NFL Week 9 Game Recap: Philadelphia Eagles 28, Dallas Cowboys 23

The Dallas Cowboys came up just yards short of beating the Philadelphia Eagles on the final play, and that was reflective of the night overall, with Dallas missing out on a touchdown pass by less than a foot on fourth-and-goal earlier in the second half. The Eagles held on to win 28-23, pushing their lead in the NFC East to 2.5 games.

Philadelphia now enters a pivotal bye week, especially with quarterback Jalen Hurts limping at times due to a left knee issue, and gets extra rest to prepare for a Super Bowl rematch at the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11.

Offensive spotlight: Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb went off for 11 receptions, 191 yards and a near-touchdown on the final play of the game, getting tackled around the three-yard line. Tight end Jake Ferguson continues to step up in high-leverage moments, hauling in a touchdown as a part of his seven-reception, 91-yard performance. The two are the clear top tandem in the receiving game, and second-year wideout Jalen Tolbert is starting to eat into Michael Gallup’s snaps, as he should be. Tolbert hauled in three receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown.

By his standards, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown had an off night, but he still led the team in receptions and receiving yards with seven for 66 and a score. DeVonta Smith tacked on three receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown, as the offense was low in volume but extremely efficient, as Jalen Hurts averaged nine yards per attempt.

Defensive spotlight: Cowboys edge defender Micah Parsons was his usually disruptive self, tallying five pressures and 1.5 sacks on first review, with two more defensive stops against the run. Linebacker/safety hybrid Markquese Bell continues to impress in his role that has expanded greatly amid injuries, adding three more defensive stops as a part of his seven solo tackles.

Eagles wily veteran edge defender Brandon Graham made his presence felt in the biggest moments of the game, as he’s done in Philadelphia for a decade, with a solo sack and a split sack of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott on the final series of the game to put Dallas in third-and-21 along with some pre-snap penalties. Edge rushers Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat also notched a sack each, though Reddick appeared to be dinged up late in the game. Safety Reed Blankenship added two forced incompletions and looks fully healthy once again.

Rookie spotlight: Cowboys rookie tight end Luke Schoonmaker came about six inches short of a crucial touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line that would’ve made the score 28-24 with 10 minutes remaining in the game.

Eagles rookie interior defender Jalen Carter had a quiet night, which is understandable, considering the guard tandem of Zack Martin and Tyler Smith is arguably the best in the league, generating just one quarterback pressure. Rookie safety Sydney Brown drew a tough assignment with a few snaps lined up in the slot opposite CeeDee Lamb, and Brown allowed three receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown on three targets. Philadelphia will continue to improve on defense as the season goes on, and experience for players like Brown, Eli Ricks and others could pay dividends down the road.

Box Score

Passing

Rushing

Receiving