Philadelphia Eagles: Takeaways From Thanksgiving Win
Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, beating them 33-10. I thought this would be a really close game, I’m shocked they played so well. This was a straight up beatdown, the score was generous on the Cowboys in the end.
This was such a fun win. There’s a lot of takeaways from the game, here’s my main ones:
The running game is back: Two weeks in a row now, the Eagles running game has dominated teams. The most important part of the Eagles offense isn’t the quarterback, it’s the running game. LeSean McCoy said it best, he’s still the best in the world.
Mark Sanchez played great:
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Speaking of Eagles quarterbacks,
had a great game. He didn’t have to make any difficult throws, the scheme done everything for him. He played sensible and made great decisions which is all you need to do in this offense, he’s the starter for the remainder of the year after tonight you would assume.
Eagles offensive line > Cowboys defensive line: All the talk about the great Cowboys offense line, the Eagles offensive line was by far the best of the two units last night. They gave Sanchez time to throw and opened up holes for McCoy. The offensive line is what makes this offense so special.
Fletcher Cox is elite: The Eagles front seven is special but defensive end Fletcher Cox stands out. He is a phenomenal player and he should start getting all-pro recognition soon as one of the best 3-4 defensive ends that isn’t called JJ Watt. Cox was the standout player on the night for me.
Eagles secondary showed up: The whole secondary played a lot better than I thought they would. Great game by Cary Williams and Nate Allen who both had interceptions, Brandon Boykin also had a great forced fumble.
Brandon Graham keeps performing: What more can you say about linebacker Brandon Graham now? He gets pressure on limited snaps every single week, he’s vital to this Eagles team even though he plays limited snaps. Another sack for him taking him to 5.5 on the season.
Mychal Kendricks has made the leap: I predicted Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks to breakout all offseason, I was right. Injuries might have caused him to miss time, but he’s been very good when he’s played this season. He made some big tackles on Demarco Muray and he doesn’t miss tackles like used to. What a play by him on Demarco Murray on 4th down, showing off just how explosive he is.
Darren Sproles is so dangerous: DeSean Jackson was a great punt returner, one of the most explosive I’ve ever seen. But, I think running back Darren Sproles is better, he always seems to get you 10/15 extra yards on every punt return because he’s so shifty. Can’t believe the Saints gave him up.
Pay Jeremy Maclin: Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin is just a stud, he should be comeback player of the year. Another big game for Maclin, getting over 100 yards. He made a great catch on third down too, fighting for the first down. He plays with such passion it’s great to watch. The Eagles need to give him a new contract quickly.
This is the Eagles team I love: I feel strongly about this, the Eagles winning games earlier on in the season was not the real Eagles team. Nick Foles was throwing 50+ passes a game, that’s not what this team is about. The Eagles don’t need a stud quarterback throwing 40 times a game, they need an average one who manages the game while Chip Kellys scheme and the running game does the rest.
Great game by the coaching staff: Defensive coordinator Billy Davis deserves huge credit for this one, the defense played incredibly well against a good Cowboys offense. Chip Kelly’s playcalling was very good for the most part, I still don’t like the playcalling in the redzone but, overall Kelly called a great game.
The Cowboys aren’t very good: I massively overrated the Cowboys, Tony Romo clearly isn’t healthy and defense is terrible. This team won’t challenge the Eagles down the stretch, there’s no way Romo will stay healthy for the remainder of the season. Also, Dwayne Harris is a punk, that was a complete unnecessary cheap shot on Carroll. I hope he enjoys the fine he’ll receive. Looking forward to playing this team again in a couple of weeks.