Eagles and Cowboys exchange party favors in 27-13 Philly win…

I delayed this game report because I wasn’t sure what I was seeing out there on Sunday. Conditions were idyllic for what might have been mistaken as a college bowl game—high sky, mild temperature, plenty of sun and a packed house. Where was the ugly tension and dark weather of a typical end-of-season confrontation between two bitter NFC East rivals in Philadelphia?

The Cowboys and Eagles played the game by the numbers. There appeared to be no trash-talking, no desperado schemes to cause destruction, no ill will toward men. The competition was almost genteel in nature. Players were helping opponents off the ground. Even Tony Romo got a series of work in, and as if by mutual agreement with the Eagles, he directed a scoring drive without being touched or distracted.

It was like a garden party complete with friendly lawn games. The only thing missing was polite golf applause after a good play by the Cowboys.

Perhaps even more remarkable about the atmosphere of the game, nobody was calling for the heads of the G.M. or the coaches on either side of the ball for what would end up a 7-9 team.

When was the last time you finished 7-9 in anything in life and didn’t hear the catcalls?

The Eagles have missed the playoffs three years in a row and five of the last six. Their last playoff win came in 2008. Yet on Sunday, I couldn’t find any evidence of frustration with that record manifested in the crowd, the players’ performance on the field or the media coverage of the game.

What the record books will remember is Carson Wentz tossed two TD passes to Zach Ertz to help Philadelphia finish with a two-game winning streak in beating Dallas, 27-13.

What I will remember is the surreal feeling of an intramural scrimmage played with a mutual agreement of professional courtesy between both squads.

You don’t see that or feel that too often in any sport at the pro level. That’s why I had to look at it twice before I posted the recap. I’m not ashamed to say I respect how Jason Garrett and Doug Pederson apparently approached this game with what I think was a gentleman’s agreement (implied or otherwise) to call off the dogs, in effect wishing each other good luck until we meet again next year.

Dallas had good reason to play it safe with the #1 seed in the playoffs already locked up. Philadelphia had nothing to gain by trying to rub it in with a “body bag” approach. Let the Cowboys have their practice reps with all three of their QB’s, concentrate on the technical execution of your own personnel groups, and graciously accept the path to an easy win in a game that had absolutely zero effect on the final NFC East standings.

Dallas left most of their big guns on the bench. Three Cowboys starters were inactive: LT Tyron Smith, CB Morris Claiborne, DE Tyrone Crawford. LB Sean Lee dressed but didn’t play. RB Ezekiel Elliott didn’t play.

It was nice to see the Eagles get some legitimate pressure on QB Dak Prescott early. Prescott was 4 for 8 for 37 yards before giving way to Romo, the league’s most expensive backup.

Romo overthrew Terrance Williams on a deep pass on his first play. His first completion was a 16-yarder to Williams on third-and-12. After Dez Bryant drew a pass interference penalty against Nolan Carroll on a deep pass at the Eagles 3, Romo connected with Williams over Carroll for his first TD pass since Nov. 22, 2015 against Miami.

Mark Sanchez replaced Romo and threw two interceptions to Jordan Hicks in the second quarter. The Eagles took advantage of the second one at the Cowboys 49. Wentz tossed a 6-yard TD pass to Ertz to tie it at 10 going into halftime.

Wentz fired a 20-yard TD pass to Ertz in the third quarter to give Philadelphia a 17-13 lead. Wentz ran over to Ertz, grabbed the ball, jogged over to two-time AL MVP Mike Trout and handed it to him. Trout grew up in nearby Millville, New Jersey and has season tickets for the Eagles on the field behind one of the goal posts. “You have to have fun out there,” Wentz said. “This is still a kid’s game they are paying us way too much money to play.”

Terrell Watson ran in from the 1 for his first career TD to extend Philadelphia’s lead after a blocked punt late in the fourth quarter. Watson was another feel-good aspect to the story of this game. He was on the streets just a few weeks ago. In fact, he started his life on the streets—he was abandoned as an infant and left on the doorstep of his grandparents who raised him.

The only Eagles injury I saw was Nelson Agholor’s turning an ankle early in the 1st half.

Wentz ended up breaking Sam Bradford‘s record for most completions by a rookie. Bradford had 354 completions in 2010 after St. Louis selected him with the No. 1 overall pick. Wentz finished with 379 complete passes this season.

Wentz was good enough to win a garden-party outing. There are still flaws in his mechanics (that side-winder hitch in his throwing motion is killing me!) and his occasional decisions to unleash one up-for-grabs in the middle of the field. Overall, though, he’s on the right path…which is another reason I appreciate the Cowboys’ holding off on the live bullets on Sunday.  It was a good practice for everybody.

Matchup
1st Downs	15	24
Passing 1st downs	9	14
Rushing 1st downs	4	8
1st downs from penalties	2	2
3rd down efficiency	5-12	6-14
4th down efficiency	0-0	0-1
Total Plays	53	75
Total Yards	195	346
Total Drives	12	11
Yards per Play	3.7	4.6

Time of Possession…..24.18…..35.42

Philadelphia Passing

Philadelphia Rushing

Philadelphia Receiving

Philadelphia Defense

Philadelphia Interceptions