Eagles Implode in Dallas
The Eagles blow a 21-point lead to the Cowboys proving that even the losses are bigger in Texas
I was prepared to give praise. I was halfway through signing my Kevin Patullo apology letter. I was ready to talk about how the Eagles did what all great teams do. How they responded to all of the controversy and unfettered bad vibes that ruminated throughout the week by completely dismantling a divisional opponent, proving once and for all that this team’s greatness prevails through the darkness. That their talent alone is a beacon that guides them through the noise. Then it happened. Or I guess, in terms of the offense…didn’t happen.
The Eagles suffered one of the worst implosions in Philadelphia history since the demolition of Veterans Stadium. The offense cratered after taking a 21-point lead, as the team surrendered 24 unanswered points to the #2 offense in the league. According to NBC’s John Clark, this was the first 21-point blown lead by Philadelphia since Andy Reid’s first year with the team. The offense delivered blow after blow to a weak Cowboys defense before forgetting how to punch entirely. This is the second time this Cowboys defense has held a team under 22 points this season. The only other time was last week against the Las Vegas Raiders. For those not in the know, the Las Vegas Raiders are objectively bad.
This is one of the worst losses of the Nick Sirianni era, if not THE worst. Blown lead aside, what makes this loss truly heinous is that it happened against the Dallas Cowboys. A free fall of this magnitude is one thing against the Denver Broncos, but doing it against the Cowboys, the most hated team in Philadelphia, is entirely different. The worst person you know is celebrating Victory Monday by wearing a ten-gallon hat to the office and asking all of their coworkers, “How ‘bout dem Cowboys?”
The Philadelphia Eagles are perpetually trapped between the reality of who they are and the visions of who they can be. They are the shadow of a great team, held in the cold darkness by an offense that lacks answers. The defense didn’t play to the level of greatness they showcased over the past two weeks, having their soul snatched by an array of George Pickens slant routes and Jake Ferguson broken tackles. But make no mistake, this loss is on the offense. Our fears about their ineptitude have come to fruition. The loss that’s been promised. We all knew that eventually this team would lose a game because its offense wasn’t up to the task, and the defense couldn’t bear the burden of the offensive struggles. As A.J. Brown said last week, “we can’t keep slapping a band-aid on and hope the defense is doing their jobs to bail us out.”
We can no longer say this Eagles’ offense is underperforming. This is who they are. They say, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them.” The Nick Sirianni-Kevin Patullo-Jalen Hurts triumvirate is streaky, with moments of brilliance shoveled between a patchwork of slop and inefficiency. It’s an offense that still, in Week 12 of the NFL season, lacks identity, flow, and consistency.
Their run game is dead in the water. If Saquon Barkley isn’t hit behind the line of scrimmage, he’s dancing for 2-yard gains because a once heralded offensive line struggles to block for him. If they are playing any team not named The New York Giants, they simply can not run the ball. The lack of rushing attack has gutted their offensive identity, and they’ve struggled to evolve past it. To accept their pitfalls and circumstances and embrace any semblance of change. Saquon Barkley, the all-world reigning offensive player of the year himself, had a bad game in this one. Their offensive drives are a relentless slog of 3rd and longs. A situation they put themselves in through penalties and inefficient early downs. It’s a situation that they are incapable of converting despite having two of the best wide receivers in the league and a top 5 tight end.
I once asked if the Eagles could afford to give playcaller Kevin Patullo the time he needs to grow and develop into his role. Offensive playcalling is difficult, and it requires a level of experience to call upon when adjustments are required. Most of the top playcallers in the league have prior playcalling experience (see: Klint Kubiak, Shane Steichen, Josh McDaniels) or are paired with a head coach who has done so (see: Klayton Adams).
Patullo is out of his depth, and Sirianni is unable to provide him with answers. It’s not his inability to scheme or his creativity that adds nails to his coffin. It’s a failure to adjust to the changes in the defense. Following three opening drives that resulted in 21 unanswered points for the Birds, the Eagles’ offensive drives ended accordingly for the remainder of the game:
3-and-out
3-and-out
Punt (6 plays)
3-and-out
Missed FG
Fumble
Punt (5 plays)
As Mike Tyson said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Philly’s offense will happily stick to the plan while taking haymaker after haymaker to the dome. This team is exactly who we think they are. A team with a great and at times world-destroying defense and a bad, sometimes good offense. An offense incapable of taking advantage of the talent at its disposal. Like using a MacBook as a coaster, or if Superman decided to be an accountant. An offense whose singular identity is that of relentless underachievement.
