The Dallas Game was the Most Important Game of the Season Because…
By: Mike Chisdock
The satisfying 37-9 beatdown of the Dallas Cowboys we saw Sunday night was the most important game of the season so far for a variety of reasons. Most importantly, this game showed the Eagle’s resiliency when they are faced with adversity. Every good Super Bowl team and even playoff team has THAT game. A game where nothing clicks, they look totally out of sync, and despite clearly being an inferior team, they let the opponent hang around for a potential upset. So, down 9-7 at halftime, the Eagles were faced with two choices: slip up and fall back in the pack, or fight through like mentally tough contenders do. 30 unanswered points later, I think we got our answer.
After a picture-perfect opening drive, things absolutely fell apart. The Cowboys were playing stout defense, as well as controlling the ball on offense. Once the second half began, the Eagles team we believed was a Super Bowl contender took over. All the pieces came together like a puzzle forming one organized unit with no weak links. For instance, we finally got to see how Ronald Darby can elevate the secondary to a top tier unit. After his performance on Sunday in coverage as well as making key tackles, the secondary we believed to be that weak link now compliments our front 7 full of savages. This defense is easily one of the best in the NFL and if I had a dollar for every time I heard “defense wins championships”, I’d make JJ Redick’s contract look like chunk change.
Watching that game also illustrated how frustrating the running back depth can be for opposing defenses. Jay Ajayi and his not so breakaway speed has shown flashes of being the best three-down back on the team. He hasn’t even needed to be thanks to the emergence of the touchdown machine Corey Clement(where di d that come from?!), then the consistent Legarette Blount and finally, Kenjon Barner who made a fantastic tip-toe catch and scored a touchdown last night.
It was also an important win because we got to see the difference between a pretty good quarterback and a Super Bowl good quarterback. That first drive Carson was money in the freaking bank. Then, wow was it was rough for the remainder of the first half. But, in the face of adversity, he showed what makes Carson, Carson. He came out in the second half on fire and made every throw you could ask him to make. Just watching him at the line of scrimmage he doesn’t seem anything like a second-year quarterback, he is clearly in command of that entire offense. If I had to compare it to something it would be like watching Ben Simmons play point guard, and hey we get to do that too! Watching Wentz go head to head against Dak last night, both down key pieces, shows the difference between the two quarterbacks. Listen, Dak is absolutely a franchise quarterback but there is a noticeable difference between the two. Prescott is a very good quarterback whereas Wentz seems to be on the path of elite talent. I really look forward to those two battling it out for the NFC East crown over the next 10 years because we know it won’t always be an outcome of 37-9, and I know who I want when it’s a field goal difference instead.
Okay yes, obviously being shipped out to the west coast back to back weeks in Seattle and in Los Angeles will show us the true testament of how good this Eagles team really is, but last night should give you great confidence for those challenging road games. In a rivalry game where they were being held down, they bounced back, and they showed a killer instinct. They stepped on the throat then they slit it. That’s not what divisional round good teams do; it’s what Super Bowl good teams do. Be excited, be cocky, make fun of your friends who like Dallas, there aren’t many seasons when a team opens 9-1 and even fewer in Philly. This season feels different, it feels special and you should enjoy every second of it.