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ESPN Staff Writer- Todd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. He joined ESPN in 2010.
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ESPN Staff Writer- Tim McManus covers the Philadelphia Eagles for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2016 after covering the Eagles for Philadelphia Magazine's Birds 24/7, a site he helped create, since 2010.
PHILADELPHIA -- The Cowboys were able to go on the road and handle business against the Eagles, winning 38-21 on "Monday Night Football" after an impressive showing by Dallas running back Javonte Williams and the offense.
Williams finished with a career-high 155 rushing yards and punched in his eighth rushing touchdown of the season, tied for the NFL's lead.
If the Cowboys were going to be considered an actual threat in the NFC East, they had to start winning games.
An offense that scored a combined 29 points over the previous two contests was able to light up the scoreboard to beat the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field for the first time since 2021. The Cowboys ran the ball as well as they had all season, finishing with 204 yards.
Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott registered three touchdown passes -- two to CeeDee Lamb and one to George Pickens -- and the offense had a turnover-free outing.
The Cowboys' defense was still up and down, but it made plays against a backup quarterback, Tanner McKee, that it did not make against another backup quarterback, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Jalon Daniels, two games ago.
The win moved the Cowboys (3-4) into second place in the NFC East -- behind the New York Giants (4-2-1) -- with ESPN Analytics giving Dallas a 57% chance of winning the division.
Here are the most important things to know from Monday night for both teams:
Dallas Cowboys (3-4)
What to make of the QB performance: Prescott struggled in the two games coming into this one -- throwing four interceptions while under a ton of pressure from the Tampa Bay and Green Bay defenses. The Eagles did not put up the same pressure -- on just 15% of Prescott's dropbacks through three quarters -- and he made them pay. It was the sixth time Prescott tallied at least three touchdown passes versus the Eagles. And it was the ninth multiple-touchdown passing game Prescott has had against them; only Eli Manning (15) and Sonny Jurgensen (10) logged more while facing Philadelphia. Prescott, now 39-11 versus NFC East foes, finished the night 15-of-27 for 212 yards.
Trend to watch: One way the Cowboys discussed getting Pickens more involved in the offense was moving him around the formation. His first two catches came with him in the slot. His first went for nine yards, aligned on Cooper DeJean. His second came with him being defended by safety Andrew Mukuba while running a wheel route down the sideline for a 21-yard score. In the first half, Pickens lined up in the slot seven times, which was as many times as he had lined up in the slot in an entire game over the first six weeks. He ended up doing so nine times in Monday's game.
Stat to know: The Cowboys' defense must not know when games begin. For the fifth time this season -- and the fourth straight game -- Dallas allowed a touchdown on the opposing team's opening possession. This time, it was with a less-than-100% Saquon Barkley on an 8-yard run out to cap a four-play, 75-yard drive. The 35 points allowed on the opening drive is the second most in the league, and the Cowboys' five opening-drive TDs allowed is tied for the most with the Cleveland Browns and the Miami Dolphins. -- Todd Archer
Next game: vs. Arizona Cardinals (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
Philadelphia Eagles (2-5)
The problem with a bad season is it's never just one thing.
The Eagles' offense finally got going Monday, but the defense was diced up all night in allowing 416 yards, resulting in a fifth consecutive defeat.
Barkley's gutty effort on a bad hamstring and rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon's first-career touchdown weren't enough as Philadelphia inched closer and closer to a lost season.
Barkley clearly was playing through pain -- he spent time in the medical tent, got stretched out of the team bench and often looked hobbled -- yet was still extremely effective. He had seven carries for 62 yards and a touchdown while adding two receptions for nine yards. But it appears Barkley sustained another injury Monday, as it was announced in the fourth quarter that he was questionable with a back injury. He did not return.
McKee, making his second start in place of Jalen Hurts, went 23-of-35 for 211 passing yards and a touchdown with one interception.
Most surprising performance: The pattern through the first six weeks was that the defense would put up a good fight for most of the game before succumbing in the fourth quarter, in part because it wore down while playing opposite an offense that was unable to sustain drives. Monday night's contest was a different story. Prescott faced little pressure in the pocket, the Cowboys' run game met little resistance and Dallas amassed 330 yards of offense before even getting the ball in the fourth quarter. This will go down as one of the worst defensive performances in coordinator Vic Fangio's two-plus years with Philadelphia.
Trend to watch: Facing Dallas' defense helped the Eagles shake their slow-start blues. They scored 10 points and racked up 124 yards in the first quarter, both season highs. Philadelphia came in averaging 0.5 points and 56.7 yards in the opening frame. This was the third time since the start of last season that the Eagles scored a TD on each of their first two drives; all three have come against the Cowboys.
Stat to know: Barkley became the first starter in the past 20 seasons to play at least nine offensive snaps in a game and get a touch on all of them. The last non-starter to do it was Jaylen Wright for the Dolphins against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8 of last season (10 touches on 10 snaps). -- Tim McManus
Next game: at Washington Commanders (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday)
