Cowboys Winners & Losers: Inside The Recipe for Rivalry Rout Of Eagles

The Dallas Cowboys made sure to stop the two-game skid of losses deriving from poor offense as they throttled the aching Philadelphia Eagles 38-21 in the Monday Night Football showcase at Lincoln Financial Field.

The rivalry win keeps Dallas (3-4) within striking distance in the struggling yet competitive NFC East division, and also marks the first win in primetime for "America's Team".

The Cowboys, now 1-3 in standalone games, will next play in front of a national audience when it faces these same Eagles in Arlington as the Thanksgiving spread is being moved from stove top to dining table.

Although Philadelphia's (2-5) five-game losing streak is indicative of the poor luck in the health department, this performance from Dallas was among the best of the season and likely would have presented a challenge to anyone.

It's time to dive into the standout showings from the end of Week 7.

The Cowboys had fallen under scrutiny over the last two weeks for peculiar offensive balance and lack of steady yards on the ground.

Javonte Williams was quick to remind everyone that he remains a vital piece of this star-studded Dallas offense. The running back surged to a career-high 155 yards on a nearly inhuman 8.9 yards per rush. His lone touchdown rush calmly sealed the fourth quarter and an 18-7 scoring advantage in the second half for the Cowboys.

Williams' breakout is his fifth-career game with more than 100 yards on the ground, and its the first game where a Cowboy has surpassed 150 rushing yards since Ezekiel Elliott did so back in 2018.

As Troy Aikman said about Dallas' offense beginning with establishing the run:

This is how the Cowboys are supposed to operate.

The offensive line paved the way for Williams' rushes and also protected Dak Prescott beautifully. The Eagles did not record a sack or a QB hit, which was seen in the frustration boiled over for Philly's star tackle Jalen Carter, who smacked Cowboys tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford.

It wasn't the vulgarity of last season's Week 1 spat on Prescott before the first snap (this outburst didn't even draw a flag!), but it was enough to explain the type of night it was for the Eagles trying to defend Williams & Co.

It wouldn't have been a crazy prediction if you predicted the Eagles' star running back would return from injury and appear to be in full form against a much-maligned Cowboys defense.

Except, Saquon Barkley was held to 33 yards on six carries outside of his 29-yard burst on the second play of the game. But he played just 10 snaps.

Barkley was subbed in and out each time a play was called for him. Philadelphia was sure not to exhaust their star ball-carrier when Nick Sirianni wasn't calling his number, so the hamstring injury that held Barkley out for the past two weeks was clearly still an issue.

The Eagles would get a touchdown rush out of Barkley to end their long first possession, but no other offensive sequence moved with as much pace. Barkley was also listed with a back injury midway through the game, suggesting even more trouble likely plaguing Philadelphia's availability moving forward.

The Cowboys found more success in returning a starter from injury.

Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown was back after missing five games with a hamstring strain of his own, and his diving fourth-quarter interception was one of the finest plays you'll see from a middle linebacker this season. The game's lone turnover essentially put the game on ice for the visitors.

Overshown was productive elsewhere too in his return (team-high six tackles, one TFL, two passes defensed), sparking an impressive defensive night overall for Dallas (in comparison to the median standard we've seen).

Obviously, things still could've been cleaner on that side of the ball.

Teams often choreograph a handful of offensive plays in the days leading up to kickoff. The Cowboys in Week 7 were no exception, such as when pass plays were called despite the run game moving well early on.

Defensively, there must be some sort of "last-second reminder" similar to this pregame agenda. Philadelphia and backup quarterback Tanner McKee were grooving in the first few series of the game.

Much of that progress was due Dallas' lack of discipline. Several pre-snap penalties on the Cowboys, many of which resulted in first downs for Philadelphia, allowed the short-handed rivals - playing without QB Jalen Hurts, receiver DeVonta Smith and barely any of Barkley - to put up back-to-back touchdown drives.

The in-game decisions could also use fine-tuning, which we've come to see in each game. A holding on special teams brought back a long touchdown return, and Schottenheimer's odd end-of-half management nearly flipped momentum going into the locker room.

No performance is ever perfect, but you wonder how many preventable mistakes could've been handled.

READ MORE: CeeDee Lamb Reveals How Coach Brian Schottenheimer is Handling Criticism

The Cowboys' dangerous run game and sturdy offensive line gave Prescott a clean pocket to target his star wide receivers, who were a topic of conversation this week for their hustle and coach Brian Schottenheimer's slow introduction of the offense.

CeeDee Lamb had five catches for 74 yards and a pair of touchdowns while George Pickens wound up with 57 yards on four receptions, one of which was his second touchdown of the season.

Even Ryan Flournoy made an impact with 70 yards on four grabs. Williams' 25 carries (and 38 in total for Dallas) outweighed Prescott's 27 pass attempts, but his pass-catchers were there when needed.