The Dallas Cowboys badly needed a win to end an embarrassing losing streak, and they came through with a victory on the road over the Philadelphia Eagles 38-21. It was an impressive performance from the Cowboys’ offense, which helped offset another rough outing from Christian Parker’s defense and some coaching miscues.
All week the Cowboys had talked about being more balanced on offense and they accomplished that feat, while the defense still showed some warts but did enough to pitch in for the win. Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly in the Cowboys’ Week 7 win over the Eagles on Monday Night Football.
The Good: The running game
Brian Schottenheimer often talks about being a physical football team, and the offensive line set the tone in the win. The Cowboys rushed for a season high 204 yards, averaging 5.4 yards a carry as they ran through a good Eagles defensive front.
Veteran running back Javonte Williams had a career high 155 rushing yards and capped off the impressive night with a fourth quarter touchdown to put the game away.
Javonte Williams is the first @dallascowboys running back with 150+ rushing yards in a game since Ezekiel Elliot in 2018 😤 pic.twitter.com/Ym3cbrYoIP
— NFL+ (@NFLPlus) October 27, 2026
The running game and offense can’t run smoothly if the OL doesn’t do their job and the group up front for Dallas pushed around the defense. Vic Fangio’s unit didn’t get a sack or pressure quarterback Dak Prescott all night, paving the way for a season high 38 points.
The Bad: The defense
The Cowboys’ defense was once again frustrating to watch for three quarters. The final statistics will show the Eagles went 5-12 on third down and 2-3 on fourth down conversions, but through three quarters, Parker’s defense struggled to get off the field, especially on the money downs.
On the Eagles’ first possession of the game, they didn’t face a second down, converting all four first downs into a new set of downs until Saquon Barkley’s eight-yard score. With their next series, the Eagles went 2-3 on third downs, but a penalty on fourth down extended a drive that resulted in a touchdown.
However, the most demoralizing drive for Dallas defense came at the beginning the third quarter; the Eagles went on a 17-play, 84-yard touchdown drive that took over nine minutes where they went 5-6 on third and fourth downs on their way to a 21-20 lead.
Before tonight, the Eagles hadn't scored on their first possession of the game or first possession of the second half. They've accomplished both tonight.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) October 27, 2026
The defense would settle down when the Cowboys had a lead in the fourth quarter, but for the first 45 minutes of the game, it was another struggle.
The Ugly: Brian Schottenheimer’s play calling
Leading up to the game, Schottenheimer called himself an elite play caller, which drew snickers from the Cowboys' fan base. The first chance the head coach had to prove those words were true, he failed to do so.
Late in the first half, the Cowboys had a chance to increase the team’s lead when they had the ball at their own two-yard line with 2:28 left in the second quarter. What followed was a comedy of play calling where Schottenheimer played scared.
First down was a QB sneak for a few yards, second down was a quick slant that fell incomplete, and third down was a give up run that gave the ball back to the Eagles with a chance to double-dip. Luckily the Dallas defense held up for a series to keep the Eagles off the scoreboard.
In the fourth quarter, Schottenheimer doubled up on the cowardice by running the ball on 3rd-and-8 from the Eagles’ nine-yard line. Instead of going for the two-touchdown lead late, he opted for the safe option, playing for the field goal, which keep Philadelphia within striking distance.
Schottenheimer continues to say he trusts his veteran QB, but he continues to call plays that say otherwise. It didn’t hurt the Cowboys in this game, but Schottenheimer still lacks a killer instinct as a play caller. Not elite at all.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Schottenheimer's lack of killer instinct remained in Cowboys' Wk 7 win