ARLINGTON — Tyler Smith was pretty clear about the start of Sunday’s Cowboys game against the Eagles.
If your team is down 21 points, Smith said your team is getting “skunked” because the contest is over.
“That’s a real terminology,” the Cowboys guard said. “When you get 21-skunked, you’re out of the game.”
The Cowboys’ defense didn’t feel that way. In a playoff-like atmosphere at AT&T Stadium, the Cowboys’ defense held off the Eagles in a dramatic 24-21 victory.
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After giving up scores on the first three possessions, the Cowboys’ defense shut down the Eagles.
It didn’t force receiver A.J. Brown to start reading books on the sideline, but it confirmed the Eagles are not one of the best teams in the league. Not because of their loss to the Cowboys, but overall, this Philadelphia team has struggled to look like a title contender all season.
But that’s for the Eagles to be worried about. The Cowboys’ margin for error to reach the postseason is so small, but with a defense playing like it is, it gives you some hope.
“It definitely feels like we’re coming into ourselves and who we know who we can be this whole time,” defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa said. “Knowing that it hasn’t been the year that we wanted to, but knowing the character of the men in this room, we keep swinging. We keep going and just knowing, we got to believe.”
After the defense put the team in a 21-0 hole, the Cowboys shut the Eagles down for eight consecutive possessions.
One of the possessions ended the half, and Eagles kicker Jake Elliott was wide right on a 56-yarder on another.
The defense also forced three three-and-outs and a Saquon Barkley fumble in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles gained 187 yards on their first three drives of the game. The next eight, the Cowboys held them to 152 yards.
With the game on the line, Odighizuwa got a sack on third-and-2 with about two minutes to go, forcing a 13-yard loss.
After that sack by Odighizuwa, the Cowboys’ offense responded with George Pickens and Dak Prescott putting on a show, setting up the game-winning field goal by Brandon Aubrey as time expired.
The Cowboys are getting a second life in their season thanks to a pair of trades at the deadline for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and linebacker Logan Wilson. Getting linebacker DeMarvion Overshown back from injury, along with corners Caelen Carson and Shavon Revel Jr., is another boost.
The opening act of this season has been abysmal from a defensive standpoint. The pass rush was lacking, the secondary and linebackers were inconsistent, there were injuries, and struggles in zone coverage stood out.
Patience was needed for the defense, because the front office and the coaching staff wanted to see how things looked after the trade deadline, and the health of the team improved.
Sunday afternoon was a complete defensive game. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was sacked just once, but he was knocked down six times. There were also three pass breakups and end Sam Williams’ forced fumble.
Quinnen Williams, of course, has been outstanding since the trade. He knocked Hurts down and had a tackle for loss. Overshown, in his second game since his recovery from knee surgery, had five tackles.
You can’t forget about some of the players who have played through the first half of this season, when the Cowboys hovered around last in the league in total defense.
Cornerback DaRon Bland, after a poor game against Arizona three weeks ago, has played well in consecutive games. Bland had three tackles and a pass breakup. He credits just playing more fundamentally sound as the reason.
Odighizuwa had four tackles, a sack and four quarterback hits.
Credit what Quinnen Williams has brought to the table, by taking on double-teams and allowing the Cowboys to play five-man fronts, forcing one-on-one matchups.
Everything is working for this Cowboys’ team right now. It might be too late to reach the postseason, given how this team struggled to start the year with difficult losses at Carolina and Chicago, two of the teams now ahead of them in the standings.
But with six games remaining in the season, maybe this Cowboys’ defense can become the difference maker in the back stretch of 2025.
“We just started out a little slow,” Bland said. “We got to come out a little faster, coming out the gate. But it was a good thing we kept playing through four quarters. We were down 21-0 and we were able to bounce back.”
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