Dallas Cowboys vs Philadelphia Eagles
The Cowboys got off to a slow start in Philadelphia but still found themselves trailing by only four points at the half. Carson Wentz played with poise and made some impressive plays, but Dallas did a good job stopping the Eagles’ attack just before the latter could capitalize. Philadelphia pulled ahead by 11 just before the fourth quarter. The Cowboys made it a one-possession game with a field goal in the fourth quarter but they just couldn’t close the gap. Final score 17 – 9 Eagles.
Dallas Cowboys
Quarterbacks
- Dak Prescott: 24/44, 265 yards | 1 carry, 7 yards
Dak Prescott and the ‘Boys got off to a pretty slow start and struggled to stay on the field in the first quarter. It was so bad, the Cowboys didn’t have a first down until the second quarter. Prescott just couldn’t get it together in the first half. There were times it felt like it was completely Dak’s fault with some throws behind his receivers and other times when his receivers were letting him down with drops on catchable passes. Inconsistencies continued to plague the Cowboys’ offense in the second half. It’s likely Prescott’s injury was the main factor behind his poor throws. The Cowboys were desperately trying to throw the football while behind but Prescott couldn’t get on the same page with his receivers.
Running Backs
- Ezekiel Elliott: 13 carries, 47 yards | 7 targets, 7 receptions, 37 yards
Ezekiel Elliott didn’t get many carries in the first quarter, mainly because the Cowboys struggled to stay on the field. He did, however, have a pair of catches. Zeke had trouble getting much going. Elliott had -1 yard with a few minutes left in the second quarter. He finally broke off a nice 10-yard run around then. Elliott’s efficiency continued trending upward in the second half but he never had a truly game-breaking play. It wasn’t his best performance, but 15 PPR points isn’t anything to scoff at.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Amari Cooper: 12 targets, 4 receptions, 24 yards
- Michael Gallup: 11 targets, 5 receptions, 98 yards
- Randall Cobb: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 73 yards
- Jason Witten: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 14 yards
Amari Cooper had both of his first two targets well covered and smacked to the ground before he ever had a shot at catching them. Cooper had a bad drop shortly before the halftime mark on a pass that was right between the numbers. Cooper had plenty of targets in this one, he just couldn’t make it happen.
Michael Gallup didn’t see a target until the second quarter but he made it count with a huge 41-yard grab on a simple fly route. He followed that up with an 18-yard catch not long after. Gallup continued with the big catches, coming down with another for 16-yards shortly before the half. Gallup kept making big plays to eventually finish with a respectable 15 fantasy points.
Jason Witten didn’t get involved until well into the second quarter and finished the first half with only two catches for about seven yards apiece. Randall Cobb only had one catch for four yards in the first half. Cobb made a crucial diving catch to convert on fourth down late in the game. Prescott continued targeting Cobb when he needed a big first down in the fourth quarter.
Philadelphia Eagles
Quarterbacks
- Carson Wentz: 31/40, 319 yards, 1 TD | 6 carries, 22 yards
Carson Wentz began the game with impressive composure. His first pass of the night was a beauty right up the middle for 27 yards and Wentz also had some clutch third-down conversions on his first drive. The Eagles had to settle for a field goal on that first drive, but Carson came out swinging in his second drive. He led his team the red zone again, this time finishing the drive with a great pass through a tight window. Wentz continued to look poised throughout the first half but he failed to convert a big fourth down in the second quarter. The second half was more of the same, Wentz looked pretty good but the Eagles had trouble finishing their drives. Carson eventually got his offense downfield in a well-orchestrated drive to close out the game.
Running Backs
- Miles Sanders: 20 carries, 79 yards, 1 TD | 6 targets, 5 receptions, 77 yards
- Boston Scott: 3 carries, 12 yards | 6 targets, 6 receptions, 7 yards
Miles Sanders was off to a bit of a slow start on the Eagles’ first drive but he broke off an impressive 29-yard catch-and-run on Philadelphia’s second drive. Besides the big play, Sanders took a bit to heat up. He had poor efficiency on the ground but did better as the half approached. Miles continued to be pretty mediocre on the ground yet efficient through the air in the second half. The Eagles trusted him to punch in the touchdown when they finally reached the red zone again in the third quarter. Sanders kept making catch-and-run plays until it seemed like a 100-yard receiving night was more likely than a 100-yard rushing game. Sanders broke off a big one on the Eagles’ last drive and showed good intelligence to slide instead of running into the wide-open end zone. Boston Scott was getting opportunities here and there but didn’t get much work until the second half.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends
- Zach Ertz: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 28 yards
- J.J. Arcega-Whiteside: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 39 yards
- Dallas Goedert: 12 targets, 9 receptions, 91 yards, 1 TD
- Greg Ward Jr.: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 71 yards
Zach Ertz got involved early but couldn’t come down with his first pair of targets. Ertz took a big hit on his second target and eventually took a trip to the blue medical tent but returned for the Eagles’ next drive. Eventually, Ertz left the game to get checked out in the locker room in the second half. He was eventually ruled questionable to return with a rib injury but came back on the field when there were only two minutes left in the half. Zach had his first catches of the game when there were only about four minutes left in the third quarter but those catches were instrumental for Philadelphia’s touchdown drive.
Dallas Goedert got involved on the Eagles’ second drive and had a great catch up the middle for Philadelphia’s first touchdown of the day. Although his receptions weren’t for many yards, Goedert was the clear target leader in the first half and the yards slowly grew with each reception. He tied his career-high seven receptions in the first half alone but didn’t break his personal best until the fourth quarter.
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside began his day with a great fully-extended catch for 27 yards on the Eagles’ first play of the game. Unfortunately, he only had two catches over the entire game. Greg Ward Jr. was all over the place in this one. He was making clutch catches in the first half and even receiving a direct snap for a five-yard run. Ward had a huge 38-yard catch in the third quarter to help set up the Eagles with good field position and momentum.
–Ryan Kruse (@ryanpkruse)
Very good written story. It will be helpful to anyone who employess it, including myself. Keep doing what you are doing – can’r wait to read more posts.