Eagles @ Cowboys
Final Score: Cowboys 24, Eagles 21
Writer: Christian Otteman (@COttemanPL on Twitter)
An instant classic in Jerry World between the Birds and the ‘Boys! While Jalen Hurts and the visiting Eagles got out fast to a three-touchdown lead, the Cowboys kept chipping away and eventually tied the game in the fourth on a Dak Prescott rushing touchdown. The Eagles had a series of miscues in the fourth, including two costly fumbles, but the Cowboys couldn’t quite capitalize on the takeaways. The game came down to a 42-yard field goal from Brandon Aubrey, who of course nailed it to give the home team an impressive comeback win to get back to .500. Let’s break down the key takeaways from this NFC East showdown.
Two Up
- George Pickens – I’ll say it: he’s the WR1 in Dallas. He continues to flourish on his new team.
- A.J. Brown – Squeaky Wheel Game Part 2? Brown led the team in catches and yards and scored, receiving double-digit targets for the second straight week.
Two Down
- CeeDee Lamb – Drops continue to be an issue for Lamb, though the targets are still there. Maybe he and Amon-Ra St. Brown can hit the jugs machine together after their respective Thanksgiving Day games.
- Saquon Barkley – Solid receiving volume, but another lackluster performance on the ground.
Philadelphia Eagles
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts: 27/39, 289 Yards, TD | 7 Carries, 33 Yards, 2 TD
Credit where credit is due, Jalen Hurts did a good job of leading the Eagles’ offense through the air in the first two frames of this game. Hurts also did typical Hurts things by scoring two rushing touchdowns, just one of which was of the Tush Push variety. The Eagles weren’t able to get anything going on the ground against the Cowboys’ revamped defensive line, and their offense as a whole stalled in the second half while Dallas chipped away at the lead. Overall, it was more of the same for Hurts: an excellent fantasy output, even though the real-life quarterbacking could have been better, especially in the second half. Keep rolling him out there as a top-five weekly option.
Running Back
Saquon Barkley: 10 Carries, 22 Yards, Fumble (LOST) | 8 Targets, 7 Receptions, 52 Yards
The bad news: Saquon Barkley had yet another inefficient game on the ground behind a Lane Johnson-less Eagles O-line. The good news: Barkley had his best game through the air in his Eagles career, bringing in seven of eight targets for 52 yards. I wouldn’t expect that to be the new norm, as he hasn’t received more than four targets in any other game this year. The explosiveness for Barkley just isn’t there right now, but a Black Friday matchup against the Bears could be a get-right spot. Keep rolling him out there in your lineups. What other choice do you have?
Tank Bigsby: 1 Carry, 8 Yards
The Eagles need to find a way to get Tank Bigsby more involved. In his limited sample size since coming to Philadelphia, Bigsby has looked explosive on several occasions and could provide a boost to this offense on the ground that feels much-needed. We’ll have to stash him on our benches for now.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
A.J. Brown: 10 Targets, 8 Receptions, 110 Yards, TD
The roller coaster season continues for A.J. Brown and his fantasy owners. While the vast majority of his production came in the first quarter, it was good to see Hurts look his way early and often. Perhaps the Eagles could have hung on to the lead if they went Brown’s way more often in the second half, but he saw a lot of the Cowboys’ best corner in DaRon Bland. Brown remains a volatile low-floor, high-ceiling option moving forward, but should be started.
Hurts to AJ Brown and the @Eagles take the early lead! 🦅
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/Ef3l5r9jeB
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 23, 2025
DeVonta Smith: 11 Targets, 6 Receptions, 89 Yards
While Brown paced the team in yardage, there’s no question that DeVonta Smith has been the most reliable receiver for the Eagles this year. Smith showed some ultra-impressive body control with his lanky frame, positioning himself perfectly to bring in one of Hurts’ legendary deep balls. Aside from the clunker against Detroit last week, Smith has been very productive over the past month and change, and is an excellent WR2 for your fantasy teams. Next week’s matchup against the Bears is a potential smash spot.
DEVONTA SMITH.
PHIvsDAL on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/Y4mhuUSSyV
— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2025
Dallas Goedert: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 20 Yards
Dallas Goedert wasn’t targeted until late in this contest but caught both of his looks. He’s firmly entrenched as the third pass-catching option in this offense, which doesn’t carry weekly TE1 appeal. Goedert is best viewed as a streamer or a player on the TE1/2 borderline for the rest of the season.
