Cowboys hand Gardner Minshew-led Eagles second loss of year: Can Dallas catch Philly in NFC East?

The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 40-34 on Saturday to improve to 11-4, handing the Eagles just their second loss of the season. Here’s what you need to know:

Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb caught eight passes for 103 yards and a touchdown in the first half, finishing with 10 receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
QB Dak Prescott went 27-of-35, throwing for 349 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
Eagles backup quarterback Gardner Minshew threw for 355 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss.
Philadelphia still leads the NFC East with an 13-2 record.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

Background

Both quarterbacks had it going through the air, despite three combined interceptions, while MVP candidate Jalen Hurts was sidelined with a shoulder injury. DeVonta Smith tallied eight receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with Dallas.

Self-inflicted wounds doom Eagles

With Minshew at quarterback for the injured Hurts, the Eagles’ offense remained high-powered, scoring a touchdown or field goal or getting into the red zone on every offensive possession that didn’t end in a turnover. Alas, four of those drives ended in turnovers, an uncharacteristic turn of events for a team that had given the ball away less than any team in the league heading into the day. Dallas scored 20 of their 40 points off turnovers.

On defense, the biggest mistake of the game came with Philadelphia up 34-27 in the fourth quarter and the Cowboys facing a third-and-30 after back-to-back sacks by the Eagles defensive line. Somehow, T.Y. Hilton was let free to streak past Darius Slay and while Josiah Scott took a poor angle coming over the top. Despite all those mistakes, the Eagles still had the ball with a chance to win from the 19-yard-line at the end of the game when Minshew’s desperation heave in the face of pressure fell incomplete. With two games remaining, the Eagles’ magic number for the NFC’s No. 1 seed remains one. – Wulf

Missed opportunity to rest up

The big question now becomes whether Hurts will return next week against the New Orleans Saints. His injured shoulder was initially described in reports as a two-week injury, though head coach Nick Sirianni insisted all week that Hurts is a quick healer and could potentially return sooner. The quarterback will no doubt push to play, but the Eagles’ decision-makers will have to keep the big picture in mind.

While Minshew played well for the most part (24 for 40, 355 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions), the biggest difference without Hurts was the success of the running game and the efficiency of the two-minute drill mechanics. Meanwhile, three key Eagles were lost to injury during the game: cornerback Avonte Maddox, defensive tackle Jordan Davis and right tackle Lane Johnson. Had the Eagles won, the best players on the team could have been looking at a three-week layoff. Now, they must keep pressing the gas pedal. – Wulf

Cowboys’ defense shows holes

Defensively, the Cowboys showed some serious concerns Saturday. The Eagles never punted. That means the Dallas defense has forced one punt since halftime of last week’s loss at Jacksonville. If the Cowboys were 100 percent healthy, they would’ve had LB Leighton Vander Esch, CB Anthony Brown and CB Jourdan Lewis on the field Sunday. They were not, and they’ve struggled to replace them. But that’s not exactly LB/DE Micah Parsons, DE DeMarcus Lawrence and CB Trevon Diggs. Those three Pro Bowlers were all on the field Saturday.

There are plenty of things that still need to be fixed after allowing 34 points to a backup QB. But they also came up with some huge takeaways and a game-winning stop late. It wasn’t pretty but it was enough to hand the Eagles only their second loss of the season. – Machota

Prescott impressive after first drive

Prescott had a rough start, throwing a pick-six on Dallas’ opening possession, his third pass attempt. But it was extremely impressive how he responded. Prescott completed 27 of 35 passes for 347 yards, three touchdowns and a 124.3 passer rating. Prescott is now 18-1 in his last 19 games against NFC East opponents.

“Coming back from that (interception) it gives you an idea of what you’re dealing with with his perspective in the game, dealing with adversity,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. “I think it’s a hell of a way to warm up for the playoffs.”