As it stands, the Eagles are the #2 seed in the NFC. Redemption can come swiftly as they take on the 8-3 Chicago Bears on Black Friday. This game against a hot Bears team is important for the Eagles’ conference seeding. Taking on a team like the Rams on the road in the playoffs is a death sentence. It’s a future this team cannot afford.
The Eagles ran into a Dallas team with nothing to lose. They found their way into Jerry’s World, and it distorted their reality. Penalties and sloppiness made matters worse for a team that prides itself on discipline. The Philadelphia Eagles are in desperate need of answers. Unfortunately, I don’t know if anyone on their offensive staff is equipped to provide them. Everything’s bigger in Texas, especially the losses.
Let’s get to the game recap (or skip and head to “Trending Up/Trending Down” if you don’t want to hear my trauma dump about this game)
GAME RECAP
Taking on the #2 offense in the league at home, the Eagles were hoping to have history on their side as Dak Prescott was 21-2 at home against divisional opponents in his career. After stopping the Cowboys at midfield on a fourth-down conversion attempt, the Birds rode the Jalen Hurts-A.J. Brown connection down the field. They made a point to feed Brown early, hitting him on the first two passes of the game before finishing the drive with a 16-yard touchdown catch to Brown, his fourth touchdown of the season.
After Dallas went 3-and-out again, Hurts led an Eagles drive that stalled out at a 3rd and 14, but a roughing the kicker penalty against Dallas on an ensuing Braden Mann punt gave the Eagles a first down. Dallas penalties kept giving the Eagles opportunities as they drove down the field, thanks in part to a healthy diet of A.J. Brown in-breaking routes. After a 7-yard run in the endzone brought the Eagles to first and goal, Hurts threw a touchdown pass to A.J. Brown that was called back because Brown didn’t have possession at the pylon. Philadelphia ended up scoring on a Jalen Hurts-designed run to make it 14-0. After the first quarter, A.J. Brown had 66 yards on 5 catches and a touchdown, proving to be a huge part of the game plan against a weak Dallas secondary.
In the second quarter, Dallas started gaining some momentum with a 20-yard run by Javonte Williams up the middle and a 12-yard pass to CeeDee Lamb. On a hand-off to kick returner Kavonte Turpin, Turpin tripped at the line of scrimmage and fumbled the ball which was recovered by Eagles’ linebacker Zack Baun. After a huge 41-yard back-shoulder pass from Hurts to DeVonta Smith, the Eagles finished the drive by scoring on a Jalen Hurts tush push to open up their lead to 21-0 with 11:32 left in the second quarter. This was the last time the Eagles would score for the rest of the game.
The Cowboys’ offense marched down the field, including a huge catch and run by Dallas tight end Jake Ferguson, where he ran through the entire Eagles defense, bringing Dallas to first and goal. After being stopped on a Javonte Williams wildcat run on first down, a false start penalty backed Dallas up five yards on second down. On the next play, Prescott threw a pass into the endzone that landed in the hands of Philadelphia safety Reed Blankenship to get the ball back for the Eagles. The Eagles’ defense had two turnovers in the first half.
Philadelphia’s offense went 3-and-out, giving the ball back to Dallas with 3:00 to go before halftime. After a huge 48-yard catch and run by Kavonte Turpin and a beautiful 17-yard pass from Prescott to Jake Ferguson. Dallas scored before halftime on a pass to George Pickens. Prescott went 4/4 for 60 yards on the drive.
Coming out of halftime, the Eagles got the ball. They gained 20 yards on a play-action pass to Dallas Goedert, which was called back due to an illegal formation penalty. The offense went 3-and-out to give Dallas the ball back. Dallas’ drive stalled after a Nakobe Dean sack on Dak Prescott. The Eagles, struggling to get the running game going and consistently trapped in 3rd and long, went 3-and-out again. On the Cowboys’ second drive of the half, Dak was intercepted by Nakobe Dean, but the play was called back due to Philadelphia’s defense having 12-men on the field. After a big CeeDee Lamb drop (he had 3 on the day), Dallas kicker Brandon Aubrey missed a 51-yard kick, only his second miss of the year.
