What happened?
DeSean Jackson had 210 receiving yards, including a 91 yard touchdown catch, and LeSean McCoy rushed for 149 yards, most of them coming in the fourth quarter as the Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys and remained tied for first place in the NFC East.
The Good:
LeSean McCoy was a beast when the Eagles needed him the most. He carried the ball 16 times for 149 yards, with most of the yards coming in the fourth quarter as the Eagles were trying to run down the clock.
DeSean Jackson played through a foot injury to catch four passes for 210 yards and a touchdown. The 91 yard touchdown catch by Jackson was the longest scoring play from scrimmage in the NFL this season.
Michael Vick had another decent game, completing 16 of 26 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran the ball eight times for 16 yards and a touchdown.
Dimitri Patterson had a big interception in the fourth quarter that led to points.
David Akers was 3/3 on field goal attempts, including a 50 yarder.
Todd Herremans caught his second career touchdown pass.
The Eagles held Dallas to 110 yards on the ground between four ball carriers. Felix Jones led the Cowboys with just 41 yards on 13 carries.
The Bad:
Michael Vick also threw two interceptions and was under pressure for various parts of the game. Even though he only got sacked twice, he was hit far more than that.
Aside from DeSean Jackson, the next leading Philadelphia receiver had just 18 yards.
Dallas made it inside the red zone three times, and scored touchdowns on two of those trips.
The Eagles only went two for four inside the red zone.
Brent Celek went another game without a catch. He has just 30 on the season.
The Ugly:
The Eagles lost both Stewart Bradley and Brandon Graham to injuries. Bradley dislocated his elbow, and Graham tore his ACL, knocking him out for the season.
The Breakdown:
For the second week in a row, the Eagles went into the fourth quarter trailing after having a lead at the half. Once again, Michael Vick was able to lead the offense to two fourth quarter scores, while the defense did just enough for the Eagles to hold on for another win, putting them at 9-4 on the season and keeping them tied with the New York Giants for first place in the NFC East.
Just as they did against the Redskins on Monday Night Football, the Eagles came out and went for a big play on the opening play of the game. The call was just about the same, and the result was similar as well, as DeSean Jackson caught a 60 yard pass from Michael Vick that silenced the Dallas crowd early. Vick later scored on a one yard touchdown run, and while the drive was good, the defense still had to do their job, and once again, they ran into some trouble when it mattered the most.
I have no idea how this defense got like this in such a short period of time. Part of it has to do with how young most of the players are, I'm sure, but then there's just a lack of discipline on that side of the ball. The defense can look very good at periods of time, and believe me, they get key turnovers just about any time that they need them, but then they can have drives where they keep the opposing offense on the field with stupid penalties and blown coverages. Yes, Asante Samuel has missed the last three games, but it's not all on him. It can't just be that. This defense was giving up big plays with Samuel in there. They still had stupid penalties called, and they still gave up a ton of points down in the red zone. Against Dallas, the Eagles allowed two touchdowns inside the 20 yard line, and one from 22 yards away. That can't happen against the better teams in the NFC. Teams like the Bears, Saints, Falcons and yes, the Giants, will kill the Eagles if they can't buckle down in the red zone.
Luckily for the Eagles, they still have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. This past Sunday against Dallas was no exception, as Michael Vick helped move the offense down the field with quick scoring drives that always seemed to come just as the Cowboys were about to take full control of the game. It wasn't exactly how you want a game to be run, with the offense only on the field for three to five minute drives, but as long as they result in points, then there's no problem with it. Dallas had an answer for every receiver that the Eagles had, save for DeSean Jackson. Though he only caught four passes, he averaged 52.5 yards per catch. That's some kind of video game number right there. His 91 yard touchdown catch on what was a quick slant pattern turned the game back around in favor of the Eagles and once again silenced a Dallas crowd that was just about to get back into the game. That's what this offense can do to any team. They can look dead for stretches, but all it takes is one big play, one mistake by the opposing defense, and the game is blown wide open again.
It doesn't even have to be DeSean Jackson that does it. The Eagles also have Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Brent Celek and even Riley Cooper that can make big plays in the passing game. Then, there's LeSean McCoy, who had the biggest game out of everyone on offense this week. McCoy didn't find the end zone, and only had four yards receiving, but it was his ground work at the end of the game that sealed things up for the Eagles. With the Cowboys having just scored with over four minutes to play, the Eagles had a three point lead. There wasn't an Eagles fan alive that wanted the Cowboys to get the ball back, and if you did, then you were insane. Dallas had just driven right downfield, and as tired as the Philadelphia defense looked, another score seemed almost like a formality if the Eagles had to punt again.
Then, McCoy got to work. The only pass play of the entire drive came on the first play, when Vick hit McCoy for a six yard gain. On the next play, McCoy picked up 12 yards for a first down, then got 19 more, moving the ball to midfield and forcing the Cowboys to start using their timeouts. A 13 yard run followed, and after a run for no gain by Jerome Harrison, Vick ran and stayed in bounds for a nine yard gain, setting up a third down and one with the game on the line. In just about every other situation under Andy Reid, the Eagles would have thrown the ball here. For some reason, Reid stuck with his running back, and McCoy picked up six yards and the game was over. I have no idea why the offense called the plays that they did on that drive, but I'm sure as hell glad that they did. That was a drive that didn't result in any points, but was just as satisfying as one that did. It was well run, took four and a half minutes off the clock, and finished off the Cowboys. I wouldn't have it any other way.
The game wasn't without its casualties, though. Stewart Bradley dislocated his elbow, knocking him out for at least a few weeks, if not until the playoffs start, while Brandon Graham tore his ACL, ending his rookie season just as he was getting into a nice groove. Considering the state of the Eagles on defense, these were two injuries that they could not afford to have. Bradley was finally showing the spark that he had two seasons ago before his ACL injury, and Graham was doing well on the defensive line with Trent Cole and Juqua Parker. Parker will have to step in for Graham, while seventh round pick Jamar Chaney will start in place of Bradley. Chaney looked good while playing against Dallas, and now he's had a full week to get ready, but you know that the Giants are going to take shots at him early and often.
This week is the biggest game of the season as the Eagles travel up to East Rutherford to take on the Giants. The winner gets control of the NFC East with just two games to play, and with the NFC playoff picture still looking cloudy, you want to have control of your division. This is the last road game of the year for the Eagles, so hopefully they can continue their run over the Giants and get one step closer to another division crown.
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