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The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles NFC East bout on "Monday Night Football" in Week 7 wasn’t supposed to feature two 2–4 teams dealing with inauspicious starts to the season.
The NFL can be cruel in that way for some teams, but Week 7 turned into a situation where one team could get back on track in a division that seems up for grabs.
The Dallas Cowboys, who had quite a different narrative entering this contest on the road despite the same exact record as the team hosting them, did at least turn the ship toward the right direction on Monday night with a 38-21 win over the Eagles.
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The narrative for Dallas was that they have the pieces, but is the coaching all there? Head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s name has been brought up in hot seat discussions, as the Cowboys lost back-to-back games in Primetime, and certainly didn’t want to make it a third against a struggling Philadelphia squad.
Nick Sirianni, despite winning a Super Bowl with this team recently, has also been on the wrong side of Philly fandom to begin this 2026 campaign, but there’s at least the injury excuse. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is out for the season, as he deals with blood clots. And though he was back on Monday night in a limited capacity, running back Saquon Barkley just hasn’t been healthy enough this year.
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With the Eagles losing four straight after a 2-0 start to the season, some fans have already resorted to the tanking conversation for a top draft pick. The Cowboys certainly are not at that stage – fans just think the coaching staff needs to get this group playing in sync on both sides of the ball.
For Dak Prescott and the offense, they continued to put points on the board, and they did so with a big lift from the run game. This isn’t a team that wants to pass the ball 45 times a game despite their veteran signal caller having done so many times throughout his career.
Javonte Williams produced 155 on the ground on 25 carries with a touchdown at the end of the game, weaving his way through the Philadelphia defense for big chunk plays, including a 34-yard burst through the line. That opens everything for this offense that proclaims itself the "G.O.T.I." – greatest offense there is.
CeeDee Lamb may have caught just five of his 12 targets, but two of those were touchdown grabs from Prescott. He finished the game with 74 yards, while his counterpart George Pickens had a touchdown himself on a 21-yard connection with his quarterback. And wide receiver three, Ryan Flournoy, totaled 70 yards on four grabs.
All was well for Dallas’ offense, but once again, the defense was questionable against McKee and the Eagles’ offense at home.
The first drive of the game brought hope to the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field, as the rabid fan base had been waiting for Barkley, the former Offensive Player of the Year, to return to the backfield after a hamstring injury. In just four plays, including a 29-yard run for Barkley, they remembered what it’s like to have a threat like him leading the way.
Barkley bounced outside on first-and-5 from Dallas’ eight-yard line for the Eagles’ first touchdown of the game, and it looked like they would compete against a Cowboys' defense that keeps trying to find its identity, or better yet, key stops. But the injury bug continued to halt Barkley from being 100%, as he tried battling through a back injury this time in this game. He was noticed stretching on the sideline and trying to keep his back loose with trainers, but to no avail.
Still, it was a back-and-forth battle in this latest chapter of a storied division rivalry, with long drives resulting in touchdowns on both sides. Dameon Pierce, who took over the lion’s share of carries, scored for the Eagles, while rookie Makai Lemon secured his first career touchdown to give the Eagles a 21-20 lead in the third quarter.
But as Prescott does, he responded with a touchdown of his own – the second for Lamb – and the Cowboys were eventually able to separate themselves after forcing an Eagles punt and DeMarvion Overshown making an incredible interception on a ball intended for Dallas Goedert while the Eagles were driving in the fourth quarter.
At 2-5 now, it may still be too early to say the Eagles’ season is a failure, but the cards they’ve been dealt are not pictures and they’re off suit.
The Cowboys, on the other hand, still have chips on the table and are in the hunt. At 3-4, they’re a game-and-a-half behind the New York Giants, who beat them in Week 1, for the NFC East lead.
And with winnable games against the Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts up next on the schedule, perhaps Schottenheimer's seat can cool down if they can put together their first win streak of the campaign.
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