Following another quick Philly drive, the Cowboys got the ball back and worked their way down the field. Javonte Williams ripped off big runs to keep Dallas’ drive alive. Reed Blankenship went out with an injury and unfortunately, wouldn’t return for the remainder of the game, with Sydney Brown coming in to replace him. Dak Prescott threw a pass directly to Zack Baun on a 2nd and 5, but Baun couldn’t hold on for the interception. Prescott hit CeeDee Lamb for a 48-yard catch against Cooper DeJean where Dak threw it up and CeeDee adjusted to make the catch with Cooper all over him. After a pass interference on Kelee Ringo gave Dallas the ball at the 2-yard line, Dak Prescott rolled to his right and threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to his backup tight end to tighten the score to 21-14.
The Eagles, who to this point were stopped on five straight drives, started to get some momentum with a 10-yard swing pass to Barkley and a 13-yard pass to Dallas Goedert. A weak offensive pass interference call against DeVonta Smith was followed by a false start by A.J. Brown to put the Eagles in 1st and 25. On the next play, Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams went right around Tyler Steen to run straight at Hurts as Hurts quickly tossed the ball towards the line of scrimmage. After Dallas Goedert was tackled short of the sticks on 3rd and 12, Jake Elliot missed a 56-yard field goal attempt.
On Dallas’ next drive, George Pickens made an insane 43-yard catch over Cooper DeJean and Sydney Brown before Prescott scrambled to his right and flipped over Sydney Brown for an 8-yard touchdown to tie the game at 21-21.
With the ball back, Philadelphia slowly worked its way down the field thanks in part to Hurts’ scrambles and timely catches by A.J. Brown. On a 2nd and 17 run, following an illegal use of hands penalty on Fred Johnson, Saquon Barkley had the ball smacked out of his hands, turning it over to Dallas.
Dallas’ next offensive possession stalled out, but their special teams made a huge play on the punt return by forcing a fumble on Eagles kick returner Xavier Gipson. With the ball in the redzone, Philadelphia’s defense made a huge 4th and goal stand to get their offense the ball back.
Starting from their own 2-yard line, Hurts hit A.J. Brown for an 11-yard gain, followed by a 16-yard pass to DeVonta Smith. Then the drive stalled after a 0-yard run by Barkley, followed by an 8-yard catch where Barkley could’ve gained more but slipped. Hurts was sacked on a 3rd and 2 before Philadelphia punted the ball back to Dallas with the game on the line.
On Dallas’ final drive, Prescott hit Jake Ferguson for 7 yards before hitting Ferguson again for 19-yards. Dak then hit George Pickens for 24 yards on a near sack by Nakobe Dean. In field goal range, Brandon Aubrey made a 42-yard attempt to bring the score to 24-21 and win the game as time expired for Dallas.
TRENDING UP:
Braden Mann: We at Burds of a Feather appreciate good punting, and despite all the slop this game could muster, it couldn’t bring a good punter down (editor’s note: it’s never good when your punter is the player of the game). Mann had some big punts, pinning Dallas within their own 15 three times this game.
Nakobe Dean: Dean had his second straight game with a sack and continues to operate strictly on demon time. He had a beautiful interception on Prescott that unfortunately was called back due to a 12-men on the field penalty against the Eagles’ defense. The return of Nakobe has transformed this defense as he continues to be a difference-maker.
A.J. Brown: If Philly won, this would’ve been the A.J. Brown Game. Brown dominated the first quarter with 66 yards and a touchdown on 5 catches. In the second half, he kept the Eagles’ offensive drives going with some great catch-and-run opportunities. He ended the game with his most catches of the season, 8 total catches with 110 yards and a touchdown. We’ve avoided a week of cryptic tweets, so that’s a win, I guess.
TRENDING DOWN:
Kevin Patullo: I was ready to give Patullo his flowers, but unfortunately for Kevin, football games have second halves. Patullo started off the game strong with the Eagles’ opening drive. Opening drives have been where Patullo has excelled; it’s what happens afterwards that’s the problem. Though it ended in a touchdown, the Eagles’ second drive was sloppy and mostly buoyed by a series of Dallas penalties (including a controversial roughing the kicker that gave Philly a 1st down on a 4th and 10). After a beautiful touchdown drive in the second quarter, the faucet was shut off for this offense. As I said in the introduction, Patullo struggles to adjust. He’s outmatched and incapable of providing this offense with the answers it needs. We’ll see where Philly goes from here, but at this rate, I anticipate significant offensive changes in the offseason. Patullo simply doesn’t have the juice, and Jeffrey Lurie simply doesn’t have the patience.
