The Cowboys turned in their most complete performance of the season to beat Philadelphia and keep its faint playoff hopes in play. Here are Cowboys Insider Jean-Jacques Taylor’s 10 thoughts on the Cowboys’ 27-20 win over the Eagles:
• On the last drive of the first half, Dak Prescott looked like he finally found a rhythm that has been missing much of the season. He went 5-for-5 to five different receivers for 79 yards and capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. He finished the game 26 of 36 for a season-high 270 yards and a touchdown with a 102.8 passer rating.
• Leighton Vander Esch continues to show why the Cowboys made him a No.1 pick. He made a key open-field tackle late in the fourth quarter on third down, and finished with a team-high 13 tackles, one for a loss, a pass deflection and his first interception of the season.
• Xavier Woods, who has struggled with tackling this season and missed another one in the first half, played easily his best game of the season. He made three outstanding plays in pass coverage.
• Chido Awuzie, criticized this week by coach Jason Garrett for being too passive, in part, because he’s coming off an ankle injury, had a big third-down pass deflection when he sprinted about 20 yards to break up what would’ve been a big completion late in the first half.
• Ezekiel Elliott’s hurdle was one of the season’s signature plays. He hurdled safety Tre Sullivan, stuck the landing, and managed to keep his balance for another 15 yards before stumbling and falling down at the eight to complete his 32-yard run. He finished with 151 yards, another 36 receiving and a pair of touchdowns. It was his best overall performance of the season in a game he said was a, “100 percent must-win,” on Wednesday.
• Garrett coached aggressively. He wanted to go for it on fourth down from his own 40 in the first quarter, but a procedure penalty forced Dallas to point. Later in the first half, the Cowboys faked a punt at their own 31 - Jeff Heath ran for three yards on fourth-and-two. They settled for a field goal but kept the ball on the drive for 8:09 on the drive, shortening the game.
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• Amari Cooper continues to be the new focal point of the passing game. He caught six of the 10 passes directed toward him for 75 yards and Prescott missed him twice on deep balls. The Cowboys continue to do a good job of getting him the ball early and often to ensure he’s engaged.
• The Cowboys had no answer for tight end Zack Ertz, who finished with 14 catches on 16 targets for 145 yards and two touchdowns, but he couldn’t make enough difference-making plays on the Eagles’ last two drives to steal a victory.
• Xavier Susa-Filo, starting at left guard for injured Connor Williams, did nice job and was part of the reason Elliott rushed for 151 yards. When Zack Martin left for a couple of series after re-injuring his knee, Adam Redmond replaced him and did a solid job.
• Brett Maher has missed three of his last six field-goal attempts. He doesn’t like kicking from the right hashmark - and that’s where two of his last three misses have occurred. He must fix this quickly.
