The Philadelphia Eagles were down to their third-string quarterback.
That didn’t keep them from dominating the Dallas Cowboys and their second-string thrower in a 41-7 Philadelphia blowout.
A stacked collection of skill players and an opportunistic defense guided the Eagles to their 13th win of the season and the NFC East title. The Eagles are locked into the NFC’s No. 2 seed after Minnesota’s 27-25 victory later on Sunday against Green Bay.
Philadelphia powered four takeaways, Saquon Barkley’s latest explosion and a performance undeterred by injuries to secure the win without quarterback Jalen Hurts, who remained sidelined a week after suffering a concussion in the first quarter against the Washington Commanders.
Philadelphia’s ability to win without Hurts and linebacker Nakobe Dean, Philadelphia’s “defensive” play-caller sidelined with an abdominal injury, showcased the organization’s roster depth and schematic flexibility.
Sure, the Cowboys were down quarterback Dak Prescott and receiver CeeDee Lamb. But Dallas had won four of its past five with Cooper Rush under center; against Philadelphia, the Cowboys were clearly out of their range.
A week after the Eagles’ running game faltered without Hurts and their defense allowed five touchdowns to Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, Philadelphia ironed out weaknesses.
Barkley gashed Dallas for 167 rushing yards in just over three quarters of play, bringing him to 2,005 yards on the season and just 101 yards from breaking the single-season record Eric Dickerson set 40 years ago.
Defensively, Eagles cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson rebounded from an unsportsmanlike conduct ejection last week to intercept Dallas QB Cooper Rush twice.
The Cowboys were marching down the field with 11:43 to play in the first quarter when Gardner-Johnson first injected havoc into the chippy rivalry game. Facing third-and-3 from Philadelphia’s 35-yard line, Rush targeted receiver Jalen Tolbert on an intermediate pass. Gardner-Johnson, who seemed like he was heading toward tight end Jake Ferguson, instead slipped back to jump the route for Tolbert.
He raced the swipe 70 yards home for the Eagles’ first defensive touchdown of the season and the first touchdown of his career.
Rush rebounded with a 12-play, 70-yard touchdown drive capped by a 4-yard touchdown pass that redemptively went to Tolbert. But with 50 game minutes left, the Cowboys had scored their final points.
Philadelphia recovered a Jake Ferguson fumble to power a field-goal drive and leveraged Gardner-Johnson’s second interception into a touchdown drive capped by second-string QB Kenny Pickett pulling off a Tush Push.
Pickett’s most impressive series of the day included a 34-yard completion to tight end Grant Calcaterra, who caught an acrobatic one-hander, and a 22-yard touchdown to DeVonta Smith on third-and-12.
Pickett completed both passes despite battling a rib injury he suffered a week ago. Fox sideline reporter Pam Oliver said Pickett declined to confirm whether he had bruised ribs or a fracture, saying he would let the broadcast team know after the game.
Pickett did not finish the contest. With 8:56 to play in the third quarter, edge rusher Micah Parsons knocked Pickett down as Pickett targeted A.J. Brown in the end zone. The quarterback aggravated his rib injury, and went to the sideline, where he was examined by medical personnel as he hunched over.
Soon after, he headed to the locker room and was ruled questionable to return.
That didn’t stop Philadelphia. Third-string quarterback Tanner McKee, receiving his first NFL regular-season action, would find Brown for a 20-yard touchdown and later Smith on a 25-yard touchdown in a possession that came off — yep — another takeaway, this time a Rico Dowdle fumble.
Pickett completed 10 of 15 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown, also rushing for a touchdown before he was sidelined with the rib injury. McKee went 3-of-4 for 54 yards and two touchdowns as the Eagles shifted to a run-heavy attack.
Smith caught six of seven targets for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
Rush finished the game 15-of-28 for 147 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Dowdle rushed for 104 yards.
The Eagles host the 3-13 New York Giants in their regular-season finale. The Cowboys host the Washington Commanders, Dallas already eliminated from the playoffs but facing uncertainty about their head-coaching future.
Mike McCarthy’s contract expires at the end of the season. Team owner and general manager Jerry Jones has not yet confirmed whether McCarthy will receive an extension.