You can’t draw it up any better than this.
The Eagles clinch the NFC East title with the 3rd-most lopsided win over their biggest rival with their back-up quarterback and 3rd-string quarterback combining for four total touchdowns and Saquon Barkley churning out another 167 yards.
There was the 44-6 win that got the Eagles into the playoffs on the last day of the 2008 season and a 43-7 win in 1961 at the Cotton Bowl.
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And this one: 41-7 over a bad Cowboys team that had no answers for anything the Eagles did.
Here’s our 10 Instant Observations about the Eagles’ 13th win in 16 games, a laugher at the Linc.
1. To really understand how long it’s been since the Eagles swept the Cowboys, think about these names: Brian Rolle. Chad Hall. Jamar Chaney. Casey Matthews. Jason Babin. Owen Schmitt. Fireman Danny. They all started last time the Eagles swept the Cowboys. It was 2011, and there’s not one player left on the roster who was on that team. That’s a long to not sweep your fiercest rival, and the Eagles have been to two Super Bowls since then but to be able to finish off the first sweep in 13 years while clinching the NFC East and locking up at worst the No. 2 seed and to do it a week after an ugly loss in Washington is just huge in so many ways. To finish this year strong after what happened last year is huge. To win a crucial game without Jalen Hurts is huge. To send the Cowboys back to DFW with a 34-point loss is huge. And definitely sweeping the Cowboys for the first time since Michael Vick was their quarterback is huge. This is a win the Eagles desperately needed, and it was a sweet one.
2. You can’t ask for more from your backup quarterback than what Kenny Pickett gave the Eagles. He played mistake-free football, managed the game beautifully, made enough big plays to keep the Cowboys’ defense honest and showed tremendous toughness throughout taking some ferocious hits - some legal, some not legal - and bulling his way into the end zone on a third straight tush push. He finally left the game in the middle of the third quarter with the Eagles up 27-7 after that Micah Parsons shot to his already bruised ribs and gave way to Tanner McKee, but Pickett really showed his value, winning the clincher with Jalen Hurts sidelined. Pickett put up 26 points in 3 ½ quarters in Washington and 27 points in 2 ½ quarters against the Cowboys. He finished 10-for-15 for 143 yards with a TD and a career-high 119.6 passer rating. McKee finished up and in his first NFL action he was fantastic, as expected. But Pickett made the whole thing work and became the first backup to beat the Cowboys since Mark Sanchez in 2014. He proved he belongs.
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3A. This was a much-needed and impressive bounce-back from the Eagles’ defense after that nightmare 22-point fourth quarter in Washington. This is a young, largely inexperienced defense and a lot of these guys haven’t been through anything like that collapse, and I was curious to see how they responded, and after some early issues they were terrific. The Cowboys put together a sharp 70-yard touchdown drive in the first quarter and had the Eagles on their heels a little bit, but their next eight drives netted 158 total yards, eight first downs and no points. Total shutdown. By then it was 34-7 and it was over. They had one sack shared between Thomas Booker and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. on Dallas' last play. They also recorded four more takeaways - two more CJGJ interceptions and forced fumbles by Oren Burks and Nolan Smith - and they didn’t give up any big plays. Last week was an anomaly. This is still the best defense in the league.
3B. This is the first time since 1999 the Eagles have had at least nine takeaways in a two-week span. They finished 1999 with seven each against the Patriots and Rams.
4. I’m not sure where you can tell C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s value more: When he’s not playing or when he is playing. It was pretty obvious how much the Eagles missed his playmaking, energy and leadership after he was ejected in Washington Sunday. The Commanders never really got going on offense until he was out of the game. Then you see him in action Sunday and the guy is just elite. His pick-6 was a work of art. Gardner-Johnson leaped high for the ball and then immediately converted into return mode down the right sideline 70 yards for the first pick-6 of his career. And his second INT, setting up a touchdown just before halftime, gave him six INTs this year and 12 in just 28 games as an Eagle. He’s the first Eagle with two seasons with six or more interceptions since Asante Samuel in 2009 and 2010 and the first safety since Bill Bradley in 1971 and 1972. And even though he’s still played less than two full seasons here, C.J. still has the 2nd-most interceptions by an Eagle over the last 20 years with 12. CJGJ is having a monster year and he needs to stay on the field because this is a different team when he doesn’t.
5. Michael Clay hinted at a change with kickoffs and it sure paid off. Braden Mann is out, Jake Elliott is in, and with KaVontae Turpin and his insane 34.4 kick return average waiting back in the end zone, the Eagles couldn’t afford to risk Mann’s short kicks. Five of Elliott’s seven kickoffs were unreturnable touchbacks and the other two Turpin returned 26 and 22 yards, which are wins for the Eagles (a 69-yard return was negated by a holding penalty). The Eagles were reluctant to make the change because they want to protect Elliott’s leg, but Mann gave them no choice. Turpin has the 2nd-highest career kick return average in NFL history behind Hall of Famer Gale Sayers, and he can wreck a game with his return ability. Elliott kept him at bay all afternoon. And he’s making his kicks now, too.
