The Dallas Cowboys took care of the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles by the score of 41-21 on Monday Night Football Week 3.
It was an absolutely brilliant showing for Dallas with Dak Prescott doing his thing under center and the Cowboys’ stepping up big time on defense. Meanwhile, Philadelphia shrunk under the bright lights in Big D. Here are seven winners and losers from the Dallas Cowboys Week 3 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
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Winner: Dalton Schultz, tight end, Dallas Cowboys
This former Stanford star put up a tremendous 2020 campaign, catching 63 passes for 615 yards and four touchdowns. However, there was no telling how Schultz would be impacted by the return of Blake Jarwin from injury.
Through three weeks, it has not been an issue. Schultz caught all eight of his targets in Dallas’ first two games of the campaign. He added to that against a lackluster Eagles defense Monday night, hauling in 6-of-7 targets for 80 yards and two touchdowns. If Schultz can continue to play at this level, Dallas’ offense might be unstoppable moving forward.
Loser: Connor Williams, guard, Dallas Cowboys
Ouch! A night that saw the Cowboys proclaim themselves as legit title contenders in the NFC also saw their left guard struggle big time. Williams was called for a resounding three holding penalties and found himself overpowered by the likes of Javon Hargrave throughout the evening.
Given the La’el Collins suspension, there’s some questions a long the Cowboys’ offensive line. This former second-round pick from Texas simply needs to play better. Monday night was not it.
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Winner: Dallas Cowboys running backs
This is becoming an elite pairing. Last week against the Los Angeles Chargers, Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard combined for 237 total yards. In the first half alone against Philadelphia Monday night, these two combined for 137 total yards on 24 touches.
While the two didn’t do a whole lot in the second half, they continued to help Dallas moves the sticks and melt away what ended up being a blowout win. Dallas’ offense is going to be among the best in the NFL if these two keep up at their current pace.
Loser: Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles head coach
It’s been an absolute disaster for Philadelphia’s offense since its Week 1 win over Atlanta. That included scoring a total of 11 points in a Week 2 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Things did not get better for this rookie head coach and his team Monday night.
After letting Jalen Hurts open it up to an extent last week, Sirianni handcuffed his young signal caller against a swarming Cowboys defense. We’re talking deep drop backs for intermediate routes and the like. It did not put Hurts in a great situation to succeed. Now, the head coach is back to the drawing board after two disastrous outings.
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Winner: Trevon Diggs, cornerback, Dallas Cowboys
With an interception in each of his first two games as a sophomore, this former Alabama standout has looked like a great fit under new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. He’s been a play-maker in the truest sense of the term.
That continued Monday night against former Bama teammates Jalen Hurts and Devonta Smith. With Dallas up 20-7 early in the third quarter, Diggs picked off a Hurts pass and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown and a three-score lead. This is the type of game-changing ability Dallas has been missing the secondary for year now.
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Loser: Jalen Hurts, quarterback, Philadelphia
Ahead of Monday night’s game, we focused on how this was an opportunity for Hurts to prove himself to Philadelphia’s brass. The backdrop here is the team’s flirtation with bigger-name quarterbacks during the offseason. After a solid two-game span to open his sophomore campaign, Hurts looked like a rookie out there in Big D.
His evening started with an ugly interception on a deep pass when Hurts simply failed to read the defense. Then, with Philadelphia down 20-7 in the third quarter, Hurts threw a pick-six on a pass intended for Devonta Smith. It was about as ugly as it gets. Right now, we can simply conclude that Hurts is a “not yet ready for prime time player.” Monday night’s performance proved that to a T.
Winner: Dak Prescott, quarterback, Dallas Cowboys
Even after gifting the Eagles seven points with a fumble in the end zone, Prescott remained poised in his first game back in Dallas since suffering that devastating ankle injury last season. The newly-extended Pro Bowler ended up completing 21-of-26 passes for 238 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions in the 41-21 win.
This is just a continuation of what has been a stellar start to the 2021 season for the veteran quarterback. It appears he’s gotten better since being sidelined with that injury. He has Dallas’ offense looking like a major force through three games. Nearly unstoppable. And in reality, it could very well have Prescott in the NFL MVP conversation moving forward. That’s how good he’s been.