PHILADELPHIA — There have long been tales of bending but not breaking defenses in the Eagles’ most riveting rivalry, and then there was the stress their defense was under in the fourth quarter Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field against the love-to-be-hated Cowboys.
This time, the Birds didn’t so much bend as they tested all rivets of their confidence as a defense. It wouldn’t have been a break so much as a burst, but through a number of key defensive plays, a hair’s breadth of a replay at the goal line which proved to be the difference between trailing the Cowboys and seemingly springing to victory … only to be tested in the red zone yet again … the Eagles held on for a 28-23 victory.
Thereby entering their bye week with the NFL’s best record at 8-1, suffice to say the Eagles’ defense deserves this different kind of break.
“Man, I’m going to enjoy the hell out of the bye week,” cornerback Darius Slay said. “I’ll get some workouts in, but man, I’m looking forward to the bye week. Week 9 couldn’t have gotten here fast enough.
“But at the bye week 8-1, it’s good. Knowing we have a strong Kansas City team coming up next … we’ve go to be really locked in.”
Down the stretch, that’s exactly what the Eagles defense appeared to be, and yet, the offense, which at times threatened to blow the game open earlier on, started to come up very short.
Coming off two lengthy and consecutive scoring drives in third quarter which had pumped the Eagles from a three-point halftime deficit to a 28-17 lead, the Birds followed with three three-and-outs at crucial times in the fourth quarter. Making it all the more urgent was the way Dak Prescott and the ‘Boys were moving the ball.
At the half, Prescott had 10 completions for 153 yards and two touchdowns. But game’s end, he had gone 29 of 44 for 374 yards … and just one more TD in the second half.
The Cowboys seemed to start their comeback by driving from their 28 to the Eagles’ 4, whereupon a Prescott scramble fell just short of a TD. And on fourth-and-goal from the 1, he hit backup tight end Luke Schoonmaker for what appeared to be a TD pass. But a quick replay got the crowd riled up, and when the Birds yelled for a challenge, that same replay revealed Schoonmaker’s knee had hit the turf with the ball just shy of the goal line.
But in a seeming blink of an eye, Dallas got the ball back at midfield and drove right down, and this time a Prescott pass to receiver Jalen Tolbert went for a seven-yard TD. Prescott then rolled right on a two-point conversion scramble that appeared to pull the ‘Boys to within a field goal.
But once again, a replay fell in the Eagles’ favor, showing Prescott had landed one foot on the sideline marker, again just short of the end zone.
And once again, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles couldn’t do much offensively. The Cowboys took over with 4:43 left and moved systematically downfield with a short passing game. But on a fourth-and-eight at the Birds’ 29, a Prescott incompletion seemed to settle the issue.
That is, until another Eagles three-and-out and three Dallas timeouts gave the visitors one last chance starting at their own 14. To make matters worse, a tired Eagles defense gave Dallas a 36-yard pass interference penalty on James Bradberry, then a roughing the passer call on Haason Reddick.
And when Prescott hit CeeDee Lamb for 14 yards, the ball was at the Birds’ 11 with 27 seconds left. Jalen Carter promptly jumped to move the ball to the 6, but a Dallas penalty moved it back. But Prescott had plenty of time to strike on the next play … only to be sacked by Josh Sweat.
“That,” head coach Nick Sirianni noticed, “was huge.”
That and another Cowboys penalty moved the ball back to the 27, where a final Prescott completion to Lamb got the ball to the 4 before he was swarmed under by those tired and celebrating Eagles defenders, forcing a fumble as time ran out.
Right there in the pile of tacklers was Slay, who had been injured for part of the quarter but got back into the mix when it counted.
So, had ’em all the way?
“What kind of question is that?” Slay playfully yelled. “Hell yes, we thought we were going to get the job done. We wanted to get down on the field. We’re tired of seeing the offense take knees, even though it’s a good way to win the game. But we were good with going back out there and we knew how much time there was left.”
Just enough to hold on for what probably was the most entertaining of the eight wins.
“That’s the best part about this defense, is that nobody really panics,” Fletcher Cox said. “You won’t see a bunch of finger pointing or a bunch of guys yelling at each other. That’s what I love about this team.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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