Dallas Embarrasses Eagles In 20-10 Setback
PHILADELPHIA, PA (CBS) — Now panic.
The wounded Dallas Cowboys hobbled into Lincoln Financial Field, missing star Dez Bryant and starting guard Ronald Leary, and downed the Eagles rather easily, 20-10, in a shocker Sunday in a game that wasn't even that close.
The loss dropped the Eagles to 0-2, and going back to last season, it marked the fifth loss in their last six games, while Dallas improved to 2-0 and placed itself in a strong position in the NFC East.
Sam Bradford and the Eagles offense had problems all afternoon. The Birds never crossed midfield and had minus-3 yards rushing in the first half. Bradford received little protection in completing 23 of 37, for 224 yards and a touchdown—with two interceptions. Eagles' fans showed their displeasure by beginning to leave with 5:24 left in the third quarter, when the Cowboys' Sean Lee intercepted Bradford in the end zone—a pass in which Bradford seemed to be throwing more to Lee than anyone wearing white.
The Eagles finished with 7 yards rushing, and were outgained, 347-to-226. DeMarco Murray picked up just 2 yards rushing on 13 carries, making Bradford the Eagles' leading rusher with 9 yards. The Eagles' sputtering offense went three-and-out on four of its first five possessions, and its first eight drives ended in six punts, a blocked punt (which resulted in a Dallas touchdown) and an interception. The Eagles converted 2 of 11 third downs. If not for Dallas committing 18 penalties for 142 yards, it could have been far more egregious.
With 9:44 left in the third quarter, a Jordan Hicks' sack, which led to a Fletcher Cox fumble recovery at the Philadelphia 39, gave the Eagles a chance to climb back into the game. Romo was down for a few minutes, grasping his left shoulder (it was later determined Romo broke his left clavicle). And on the following play, Bradford was sacked for a 5-yard loss.
That pretty much summed up the Eagles' course.
"It's frustrating," center Jason Kelce mumbled. "We have to go back and watch this on film, but it obviously doesn't get any worse than this on offense. That was the worst rushing attack I've ever been a part of here. I don't know. We have to go back and watch the film. Obviously, missed blocks are huge. I like to say that they did something different than what we expected, but I don't think they did. We were very inconsistent. Actually, it was consistently bad."
Malcom Jenkins' fourth-quarter fumble recovery and 34-yard return gave the Eagles another glimmer of hope, with 7:20 left to play. Though on the very next play, Bradford and the Eagles added more laughs to the debacle when the ball was snapped off Bradford's chest and the Cowboys' Nick Hayden recovered the fumble at the Dallas 32. It was another dismal outcome prolonging an already long afternoon.
The first half was pathetic. The Eagles were fortunate to go into halftime trailing, 6-0, thanks to a pair of Dan Bailey field goals.
The Eagles' offense was woeful. They were outgained 193-21. Dallas had 15 first downs to the Eagles' 1, and if not for 10 Dallas penalties for 66 yards, it should have been far worse.
The time of possession, something Eagles' coach Chip Kelly cares very little about, played a big factor in the half. Dallas had the ball 23:09 to the Eagles' 6:51—and though time of possession may not be a key factor to Kelly, try asking any member of the Eagles' defense.
They didn't trot off the field at halftime, they walked. That's how exhausted they were.
By halftime, the Eagles' linebacking corps was depleted. Kiko Alonzo left with a left knee injury, the same knee he suffered a torn ACL last July that forced him to miss the 2014 season, and Mychal Kendricks left with a left hamstring injury and did not return. That left the Eagles with the rookie Hicks to cover all-Pro tight end Jason Witten and the slowed DeMeco Ryans at inside linebacker.
Still, the Eagles did manage to keep the game competitive. That is, until the second half began.
"It comes down to execution," Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson said. "We saw what they were doing all week. The point is to go out there and get it done, and we went out there and pissed on our leg."
