The Dallas Cowboys beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-21 on Monday night to hand the Eagles their fifth straight loss. The Cowboys snapped a two-game losing streak against their NFC East rivals and improved to 3-4 on the season to round off the Week 7 slate.
With Dallas preparing to host the Arizona Cardinals next Sunday, it will have another opportunity to build momentum after the Eagles win. However, several NFL analysts remain unconvinced about the Cowboys’ long-term prospects, raising questions about whether this win reflects a genuine turnaround.
NFL Analysts Deliver Blunt Verdict on Cowboys After Win Over Eagles
The New York Giants currently sit atop the NFC East with a 4-2-1 record, but the Cowboys kept themselves in the division title race by defeating the Eagles, giving them a chance to challenge for the top spot.
Dak Prescott completed 15 of 27 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns without a single interception, while CeeDee Lamb finished with five catches for 74 yards and two scores.
Javonte Williams also played a crucial role on the ground, rushing for 155 yards and scoring a late touchdown to help secure the win. He became the first Cowboys RB to top 150 rushing yards since Ezekiel Elliott in 2018.
However, many, including PFN Deputy Editor Alex Kennedy, remain unconvinced that Dallas can emerge as a serious contender.
“The Cowboys have a chance to win the weak NFC East, but that isn’t saying much,” Kennedy said. “At the end of the day, their defense and coaching are holding them back from being true contenders. Barring massive improvements in those areas, this team isn’t making a playoff run.”
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PFN analyst Jason Katz also thinks the Cowboys needed to “not just win, but win convincingly,” and the Eagles’ win didn’t prove their caliber.
“It was close for a while, but they did exactly that,” Katz said. “This defense still has massive issues and will ultimately be their downfall, but the division is very much within reach,” Katz said.
“Dallas has a favorable schedule coming up the next handful of games and needs to win the games they are supposed to win. Jacoby Brissett had exactly one win as a starter last season – against the Cowboys. They cannot let history repeat itself in Week 8.”
PFN analyst Kyle Soppe believes the Eagles-Cowboys game did little to change his overall assessment of the NFC.
“Technically, other divisions will be represented, but this conference, the NFC, has two live divisions and two dead ones, and this game did nothing to change my stance on that,” Soppe said.
“The East name-brand teams are thrift-shop quality of play. Dallas won a game they needed tonight, but in terms of outlook come January? I’m going to need more than a multi-score win over Tanner McKee without his top receivers.”
Dallas’ rushing attack was productive on Monday, but Philadelphia also found success on the ground. Saquon Barkley gained 62 yards on just seven carries, while Dameon Pierce added another 47 rushing yards and a score.
Dallas also struggled to get off the field on third downs, and Philadelphia put together a 17-play drive that lasted more than nine minutes. The Eagles managed to sustain their offense despite relying on a backup quarterback and a banged-up offensive line.
Those issues have left Jacob Infante concerned about the Cowboys’ defensive reliability.
“The Cowboys have the explosive capability on offense to score in bunches, and that will keep them competitive in a lot of games,” Infante wrote. “That defense still remains questionable, since I won’t overreact to how they played against a hobbled Eagles offense.
“I think they’re certainly more talented on paper than the Giants when you factor in the injuries that New York has, but the coaching element is where I think the Giants have the upper hand, and that should place them as the favorites in the NFC East above Dallas.”
Ian Cummings also offered a similarly skeptical assessment. “A lot might be made of this game simply because it’s a primetime matchup and Dallas did win relatively convincingly, but in my opinion, it only temporarily masks the truth,” Cummings remarked.
“Dallas still has massive flaws, particularly with their defense and their situational coaching and game management, and even if they’re still in reach of the NFC East, that’s the equivalent of the ‘NFC South’ award the past few years.”
PFN analyst Brandon Astreicher also called out the Dallas defense, which ranks at the bottom of the league with a 61.4 PFN Defense Impact grade.
“I think Dallas can definitely win the NFC East with how weak it is this season,” Astreicher said. “This defense will be their kryptonite when it’s time to play good offenses, but for now, they can win some games if their offense balls out and their defense plays just okay.
“They couldn’t stop Saquon Barkley tonight, who looked hampered by his hamstring, so I can’t expect them to stop an offense like the 49ers or Bears when it matters. They could make some noise now, but it’s only a matter of time before a team plays silencer.”
PFN analyst Brandon Austin also acknowledged the Cowboys’ offensive potential while expressing reservations about their overall outlook.
“The Cowboys’ offense can hang with anybody, but we knew that already,” Austin said. “Hard to have any confidence in a team with a defense that hadn’t shown any signs of life until facing an Eagles offense featuring backups.”
The win keeps Dallas firmly in the NFC East conversation, but improving its pass rush, coverage, and situational execution will be essential if the Cowboys hope to turn their offensive success into a genuine postseason run.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.