That five-play, 75-yard touchdown drive the defense surrendered in the game’s first five minutes did not prepare us for glowing report cards. But the Cowboys overcame three deficits to rout the Eagles, 38-21, and essentially buried their biggest rivals for the 2026 season.
So let it glow.
Offense
With 416 yards, 25 first downs and no turnovers, the Dallas offense produced some of its finest execution of the 2026 season. Big shout-out to the running game and Javonte Williams’ 155 yards as the team blasted through the Eagles’ front for more than 200. CeeDee Lamb made a couple of special touchdown grabs and George Pickens had one of his own. Dak will take a three-touchdown night that comes with a 118.1 passer rating.
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Defense
Given that they were operating against an offense missing more than half its pieces, surrendering 21 points in the first 40 minutes is nothing to brag about. Maybe the run defense was so bad that it explains why Saquon Barkley appeared to re-injure his hamstring (although Eagles called it a back injury), the holes were too big. Finally settled down at the end with DeMarvion Overshown getting an important pick to help put the game away.
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Special teams
Brandon Aubrey opened with a 55-yard field goal, which still should not be taken for granted. The Eagles lost their deluxe return man Britain Covey in the first quarter, and that helped the Cowboys’ coverage significantly. Give Jonathan Mingo and Tyler Goodson credit for averaging 23 yards and decent field position on kickoff returns.
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Coaching
Did Brian Schottenheimer lose track of timeouts in the first half? He certainly could have called one sooner after a Lamb catch and kept more time on the clock, maybe gained one more pass attempt at the end zone before settling for a field goal. Overall, his offensive game plan was top-notch, and the defense found a rhythm in the final quarter.
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Overall
It may be a rivalry game but THESE Cowboys should beat THESE Eagles every time. Take away Hurts and Smith (and even an average night of touches for Barkley) and key linemen, and it’s just not an NFL offense that Nick Sirianni is working with. More of the game should have looked like the fourth quarter, but a 17-point win on the road is fine under any circumstances.
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Sign up for the Morning Roundup, a free newsletter delivering the latest North Texas news each morning.This article originally published at Tim Cowlishaw's Cowboys-Eagles report card: A road win against your rival? Let it glow.