Considering some of the running statistics seen earlier in the season, the Dallas Cowboys’ 110 yards rushing against the Eagles on Sunday night doesn’t look all that bad. But the figure tells just half the story. The loss to Philadelphia saw a significant step back for the Dallas run game, a group that posted 216 yards in the win over Indianapolis.
Felix Jones was the team’s leading rusher with 41 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries and Tashard Choice was unable to continue on his hot streak, going for just 16 yards on seven carries. But the most telling stat is this: Only 18 of the team’s 110 rushing yards came after the half. Considering as much, it’s a wonder that Jon Kitna was able to keep Dallas in the game at all.
"I thought Jon did a real nice job," interim coach Jason Garrett said, per the Dallas Morning News. "I thought he handled some of the situations really well. We didn't run the ball as well as we'd hoped. Unfortunately, he carried most of that burden."
Even with the absence of an effective running game, Kitna was good once again, going 24 for 35 passing for 242 yards, two touchdowns and two picks.
"They were pretty much doing the same thing the whole game," Kitna said. "In the first half, we had a couple of big runs, and that seemed to kind of hurt them. But we just weren't as effective as we wanted to be."
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