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Eagles Win A Stressful Game Vs The Cowboys To Take Huge NFC East Lead

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Author and Dylan MacKinnon
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 05: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys is sacked by Jalen Carter #98 and Brandon Graham #55 of the Philadelphia Eagles during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on November 05, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Take a deep breath Philadelphia. It may not be possible for a win to be more stressful than that was. The Eagles threw away multiple chances to put the game away, leaving the Cowboys with a wide-open window to win it at the end of the game. Near fumbles, bad penalties, and wide-open receivers put the Cowboys in the Red Zone with a chance to take a late lead. But the defense buckled up, got a few timely sacks, and shut the door on the Cowboys. They walk into the bye week 8-1 after beating the Cowboys 28-23.

Philadelphia Eagles on Twitter: "GAME OF INCHES!!! #FlyEaglesFLY pic.twitter.com/3W5B2Ni0PI / Twitter"

GAME OF INCHES!!! #FlyEaglesFLY pic.twitter.com/3W5B2Ni0PI

And all of that stress pays off in a big way. The Eagles now have a somewhat commanding 2.5-game lead in the NFC East. Since they have a win over the Cowboys, they also currently have the tie breaker, pending the game in Dallas.

You may be thinking, what about the Eagles’ tough schedule? And it is true, Chiefs, Bills, Niners, Cowboys, and Seahawks make for a tough stretch over the next 5 games. But it is not like the Cowboys have a cakewalk the rest of the way. Yea, they get the Giants, Panthers, and Commanders coming up. But then they get the Seahawks, Eagles again, Bills in Buffalo, and Dolphins in Miami. The Eagles can feasibly go just 2-3, then beat the Cardinals and the Giants twice, and still go 13-4. Cowboys need to go 3-1 in that tough stretch to match that.

So yes the Eagles have a tough schedule. But them going 8-1 to start the season makes this tough schedule way more palatable. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are already in a hole and a tough road of their own. The same can be said about the 49ers who are also at 3 losses. They still have to play the Jaguars, the Ravens, the Eagles, and the Seahawks twice. The Lions are the only NFC contender who you could say has it somewhat easy the rest of the way.

For all the issues they have had, the Eagles are alone at the top of the NFC East, the NFC, and the NFL. And they are in a great position to hold onto all 3 as long as they can just survive this 5 game stretch, and get at least two wins out of it.

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Week 9 Power Rankings Round Up- Eagles Are Back On Top

The Eagles have not been perfect this season. Everyone on that team would probably tell you that. And if you have listened to us, you would have heard hosts and callers alike complaining a lot about how ugly they were winning. But now in week 9, they are at the top of the NFL. The Eagles are the only remaining team with just 1 loss. The Chiefs took their 2nd loss in a sloppy game vs the Broncos, the 49ers have lost 3 straight, the Bills have been up and down all season long, and the Cowboys have two losses as well.

Week 8 was not exactly pretty for the Eagles. The Commanders gave them another tough game, as they tend to do. But there are a lot of teams who would trade their ugly loss for an ugly win. The 49ers’ defense got torn apart by the Bengals the week after it got torn apart by the Vikings. And their savior Brock Purdy now has looked bad 3 weeks in a row. They would love it if in some of these last 3 games, they managed to pull out a win despite their struggles. The same goes for the Billa and their 3 losses. So while it may be another “ugly win”, it is still a win. And they are the only team with 7 of those so far.

Something we tend to do in Philly sports is laser focus on our problems, and ignore the fact every other team has imperfections as well. And while it is fair to point out things the Eagles need to be better at, we should also acknowledge they are still one of the elite NFL teams. But does the National Media agree? Does the Eagles having the best record in the NFL mean they are also being called the best team in the NFL?

Here is where the Eagles fell in the Week 9 Power Rankings:

  • ESPN- 1 (Previously- 2)

    “It hasn’t been the smoothest of rides to this point — (Hurts) is playing through left knee pain and has thrown eight interceptions already on the year after being picked off just six times last season. But he has made a number of dazzling plays and tends to come up big in crucial moments, guiding the Eagles to the best record in football.”

    There have been growing pains for Hurts in this new system. That much is clear. But as Tim McManus pointed out here, he has also been great at points. The second half of the game vs the Commanders is a prime example of that. I don’t think he is a concern at all going forward.

    NFL on Twitter: "Jalen Hurts was hit as he threw. AJ Brown caught it in between two defenders. Perfectly done by the @Eagles.📺: #MIAvsPHI on NBC📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/0rIJPFKW6L pic.twitter.com/YXEK6DrqZ5 / Twitter"

    Jalen Hurts was hit as he threw. AJ Brown caught it in between two defenders. Perfectly done by the @Eagles.📺: #MIAvsPHI on NBC📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/0rIJPFKW6L pic.twitter.com/YXEK6DrqZ5

    ESPN Power Rankings

  • NFL Network- 1 (Previously 2)

    “If Tyreek Hill is an MVP candidate in Miami, then A.J. Brown absolutely should be in that discussion, too. Brown has been on a six-week tear, logging 125-plus receiving yards in every game over that span, adding another two TDs in Sunday’s heroic performance. The Eagles don’t beat the Commanders without the greatness of Brown and Jalen Hurts, both of whom were in peak form.”

    AJ Brown may go down as the best trade Howie Roseman has ever made. He was a great WR before the trade, but pairing him with Jalen Hurts has made him elite. He just accomplished something no one else in NFL history has done, topping a record set by Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson.