Grant Calcaterra: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 8 Yards
Darius Cooper: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 7 Yards
Xavier Gipson: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 3 Yards, Fumble (LOST)
Jahan Dotson: 1 Target, 0 Receptions
Dallas Cowboys
Quarterback
Dak Prescott: 23/36, 354 Yards, 2 TD, INT | 5 Carries, 9 Yards, TD
Another productive high-volume outing for Dak Prescott. Game script was on his side in this one, as it has often been in 2025, as the Cowboys trailed by three touchdowns midway through the second quarter. Prescott made one big mistake–an interception on a target to CeeDee Lamb in the end zone–but was otherwise masterful in chipping away at the Eagles’ lead. Dak put his body on the line to tie the game by flipping into the end zone for a rare rushing score. The recipe is there for Dak to be a QB1 every week: two elite receivers and a defense with a propensity to allow plenty of points. Keep him locked in as an every-week starter for the Thanksgiving showdown against Patrick Mahomes.
DAK IS IN. 21 UNANSWERED POINTS FOR THE COWBOYS.
PHIvsDAL on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/qSwVuHtNps
— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2025
Running Back
Javonte Williams: 20 Carries, 87 Yards | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 14 Yards
The workload is still there for Javonte Williams, even though the touchdowns haven’t been there lately. Williams reached 20 carries for the second straight week and just the third time this season, though he hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 8. Williams’ decent efficiency against the Philly defense made it all the more frustrating when the Cowboys didn’t turn to him in the red zone often. Williams remains a weekly must-start thanks to his opportunity share on an explosive offense, and it’s only a matter of time before he finds paydirt again.
Malik Davis: 3 Carries, 24 Yards
Hunter Luepke: 0 Carries | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 7 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
George Pickens: 9 Targets, 9 Receptions, 146 Yards, TD
Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. George Pickens is having an ascendant season in Dallas, and followed up a masterful performance in Las Vegas with his second straight game of nine catches and a touchdown to go along with a receiving total in the 140s. This game came against a superb Philly secondary, and Pickens made them look silly on multiple occasions. He’s looking like the most reliable receiving option in Dallas and is firmly entrenched as a WR1, even in another tough Thanksgiving matchup against the Chiefs.
GEORGE PICKENS IS RIDICULOUS 🤯
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/Cnf7vPyBbs
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 24, 2025
CeeDee Lamb: 11 Targets, 4 Receptions, 75 Yards
Well, at least this time we know it wasn’t because of a hangover, but CeeDee Lamb continued to struggle with drops in this game. Lamb paced the team with 11 targets but was outshined by Pickens yet again. Lamb’s worst drop came on a third and goal situation in the fourth quarter, where he failed to bring in a very catchable ball and was visibly frustrated afterwards. It’s frustrating to watch as a Lamb manager right now, but the good news is he should continue to get fed in this offense. While Pickens is the safer option right now, Lamb still has as high an upside as anybody in the league.
CeeDee Lamb dropping a TD (3rd bad drop today)
Then pointing to the back corner, looking at Dak
To tell him he where he should have thrown it
Like Dak wasn’t heavily pressured
(& then Lamb throws a tantrum on the sideline)
INSANE sequence from Lamb💀pic.twitter.com/aX85O2l2oZ
— Ryan Knows Ball (@RyanKnowsBall) November 24, 2025
Jake Ferguson: 6 Targets, 5 Receptions, 60 Yards | 1 Carry, 1 Yard
Pickens’ ascendance has mostly come at the expense of Jake Ferguson, who reached 60 receiving yards for the first time since Week 3 in this contest. A serviceable 11 PPR points without scoring a touchdown shows that Ferg still has mid- to back-end TE1 appeal, even with the recent downward tick in usage. While it was frustrating to see a TD pass go to a different tight end in Brevyn Spann-Ford, Ferguson should maintain a healthy dose of red zone targets in this offense. Keep rolling him out.
KaVontae Turpin: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 48 Yards | 2 Carries, 4 Yards
Brevyn Spann-Ford: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 4 Yards, TD
Luke Schoonmaker: 1 Target, 0 Receptions
Ryan Flournoy: 1 Target, 0 Receptions
Jalen Tolbert: Healthy Scratch
Jonathan Mingo: 0 Targets
Worth following in deep, deep leagues: Jonathan Mingo saw his first game action of 2025, but only played three snaps. Jalen Tolbert was a healthy scratch in what the baseball world would call a corresponding move.