6. I like that Kellen Moore stayed aggressive with Tanner McKee in the game and let him throw the ball instead of just hammering Saquon Barkley into the line of scrimmage play after play. Even with a 27-7 lead, it was too early to just stop playing offense midway through the third quarter. And McKee - who had never played a single regular-season snap - was incredible, completing three of four passes for 54 yards with a 20-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith and a 25-yarder to A.J. Brown. The last quarterback to throw two 20-yard touchdowns in his first NFL game? That’s a great question and I’m going to look it up tonight. But what an NFL debut for McKee, who could very well make his first start Sunday against the Giants.
7. It is something special watching Saquon Barkley get stronger week after week as the game goes on, and seeing those early one- and two-yard runs become 10- and 12-yard runs. I guess it’s an illusion that he’s getting stronger. It’s really more that the Eagles’ offensive line just beats down opposing defensive lines, and Barkley is in such good shape that he doesn’t lose any explosiveness, power or speed as the game goes on. First half this year, 48 yards per game and 4.8 yards per carry in the first half. Not bad at all. Second half: 78 yards per game and 6.7 yards per carry. What a beast. He ran for 127 in the second half Sunday and 167 total and he’s now got 2,003 yards this year and needs 101 against the Giants to break Eric Dickerson’s 40-year-old single-season record. Barkley has proven everything he needs to prove. He’s the best running back of his generation, and unless the No. 1 seed is still reachable there’s no reason to play him Sunday. Get him to the starting line of the playoffs healthy and unleash him on the NFC.
8. Now that the Eagles have locked up the No. 2 seed with a game left, a big question facing Nick Sirianni is whether or not Jalen Hurts should play at all against the Giants. Obviously, if the Packers beat the Vikings later Sunday and then the 49ers beat the Lions Monday night, the Eagles will go into Sunday with the No. 1 seed still a possibility, and the starters would play as long the Vikings are still in the game with the Lions. And obviously this also depends on Hurts clearing concussion protocol this week and being available for the Giants game. I personally don’t think Hurts needs to play against the Giants to be sharp in the playoff opener the following weekend. If he doesn’t play against the Giants, he will have played 12 snaps between the Steelers game on Dec. 15 and a playoff game the weekend of Jan. 11-12. But is one series and two or three throws really going to get him more prepared for a wild-card-round game? This is a veteran quarterback with a ton of playoff experience and I feel like he could roll out of bed in the middle of April and be ready to play. I’d rather keep Hurts out of harm’s way for an extra week and know you’re going to have your quarterback 100 percent for the postseason than risk getting him hurt again. Every decision the Eagles make has to be made with the sole purpose of what gives the team the best chance to get to the Super Bowl, and at this point it’s keeping Hurts safe in a meaningless game with nothing at stake.
9. DeVonta Smith is so damn good and I think it’s important to keep reminding ourselves of that, and when you’re playing in A.J. Brown’s shadow it’s easy to be forgotten, but Smith had six catches for 120 yards Sunday - his most yards in a game since he had 131 vs. the Vikings in Week 2 last year - and he’s such a reliable big-play guy that if you want to double Brown and leave Smith singled up, he’s going to beat you. It hasn’t been an easy year for Smith. He’s dealt with injuries, missed three games, had that terrible drop Sunday in Washington, and he still has 68 catches for 833 yards and eight touchdowns. People may consider him No. 2, but, man, it’s hard to watch a game like this one and look at him as a No. 2.
10. Everybody knows it’s been 20 years now since anybody won the NFC East in back-to-back seasons. The Eagles won four straight from 2001 through 2004 and since then it’s been Giants-Eagles-Cowboys-Giants-Cowboys-Eagles-Giants-Washington-Eagles-Cowboys-Washington-Cowboys-Eagles-Cowboys-Eagles-Washington-Cowboys-Eagles-Cowboys-Eagles. So here’s a prediction. That streak ends in 2025. Washington has a nice thing going and an impressive young quarterback, and Dallas should be respectable again when they get Dak Prescott back, but the Eagles are loaded, they are young, they have tremendous coaches, they have the best general manager - and best owner - in the NFL and they aren’t going away. There are important pieces to re-sign — Zack Baun, Mekhi Becton, Josh Sweat, Milton Williams - but Roseman has a pretty good track record there. This team is 47-20 in four years under Nick Sirianni, and that’s the 2nd-most any coach has ever won in his first four years - George Seifert won 52 from 1989 through 1992 with the 49ers. This team is not going away.