Cowboys run game paves the way in bounce-back win over Eagles

The Dallas Cowboys needed a win on Monday night in the worst way. Coming off two straight losses and facing off against a Philadelphia Eagles team that was missing key pieces on both sides of the ball, Dallas needed to walk out of Philly with a win to avoid a complete freefall.

While they were far from perfect, the Cowboys avoided that third straight loss as their offense led them to a 38-21 win over the beaten-down Eagles. Multiple players on Dallas’ offense had notable performances, but it was their running attack that stole the show, earning them this week’s game ball award.

Against the Buccaneers and Packers, the Cowboys couldn’t sustain success in the run game. Dallas totaled 98 rushing yards in the two matchups, and their one-dimensional attack played a role in their losses. On Monday night, for what felt like the first time this season, the Cowboys’ rushing attack set the stage for their offense.

Dallas totaled a season-high 204 rushing yards on 38 attempts, averaging 5.4 Y/R as a team. The Cowboys finished with the third-best offensive rush EPA of any team in Week 7 (0.199) while also finishing in the top eight in rush success rate (48.6%). 

Javonte Williams had a notably impressive performance, recording a career-high 155 rushing yards to go with 82 yards after contact and five missed tackles forced. Williams’ impressive physicality in the run game set the tone for Dallas’ offense from the first snap.

If the Cowboys can continue to have a complementary, balanced attack on the offensive side of the ball like they did on Monday night, they are going to be very hard to slow down.