That field goal drive was kept alive by a fake punt as punter Braden Mann threw for 28 yards and a first down to Olamide Zaccheaus.
That cut the Eagles’ deficit to 10-3 early in the second quarter.
But the Cowboys marched right back down the field and took a 17-3 lead on Rico Dowdle’s 1-yard TD with 6:14 left in the first half
The Eagles could only answer with another Elliott field goal, this one from 44 yards out with 1:48 left. The Cowboys had little trouble adding to the lead. And this was emblematic of the Eagles’ struggles. Rookie Kelee Ringo, playing his second defensive snap of the season, gave up an 8-yard completion to Brandin Cooks. He was called for pass interference and a facemask.
That put the Cowboys at the Eagles’ 35. Quarterback Dak Prescott then capped the drive with a 1-yard TD pass to Michael Gallup with 20 seconds left in the half.
Hurts was 7-for-12 for 98 yards in the first half. But the Eagles were badly outgained by Dallas as they Cowboys had 247 in the first half, compared to 171 for the Eagles.
Still, the Eagles were hopeful that linebacker Shaq Leonard’s debut, along with the return of linebacker Zach Cunningham would make a difference.
It didn’t.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was 14-for-23 for 157 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first half.
Jalen Carter scores 1st NFL touchdown on Fletcher Cox strip sack
The Eagles’ offense wasn’t doing the job, so the defense took matters into its own hands.
Trailing 24-6 in the third quarter, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox sacked Prescott on a 3rd-and-10 from midfield. That forced a fumble that fellow defensive tackle Jalen Carter picked up, then continued on 42 yards for a touchdown.
That pulled the Eagles to within 24-13 with 10:41 left in the third quarter. For Carter, it was his first NFL touchdown.
Eagles defensive struggles continuing
Remember the first quarter of the Philadelphia Eagles-San Francisco 49ers game?
The Eagles took a 6-0 lead because the defense was so dominant that it held the 49ers to -6 yards of offense.
Those were great times and at this point seem so long ago.
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Since their first quarter dominance, the Eagles defense has been, to use descriptions from fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, Swiss cheese.
The 49ers scored touchdowns on six-straight possessions before taking a knee to end the 42-19 victory. Dallas came out and scored a touchdown on its first drive, a field goal on its second and a touchdown on its third and fourth, the last one coming with 20 seconds left in the first half.
The Eagles finally forced a punt on Dallas’ first possession of the third quarter, thus ending a streak of 10 straight scoring drives spanning five-plus quarters.
Shaq’s long road back
It was one year ago when Shaq Leonard had his second back surgery in five months, and things were about to get very different for the star Indianapolis Colts linebacker.
Leonard had been selected to three Pro Bowls in his first four seasons from 2018-22. But since that second surgery, it was becoming clear that he wasn’t the same player.
The Colts released Leonard three weeks ago, and the Eagles signed him last Monday as Leonard chose the Eagles over the Cowboys after visiting both. The Eagles are no doubt relieved that Leonard will be playing for them instead of against them.
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But it has been a long road for Leonard.
“I couldn’t run for like five or six months,” Leonard said. “I had to get back to getting my feet back up under me, making the right steps, make sure I don’t false step. Stuff like that so just getting back to muscle memory because I couldn’t (play) football.”
Leonard is still doing that. He started the first nine games he played in for the Colts, but his playing time had diminished to 70% of the defensive snaps.
The Eagles don’t need him to play the entire game. Zach Cunningham is returning after missing last week’s game with a hamstring injury. And Nicholas Morrow is the other starter.
To make room for Leonard, the Eagles waived Christian Elliss, who started in Cunningham’s place against the 49ers in the Eagles’ 42-19 loss. Elliss didn’t play well, and neither did Morrow.
The Eagles were hoping Elliss, a valuable special teams player, would clear waivers and re-sign to the practice squad. But the Patriots claimed Elliss for their 53-man roster.
“Happy for Christian to land on his feet,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “Obviously, we were hoping to get him back. But, yeah, he’s in a good place and I wish him the best of luck.”
Eagles convert a fake punt, get a field goal
Things looked bleak for the Eagles. They were already down 10-0 early in the second quarter, lined up to punt the ball back to the Cowboys on a 4th-and-2 from their 33.
That’s when punter Braden Mann took the snap and threw a pass down the right sideline to Olamide Zaccheaus, who was wide open. The play went for 28 yards and a first down, representing the Eagles’ second-longest play of the game to that point.
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