The Cowboys were a perfect 8-0 at home last season and had a 16-game win streak at AT&T Stadium before their January playoff date against Green Bay. Since then, however, not only have they lost five home games in a row, they have also been humiliated each time. With a 34-6 win over the Eagles on Sunday, Dallas is trailing by 20 or more points in each of its five straight home losses. This is the first time something like this has happened to an NFL team.
So it's no surprise that there was a lot of “bad” and “ugly” and very little “good” in the Week 10 contest. With Dak Prescott on the sidelines, the Cowboys' offense was downright lazy, and not even Micah Parsons' return from a sprained ankle could faze the Dallas defense. From pointless play calls to lots of turnovers, poor tackles, terrible passes, another late-afternoon battle with the sun and even an inexcusable spelling mistake, there's a long list of things that went very wrong for the Cowboys on Sunday.
Here's our look at the good, the bad and the ugly of the Birds' loss.
Bad: Historically poor passing numbers
Forty-nine yards. For the entire game. In 29 attempts. Averaged 1.5 yards per pass play. Only two receptions that reached double figures (and both, only 10 yards). For all the confidence the Cowboys' coaches and teammates expressed in Cooper Rush, the veteran backup did absolutely nothing to prove even a shred of it was deserved. According to ESPN's Todd Archer, the team's 49 passing yards were the fewest for the Cowboys since 2001. And according to The 33rd Team, the performance ranks in the worst 1% of all passing plays in the NFL always.
Ugly: Sales become a comedy of errors
Rush's dropped snap in the first quarter put the Eagles in the red zone. Ezekiel Elliott's fumble at the goal line, his first red zone loss of his career. Trey Lance's outrageous interception. Make your choice; Each of the Cowboys' five giveaways were atrocious, but none were more ridiculous than Rush's fumble at the end of the third quarter. Right tackle Terence Steele was able to recover, but instead of falling on the ball, the 310-pounder inexplicably tried to grab it and run. He denied fullback Hunter Luepke a shot and both ended up watching the ball fly to Philadelphia linebacker Zack Baun. A close second: Jake Ferguson's fourth-quarter fumble that negated a one-handed grab… and then, to everyone's dismay, nearly took the legs away from an already injured Dak Prescott who was standing way too close to the sideline. The Cowboys' minus-10 turnover differential is among the worst in the NFL, and they seem to be finding new ways to increase it.
Good: Overshowed offers hope for the future of the pass rush
The second-year linebacker from Texas is more than making up for his lost rookie season. Overshown has been the lone bright spot on Dallas' defense this year and offers a tantalizing glimpse of what the pass-rush unit could look like. Overshown appeared to be in turbo mode alone for most of the game, recording two sacks, two QB hits, two TFLs, and leading the team in tackles…all despite leaving the contest midway through the third quarter. He reported from the locker room After that he felt fine and would be “ready to go next week.” Micah Parsons is a real beast, but Overshown could have a shot at being the most impactful player on the Cowboys' defense.
Bad: Another collapse in the middle of the game
When Elliott fumbled at the goal line in the second quarter to unceremoniously end a 13-play, 63-yard drive, he fumbled away more than was intended to allow the Cowboys' touchdown in the first place. From that moment on, the proverbial low point of the Dallas offense fell. A subsequent Philly fumble brought Rush & Co. to the six-yard line, but they only managed one yard in three plays and had to settle for a field goal. After that, Dallas converted three consecutive three-and-outs, then three consecutive possessions that ended in a very quick rally. From the moment of Elliott's fumble until the start of the fourth quarter, the Cowboys were particularly inept: five possessions, 16 plays played, zero first downs, three three-and-outs, five total yards gained.
Ugly: Another debate about curtains
AT&T Stadium's unique east-west alignment is a much-debated topic within Cowboys Nation. And on Sunday, the late afternoon setting sun streaming in through the massive glass doors and walls was once again crucial to a game. Although it looked like Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had the sun in his eyes on a few passes, it was painfully obvious that the blinding light was directly responsible for CeeDee Lamb's inability to score a touchdown pass just before halftime. Owner Jerry Jones has previously bristled when asked if he could use the facility's curtains (which are there) during games; He always dismissed the suggestion without a second thought. Put it in the mix with fan tours of the locker room, helicopter landings on the practice field and an interview-happy owner who insists on also playing general manager: That's just one of the many quirks that playing for the Cowboys can bring Job gets harder…but will never change.
Good: Diggs shows vintage form in early INT
Diggs had a season with ups and downs. When he wasn't under fire for lashing out at a reporter during a postgame exchange or dealing with uncertainty over a torn calf, his numbers were down. After a Week 1 pick in Cleveland, Diggs hadn't had an interception since. But on the first play of the second quarter on Sunday, the 26-year-old made an acrobatic move to steal a target in the end zone from Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert. It was reminiscent of the moves Diggs made almost weekly in 2021, when he led the league with 11 picks. The interception could have been a turning point, giving the Cowboys the green light to score and potentially changing the course of the game, but the offense squandered the attempt with one of five three-and-out throws. Insights have been difficult for Mike Zimmer's crew this season, but for a brief moment Diggs remembered better days with a highlight reel steal.
Bad: Fighting the spread of allergies in defense
Poor control has reached epidemic proportions in Dallas. Over the course of nine games, fans witnessed questionable to downright poor performances from several Cowboys defenders. Over the course of nine games, Donovan Wilson, Trevon Diggs, Malik Hooker and others took the spotlight. On Sunday it was Eric Kendricks' turn. The veteran appeared content on several occasions to plant his feet and wait for a Philadelphia ball carrier to reach him rather than run to the point of attack. This led to him being beaten up and even blown up more than once. The Cowboys defense once prided itself on swarming the ball and being overtly physical. Their recent return to shoulder throwing, shoving and guarding even prompted Tony Romo in the CBS booth to describe the unit's play as “soft.”
Ugly: misspelling story
Apparently, not even the franchise's biggest legends are immune from catching walkers in this miserable 2024 season. While the Cowboys wore their red helmet stripes in the lead-up to Veterans Day, the team also honored former service members and war heroes in a video montage shown at the stadium. Among them is the man who coached the Cowboys for the first 29 years of their existence, led them to five Super Bowls and remains the fifth-winningest head coach in league history. But when they paid tribute to U.S. Army Air Corps veteran and World War II fighter-bomber pilot Tom Landry, the Cowboys — incredibly — misspelled his last name. This year it seems self-evident.
Good: Dowdle takes quiet steps
Twelve runs for 53 yards isn't usually a rushing performance worth writing about. But as bad as the Dallas ground attack looked in 2024, Dowdle's 4.4 yards per carry on Sunday seemed to solidify his status as the team's best backfield option. The sixth-grader from South Carolina doubled Elliott's carry total in Week 9 and nearly tripled his yardage; His 19-yard scramble in the second quarter was the Cowboys' longest play from scrimmage all afternoon. Dowdle has averaged four yards per carry or more in every game he has played this season except Week 1; His season average of 4.5 yards puts him 20th in the NFL, ahead of names like David Montgomery, Alvin Kamara, Tony Pollard, Najee Harris, Breece Hall and Kareem Hunt.
