line, the Patriots needed just two plays to find the end zone; Smith-Schuster hauled in a 20-yard reception before Stevenson took off for a 64-yard touchdown romp, vaulting the Patriots to a 14-10 lead.
That score would hold at halftime, as New England safety Kyle Dugger halted a 15-play, 75-yard Commander drive by intercepting Howell in the end zone with just nine seconds left in the second quarter. The Patriots would also begin the second half with a 43-yard field goal by Chad Ryland, with their drive aided by a questionable roughing the passer call on defensive lineman KJ Henry.
But the Commanders, now trailing 17-10, would storm back on their next two drives. First, they moved 75 yards in seven plays, as Howell tied the game with a picture-perfect 33-yard strike to Jahan Dotson. Then, after forcing a Patriots punt, a pair of huge receptions by McLaurin for 26 and 36 yards (respectively) allowed Washington to take a 20-17 lead on a 30-yard field goal by Slye late in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter would be a defensive battle, as the next six drives after Slye’s go-ahead field goal would end in punts. Eventually, the Patriots would get the ball at their own 9-yard line at the two-minute warning.
Thanks to a 15-yard reception by Stevenson, a 13-yard reception by Smith-Schuster, and a 6-yard reception by Smith-Schuster on 4th-and-4, they drove into Washington territory with just 30 seconds left to kick a tying field goal or drive for the game-winning score. Instead, Jones’s pass intended for Smith-Schuster was deflected and intercepted by Jartavius Martin, sealing a hard-fought win for the Commanders.
The Commanders sit at 4-5 in the division and third place but are 0-3 against division play.
- Get the latest breaking news and analysis on the New York Giants
- Follow and like us on Facebook
- Submit your questions for our mailbag
- Check out the Giants Country YouTube Channel.
- Subscribe and like the LockedOn Giants YouTube Channel
- Connect with us via text alerts! Free 14-Day Trial!