The Philadelphia Eagles lost their fifth consecutive game as the Dallas Cowboys had their way in the City of Brotherly Love. While Philadelphia’s offense showed some fight, the Eagles defense had no chance as the Cowboys offense marched up and down the field on the way to a 38-21 victory. Here are my five takeaways from Philadelphia’s loss in Week 7.
Sean Mannion Saved His Job
The biggest question entering Monday night’s game was whether Eagles first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion could figure anything out on offense. The Eagles entered Week 7 with one of the worst offenses in the NFL and their issues went far beyond the team’s lengthy injury report. Mannion appeared unwilling to adjust and wasn’t putting his players in position to succeed at all.
Yet that wasn’t the case on Monday night, especially early on. Philadelphia’s offense scored a touchdown on three of their first five possessions of the game. Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley provided a much-needed spark, before exiting with a back injury. Mannion constantly created open pass catchers, although Eagles starting quarterback Tanner McKee was off target a bit too often. Regardless, the team’s offense showed enough promise to warrant Mannion sticking around as the play caller — for now.
Welcome to the NFL, Makai Lemon!
The Eagles entered Monday night’s game without star wide receiver DeVonta Smith and his running mate, Dontayvion Wicks. Therefore, many expected Eagles rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon to take a huge step forward against the Cowboys — and that’s exactly what he did. While many saw Lemon running wide open for several weeks on film, he finally saw his effort rewarded with a career night in Week 7.
Lemon hauled in seven of his eight targets for 67 yards and the first receiving touchdown of his NFL career. It was encouraging to see Lemon utilized all over the field as he showcased his reliability and toughness as a pass catcher. The 22-year-old was also willing to get involved as a run blocker, which showed up several times. Mannion and the Eagles will need to squeeze the most that they can out of Lemon moving forward, pun fully intended.
Tanner Meh-Kee
McKee and Philadelphia’s offense got off to a strong start against the Cowboys, scoring 21 points on the team’s first five possessions. The fourth-year quarterback appeared to be in command, as he made pre-snap reads and checks to move the ball. Yet it didn’t last long as the Eagles offense seemed to come to a screeching halt whenever Barkley wasn’t on the field and McKee couldn’t stay on target.
He threw behind several wide open pass catchers in the second half, which ruined any chance at yards after the catch. McKee also threw a pass intended for a wide-open Darius Cooper directly into the field. As the game went on, Dallas appeared to have a tell on McKee’s throws, which ultimately resulted in an impressive interception by Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. McKee will likely be the starting quarterback moving forward but it’s notable that Joe Milton was elevated to QB2 in Week 7.
Indefensible Defense
While Philadelphia’s offense has been missing several key starters for nearly the entire season, that hasn’t been the case for the defense. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is essentially working with a full deck and the cards got lit on fire by the Cowboys on Monday night. Dallas finished the game with 416 total yards of offense — on the way to scoring 38 points on the road in Philadelphia.
Prior to the game, Fangio said that the Cowboys wanted to be a more balanced offense, instead of relying so heavily on star quarterback Dak Prescott. That’s exactly what Dallas did in Week 7, as they were nearly perfectly balanced against the Eagles. The Cowboys had 212 passing yards and 204 rushing yards in Philadelphia on Monday night. The Eagles failed to register a single sack, quarterback hit or tackle for loss against the Cowboys.
Howie Roseman Screwed Up
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman deserves a ton of blame for the mess in Philadelphia right now. Roseman invested over $300 million and two third-round picks in the trio of Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Jonathan Greenard this past offseason. Those three players recorded six total tackles against the Cowboys on Monday night — combined. In fact, Greenard didn’t register a single statistic in Week 7.
But that’s not all! While Roseman threw all of that money at an underperforming defensive front, he let Nakobe Dean and Reed Blankenship walk in free agency. Instead of re-signing those two players, Roseman signed cornerback Riq Woolen to a one-year deal, worth up to $15 million. Fast forward to Week 7 and Woolen has already allowed more touchdowns and been called for more penalties than veteran cornerback Adoree’ Jackson (who is still a free agent) did last season. Yikes!