Saquon Barkley raises Eagles jinx-ending win with a career first of his own
As is often the case with a Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys clash, very little came easy. A Birds team that should have been superior from wire to wire couldn't help but make things hard on themselves.
Jalen Hurts' streak of turnover-free games ended after finding a former teammate on the first play of the second quarter. One problem... That former teammate plays for a division rival now.
The Birds would rebound. An Ezekiel Elliott fumble on what looked like a promising Cowboys drive gave possession back to Philly's offense. Maybe Zeke missed the meeting about ball security. Maybe Jalen Hurts should attend one.
His second turnover of the game, one caused by a Micah Parsons strip, set the Cowboys up with a first-and-goal scenario three plays later. The defense bailed them out, but after dominating most of the first half, Jalen's INT served as a bit of a turning point.
Thank Heaven for that final Eagles drive of the first half and those second-half adjustments.
Saquon Barkley and the Eagles BOTH break Cowboys jinxes.
Jalen Hurts' fumble led to a Saquon Barkley forearm injury as Philly's star tailback fought to recover. He was taped by the medical staff but watched the Eagles' final drive of the first half from the sideline.
No need to worry. Philly likes deploying Kenneth Gainwell as their tailback in the two-minute offense. Seven plays and 1:25 off the clock was all the Birds needed to put seven more points on the scoreboard.
Jalen Hurts finds Dallas Goedert here. Good thing too! There were moments when we thought Philly might walk into the locker room trailing.
Philly stayed hot in the second half, rattling off 17 more points during the third and fourth quarters. We even saw Oren Burks get a few snaps on defense. With that, Philly snaps a streak of six straight losses in Arlington.
Believe it or not, this game allowed Saquon Barkley to do something he had never done as a professional. This was his first win over the Dallas Cowboys!
Entering Week 10's contest, Saquon was winless in ten previous games vs. the Dallas Cowboys despite stacking 581 yards on 120 carries, 288 yards on 44 receptions, and reaching the end zone three times vs. Dallas in his career.
He'll have fond memories of his debut in Arlington as an Eagle, he finished this one with 66 yards on 14 carries and a catch for 12 yards.