NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
Dak Prescott had a hand in all three touchdowns and made the big throws on the drive for the game-winning field goal as the Dallas Cowboys erased a 21-point deficit to beat the defending champion and NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles.
The star quarterback knew where to begin as he tried to explain the improbable rally that kept Dallas (5-5-1) in the playoff conversation a short week before a Thanksgiving meeting Thursday with Kansas City (6-5), last season’s second Super Bowl team.
“Defense, defense, defense, defense,” Prescott said after he broke Tony Romo’s club record for passing yards in Sunday’s 24-21 win over the Eagles. “We wouldn’t have won this game without the opportunities they gave us over and over again.”
Imagine Prescott saying that a month ago after the Cowboys let a middle-of-the-pack Denver offense score six touchdowns in a span of seven full possessions during the Broncos’ 44-22 win and finished that week ranked 32nd in passing defense and 31st in scoring defense and total defense.
Of course, something significant has changed since then. The Cowboys used one of the two first-round draft picks acquired in the trade that sent star edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers a week before the season to acquire standout defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets at the trade deadline.
Dallas is 2-0 with Williams, starting with last week’s 33-16 win over Las Vegas, where the Cowboys posted a season-best by allowing just 236 yards and holding the Raiders to a 25% third-down conversion rate. Dallas still has the league’s worst third-down defense.
The Cowboys followed that up by shutting out the Eagles over the final 41 minutes.
“We’re taking our steps and it’s all coming together,” Williams said. “I can’t go out there and do everything on my own. Nobody can. I just think we all put our heads together and execute as one.”
Odighizuwa caught Jalen Hurts on third down that gave the Cowboys the chance to drive Brandon Aubrey’s touchdown after Prescott and company failed to capitalize on two Eagles fumbles in the fourth quarter. The fifth-year player drafted by the Cowboys will say he has more room to roam with Williams.
“The offense has been rolling all year,” Odighizuwa said. “So we know that just getting them some stops, getting them the ball back, giving them as many opportunities as they can to score, they’re going to get the job done. To be able to do that and get a complementary win like this, especially in a comeback like that, I feel like it just speaks to our style of play and our character. We’re going to fight, scratch, itch, every time until that.”
What works
The connection between Prescott and George Pickens is something to behold after the receiver was added in an offseason trade with Pittsburgh. Pickens’ spectacular leaping 43-yard catch set up Prescott’s 8-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Eagles. Pickens has tied his career high with nine catches three times and already has a career-best 67 catches this season. His 1,054 yards receiving is 86 shy of his best, and he’s on pace for more than 1,700.
What needs help
Pickens’ sidekick, CeeDee Lamb, needs a confidence boost after drops plagued him against the Eagles, just as they did in the NFL season opener, a 24-20 Philadelphia win that could have been a Dallas win if Lamb had hung on one of three crucial drops. Lamb had a big catch on the drive that got the Cowboys within a touchdown, but drops are a bad look when Pickens keeps making crazy catches.
Stock up
TE Brevyn Spann-Ford tripped coming out of a break on a route in the end zone, with Prescott watching him the entire time, hoping he wouldn’t fall. Spann-Ford stayed on his feet and finished with his first career TD on a 4-yard catch.
Stock down
Receiver and kick returner KaVontae Turpin lost a fumble after picking off a pass out of the backfield and was penalized when he half-heartedly signaled for a fair catch on a punt and ran anyway. The penalty cost Dallas field position on the final drive, but the Cowboys overcame it.
While Turpin is fourth among qualifying kickoff returners a year after being named an All-Pro, he is nowhere to be found on the punt return list. Without value in these areas, ball security could threaten the diminutive Turpin’s job security.
Injuries
The biggest concern was that Williams stayed down after one play and said after the game that Saquon Barkley was shot in the ribs on a pass rush. However, Williams returned. … LT Tyler Guyton injured an ankle and was replaced by Nate Thomas for nearly half the game.
Key number
34,378 — Prescott’s career passing yards passed Romo’s previous record of 34,183. The next big number is the TD pass. Prescott should average two TDs per game. game the rest of this season to beat Romo’s mark of 247. He has 236.
Next step
The first winning streak of the season gives Dallas a chance against the Chiefs to get above .500 for the first time. The Cowboys are 0-3 when playing for a winning record this season.
Do you want great stories delivered straight to your inbox? Create or sign in to your FOX Sports accountand follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