    NFL on Twitter: "AJ BROWN CONTINUES TO AMAZE.📺: #PHIvsWAS on FOX📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Quwvdzpx7G pic.twitter.com/sBds7uLXan / Twitter"

    AJ BROWN CONTINUES TO AMAZE.📺: #PHIvsWAS on FOX📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Quwvdzpx7G pic.twitter.com/sBds7uLXan

    NFL’s Power Rankings

  • The Athleitc

    “The 6-foot-1, 226-pound wide receiver/cyborg is playing at a historic level. He had eight catches for 130 yards Sunday against Washington and now has topped 125 receiving yards in six consecutive games, becoming the first NFL player in history to do that. He is second in the league in receiving yards (939) behind only Tyreek Hill.”

    Not sure what else to say about AJ Brown, so I’m just going to share another angle of that crazy catch he made on Sunday.

    NFL on Twitter: "This angle of AJ Brown's one-handed touchdown 🔥 @1kalwaysopen_ pic.twitter.com/R7DLm9POSW / Twitter"

    This angle of AJ Brown's one-handed touchdown 🔥 @1kalwaysopen_ pic.twitter.com/R7DLm9POSW

    The Athletic’s Power Rankings

  • CBS Sports- 1 (Previously 2)

    “It wasn’t always pretty against the Commanders, but they got it done in the second half. Now they face a big one with Dallas this week.”

    The Eagles have a real chance to establish themselves in not just the NFC East this Sunday, but the NFC in general. The 49ers have 3 losses and are going into their bye week. If the Eagles win, the Cowboys will have 3 losses. The Seahawks and Lions could both still be at just 2 losses, but otherwise, the Eagles will have a nice gap between them and their NFC competition.

    Josh Tolentino on Twitter: "FOX broadcast crew for Week 9, Eagles-Cowboys:Kevin Burkhardt (play-by-play)Greg Olsen (analyst)Erin Andrews (sideline)Tom Rinaldi (sideline) / Twitter"

    FOX broadcast crew for Week 9, Eagles-Cowboys:Kevin Burkhardt (play-by-play)Greg Olsen (analyst)Erin Andrews (sideline)Tom Rinaldi (sideline)

    CBS Sports Power Rankings

  • Pro Football Talk- 1 (Previously 2)

    “A.J. Brown is making a case for MVP.”

    I dont have a third angle of that great TD catch. But I can share a highlight of a different great TD catch he made against the Commanders.

    John Clark on Twitter: "AJ Brown becomes the first player in NFL historyWith 5 straight games of 125+ receiving yards 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/Q8rgUFdoPt / Twitter"

    AJ Brown becomes the first player in NFL historyWith 5 straight games of 125+ receiving yards 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/Q8rgUFdoPt

    Pro Football Talk’s Power Rankings

  • Sports Illustrated- 1 (Previously 1)

    “Philadelphia’s touchdown drive before the half on Sunday, which came on the heels of a disappointing red zone fumble, was as composed a moment from an NFL team as I’ve seen all year, and the perfect example of how stable and dependable this collection of parts is. I don’t care that it came against the Commanders, who are better than we’re giving them credit for at this point in the season. This was a projection of strength from a team we cannot ignore as an odds-on Super Bowl favorite at this point.”

    One of the most impressive things the Eagles did last year was score with very little time left on the clock consistently. There was a point where every week they were going down the field to get at least a field goal before the half. And this is now the 2nd time this Eagles team has pulled off a late first-half drive to score a TD. The Eagles are a rare team that can work both. When they need to speed it up and put together a quick drive, they can. But they can also slow it down and waste time when they have to.

    Sports Illustrated Power Rankings

  • Yahoo Sports -1 (Previously 2)

    “Giving up 472 yards to the Commanders isn’t what the Eagles wanted with the Cowboys coming to town for a massive NFC East game on Sunday. The Eagles’ defense hadn’t allowed more than 250 yards in a game for three straight before that, so let’s assume letting the Commanders go up and down the field was the outlier.”

    The Eagles defense has had two bad games in the past 5 games. Washington and Washington. In between those games, they pretty much shut down the Rams, Jets, and Dolphins. Shutting down the Jets is no feat. But at the time, Matthew Stafford had the second most passing yards, and the Dolphins were far and away the best offense in the league. So I am not concerned. It seems Washington just has their number a bit.

    Josh Tolentino on Twitter: "Eagles Sean Desai's defense ranksTotal defense 8thRush defense 1stPass defense 26thPoints per game 19thSacks 5thPressures 2nd3rd-down defense 25th4th-down defense 7thRed zone defense 26th pic.twitter.com/36VZi7jIZx / Twitter"

    Eagles Sean Desai's defense ranksTotal defense 8thRush defense 1stPass defense 26thPoints per game 19thSacks 5thPressures 2nd3rd-down defense 25th4th-down defense 7thRed zone defense 26th pic.twitter.com/36VZi7jIZx

    Yahoo Sports Power Rankings

  • USA Today- 1 (Previously 2)

    “Defensively, Philly has some issues, surviving a 31-point barrage from Washington for the second time this season. Offensively, you’d like to see QB Jalen Hurts quit dragging his leg around … but at least the Eagles are developing offshoots of the “Tush Push” that spare him.”

    Again, the defense has been good in almost every week they didn’t play the Commanders. I can’t say the defense has issues when two weeks ago they shut down the Dolphins.

    USA Today Power Rankings

     

Tyrone Johnson is the host of “The Best Show Ever” on 97.5 The Fanatic. He has been with the station for the past 8 years. Before working at the Fanatic, Tyrone produced political radio, did financial reports, and was assistant chief engineer of another radio station. As a content creator for 97.5 The Fanatic, Tyrone writes articles on the Sixers, Eagles, Phillies, and Flyers.

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