10 truths from the Cowboys’ 41-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium on Monday...
1. The best offseason move the Cowboys made was hiring defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
He’s reshaped one of the NFL’s worst defenses -- one that allowed a franchise-record 472 points last season -- by giving it structure and direction.
The result is a unit playing to its potential, creating turnovers and playing with maximum effort.
Dallas intercepted two passes, sacked Jalen Hurts twice and allowed just one touchdown when it mattered.
They also drew five holding penalties.
Quinn is game-planning to take advantage of rookie Micah Parsons’ strengths while letting Trevon Diggs cover the opponents’ best receiver.
Quinn has been a difference-maker, and if it continues all season he’ll have a chance to be a head coach again.
2. Ezekiel Elliott played bully ball against Philadelphia.
Clearly, he wanted to prove a point this week after hearing all over social media how Tony Pollard was the Cowboys’ best option at running back and he wasn’t worth his $90 million contract.
Elliott ran through tackles and played with such force that he inspired his teammates.
He finished with a season-high 95 yards with only one fourth-quarter carry.
3. The Cowboys drafted Diggs to replace Byron Jones two years ago after he signed a record five-year, $80 million deal with Miami.
Jones is a good cornerback, but he doesn’t produce turnovers.
Jones has four interceptions in 96 games (90 starts). Last season, he had two interceptions in a season for the first time in his career.
Diggs has five interceptions in 15 career games.
Diggs’ 59-yard interception return on the Eagles’ third offensive play of the second half turned the game into a 27-7 lead for the Cowboys.
It was his third interception in three games. He’s the first Cowboy with a pick in each of the first three games of a season since Everson Walls in 1985.
4. Mike McCarthy’s clock management at the end of the first half was pathetic.
The Cowboys had dominated the first half and built a 13-point lead, which apparently satisfied McCarthy.
He essentially frittered away the last 110 seconds of the first half because he was satisfied with the Cowboys’ lead.
Perhaps that would’ve made sense if Dallas was getting the second-half kickoff, but it made no sense with Philadelphia getting the ball.
That’s the kind of arrogance that can hurt Dallas at some point.
5. Dak Prescott makes few mistakes, but he held the ball too long on his first-quarter fumble that resulted in a Philadelphia touchdown.
Throwing from his own end zone with a three-step drop, Prescott should’ve thrown the ball away when his first read wasn’t open.
The end zone is the one place you can’t hold the ball too long. Prescott knows better.
6. The Cowboys have such a significant edge at quarterback in the NFC East that they should go 6-0 in the division as long as Prescott is healthy.
The game has slowed down for Prescott, so he does a terrific job of getting the Cowboys into the right play at the line of scrimmage.
He knows where he’s supposed to go with the ball and he has so many weapons that there’s no need to force the ball into coverage.
He’s truly playing like one of the elite quarterbacks in the league.
7. The Cowboys used quite a bit of 12 personnel -- one running back and two tight ends -- and it worked well.
Dalton Schultz played 53 snaps and Blake Jarwin played 43 snaps. They combined for eight catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns.
The reality is Schultz did the heavy lifting with six catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns. And it seems like he’s become TE1 even though Jarwin is the one with a four-year, $22 million deal.
Schultz is in the final year of his rookie deal, and he’s going to get a nice contract whether Dallas pays him or someone else does this offseason.
8. The Cowboys used backup guard Connor McGovern several times as a fullback.
He opened up nice hole for Elliott on a nine-yard run and Zeke followed McGovern on a one-yard touchdown run.
The Cowboys don’t have a viable fullback right now, so it’s a good use of creativity by play-caller Kellen Moore.
9. Prescott threw fewer than 30 passes for the second consecutive week.
He’s 22-3 as a starter when that happens.
That’s because it means he can pick and choose when he wants to throw the ball as opposed to being forced to because the Cowboys either can’t run or they’re trying to come from behind.
He finished 21 of 26 for 238 yards and three touchdowns.
He had only two completions of more than 20 yards but averaged 9.2 per attempt.
10. After going 20 games without a touchdown on their first drive, the Cowboys have now done it in consecutive games.
They started the game with a crisp six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that lasted 3:13. The big play was a 44-yard completion to CeeDee Lamb. Elliott finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown run.
It’s the formula McCarthy prefers because it allows the Cowboys to dictate games. Dallas wants to grab the lead and pressure their opponent into abandoning their game plan because they don’t believe they can match the Cowboys’ offense.
Micah Parsons also had another active game. He had four tackles, a tackle for loss and half a sack. He also had a pressure and broke up a pass. And he played just 37 of 54 snaps, which is just about how much Quinn wants him to play.
Jean-Jacques Taylor, a former SportsDay columnist, is the host of JaM Session Podcast which can be heard Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.
More from Cowboys-Eagles
— Dynamic Dak Prescott’s fun, but his return to patience has Cowboys leading NFC East
— ‘They definitely felt us’: Cowboys impose their will on Eagles, send message to rest of NFC East
— After putting Eagles away with pick-six, Trevon Diggs puts rest of league on notice: ‘I’m here’
— Even while missing key pieces, Cowboys’ defensive front still found a way to dominate Eagles
— 5 takeaways from Cowboys-Eagles: Dallas appears to be the class of the NFC East
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