PHILADELPHIA − It was never going to be easy for the Eagles' offense in their new iteration without Jalen Hurts, not to mention injuries to their two top receivers in DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks.
Add in Saquon Barkley's limited return where he injured his back on the Eagles' second play of the game, but stayed in on a limited basis the rest of the way. Barkley had missed the previous two games with a hamstring injury.
And yet, the Eagles had arguably their best offensive output of the season, scoring touchdowns on their first two possessions of the game, something they hadn't done all season.
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It wasn't nearly enough because the Cowboys, led by quarterback Dak Prescott and his two star wide receivers, carved up the Eagles' defense, sending the Eagles to a 38-21 loss.
It was the Eagles' fifth straight loss. At 2-5, the Eagles tied the worst start under head coach Nick Sirianni, and they trail the first-place New York Giants by 2 ½ games. The Eagles were also 2-5 in 2021, Sirianni's first season as head coach. That season, the Eagles finished 7-3 to get into the playoffs with a 9-8 record.
This season, the circumstances are so much different.
Tanner McKee started his second straight game in place of Hurts, who's presumably out for the season with blood clots that spread to his lungs. McKee and the Eagles' offense started out hot, but they couldn't keep up with the Cowboys, who amassed more than 400 yards of offense.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was 15-for-27 for 212 yards and 3 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Eagles couldn't stop Cowboys running back Javonte Williams, who had 155 yards on 25 carries.
McKee was 20 of 30 for 189 yards with a touchdown and an interception. It was not nearly enough.
Here are four takeaways:
Saquon Barkley, running game get going
Things certainly started off well for the Eagles, who were able to take advantage of the Cowboys' NFL-worst run defense. On the first play of the game, McKee executed a play-action pass, a major weakness of the Eagles' this season, with a 12-yard completion to Barkley.
On the next play, Barkley ran for 29 yards, but appeared to tweak his hamstring. Barkley hobbled to the sideline, then came back on to score on an 8-yard TD run.
But Barkley's carries were getting fewer and farther between as the game went on. Still, the Eagles were having success as Barkley ran for 50 yards in the first half and his replacement, Dameon Pierce, getting 36 yards in the first half.
Even in the third quarter, when the Eagles went on a 17-play scoring drive that ate up 9 minutes, 16 seconds, Barkley began the drive with a 12-yard run. He didn't return the rest of the drive.
But the Eagles took a 21-20 lead on Makai Lemon's 4-yard TD catch. Then the Cowboys took over.
Eagles finally score TDs in 1st and 3rd quarters
It's hard to believe that coming into Week 7 of the season, the Eagles had yet to score a touchdown in either the first or the third quarters. They came into the game having scored just 3 points in the first quarter through 6 games and 6 points in the third quarter.
Yet the Eagles took care of both issues against the Cowboys. They scored a touchdown on their first drive of the game for a 7-3 lead. Then they opened the second half with a 17-play
Rough game for Riq Woolen, Eagles' defense
It was going to be a tough game for the Eagles' defense considering Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has two top wide receivers in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. And Prescott often picked on Eagles cornerback Riq Woolen with completions to both receivers.
Woolen was in coverage when Pickens caught a 21-yard TD in the second quarter. Then he was in coverage when Lamb caught a 17-yarder in the third quarter. Woolen also gave up a 30-yard completion to Lamb just before halftime that resulted in a field goal as time expired.
Part of that took place while Quinyon Mitchell was on the sideline with an undisclosed injury. But Mitchell was back in the second half after missing the final few minutes of the first half. Still, Prescott kept targeting Woolen.
Makai Lemon gets into the end zone
Eagles coaches and Makai Lemon kept insisting that he's progressing even though the results might not be evident on the field.
Finally, the results were there for the Eagles' first-round draft pick. Lemon came into the game with 18 catches for 127 yards, an average of 7.1 yards per catch. But with both DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks out with injuries, the Eagles needed Lemon to produce.
Lemon did right away. He had a 21-yard catch on the Eagles' first possession. He had a 14-yarder in the second quarter. Then he converted a 4th-and-1 with a 15-yard reception in the third quarter. Lemon capped that drive with a 4-yard touchdown, his first career touchdown.
Through three quarters, Lemon had 5 catches for 54 yards, both career highs for a game.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Sign up for the "Eye On The Eagles" newsletter, emailed to your inbox every Friday morning. Read his coverage of the Eagles’ championship season in “Flying High,” a hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: 4 takeaways from Eagles' defensive dud vs Cowboys as season disintegrates
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