Saquon Barkley: As much as I love Shayshawn, this was a bad Barkley game. Nothing showcased Barkley’s struggles more than the Eagles’ final drive where Barkley caught a pass for zero yards after spinning for no reason, and followed that up by slipping on an 8-yard pass where he could’ve run for a first down. I believe Barkley is the same player he was last season, but he’s just having a rough go of it lately.
The Offensive Line: Speaking of Barkley, one of his issues is the fact that no one will block for him. The Cowboys’ defensive front was all over this Eagles offensive line. Quinnen Williams got whatever he wanted, and the rushing attack was completely neutralized. They’ve struggled to find room for Barkley to run all season, and it really showed in this game. At one point, the Eagles decided to abandon the run entirely. Barkley finished with 10 carries for 22 yards in this one. In the second half, Hurts was under relentless pressure and struggled to get anything going. Offensive line coach and run game coordinator Jeff Stoutland has a lot of adjustments to make to get this unit playing at the level it’s capable of.
Sydney Brown: Reed Blankenship left due to injury in the second half and was replaced by Sydney Brown, which couldn’t have been more unfortunate. Brown rose to the occasion by allowing a 43-yard catch to George Pickens, going low on a tackle against Dak Prescott at the goal line allowing Prescott to flip over him to score the touchdown, missing a tackle on a Jake Ferguson 7-yard pass on Dallas’ final drive, and giving up a 19-yard pass to Jake Ferguson to get the Cowboys closer to their game-winning field goal. Early in his career, I wondered why Brown wasn’t getting playing time on Fangio’s defense, and it’s hard to argue with the results.
Taking Advantage of Mistakes: The Cowboys tried their damndest to give this one away. Nakobe Dean had an interception in the third quarter that was called back due to 12-men on the field. Zack Baun had a Dak Prescott pass in his hands but dropped it. CeeDee Lamb dropped three big passes, including one in the endzone on a key late-game 4th-down stop. The Cowboys gave the Eagles every opportunity, but the Birds couldn’t take advantage.
Discipline: The Eagles came into this game with the 5th most penalty yards per game. They didn’t help themselves in this one, making mistake after mistake that cost them points, momentum, and field position. They totaled 14 penalties for 96 yards in this one.
HOT TAKES:
3rd and Longs Are Killing This Team: Philadelphia’s offensive inefficiency is highlighted through their endless confines in 3rd and long situations. 3rd and longs are a drive killer. It’s a scenario this Eagles team is equipped to deal with from a talent perspective, but not from a playcalling perspective. Half of the Eagles drives today stalled out in a 3rd and +5 situation. Three of those 3rd and 5+ situations were because of a penalty that occurred earlier in the series. The key to unlocking this offense is being more efficient on early downs, whether that’s passing concepts that get you into 3rd and short or getting your run game going to take advantage of the defense on second and third downs. 3rd and long will be the title of my memoir about the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles.
Kevin Patullo Should Take a Page from Klayton Adams Playbook: One thing you notice about the Cowboys offense (run by “man who has the name of a used car salesman” Klayton Adams) is how much they shift the pocket for Dak Prescott. They used misdirection, play-action roll-outs, bootlegs, and other techniques to neutralize Philadelphia’s pass rush and keep the defense off-kilter. The Eagles’ offense is static. We know they rarely use motion, and they keep the pocket in one spot for Hurts. There are advantages and disadvantages. Advantages are neutralizing an opponent’s pass rush and maximizing the threat of Hurts’ legs outside of the pocket. Not to mention an element of deception that the run game can utilize to create mismatches. The disadvantages are the offensive line doesn’t always know where the quarterback is and where to block. But it’s worth experimenting with ways they can move Hurts around to give him some easy answers.
Officiating Is Getting Worse: This offensive pass interference call on DeVonta Smith is embarrassingly bad by the officials.
THINGS ONLY I CARE ABOUT:
Matt Eberflus is Transitioning to the Next Santa Claus: Listen, I’ve seen this movie before. Literally…it’s called The Santa Clause. Matt Eberflus looks like he’s going full Scott Calvin. He’s rocking a look reminiscent of Tim Allen as he’s midway to becoming ol’ St. Nick. Quinnen Williams arrived at practice with a truck in his locker. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer receives emails from Eberflus about what he wants for Christmas. Dak Prescott had a snow globe put in his gym bag. When you get the alert from Adam Schefter that “Matt Eberflus leaves Cowboys to become Santa Claus,” don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Third and longs are not converted because of play calls, they are done so by competent pocket passers. Which the Eagles lack.