The Cowboys Are Done After Prescott Injury, Hurts' Heroics Lead Eagles to Rout

The Dallas Cowboys figured to be in trouble without starting quarterback Dak Prescott, who missed Sunday's matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles

The Dallas Cowboys were expected to struggle without starting quarterback Dak Prescott, who missed Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles -- and likely the rest of the 2024 NFL season -- with a hamstring injury. But even they couldn't have anticipated the level of difficulty they encountered on their own turf to conclude Week 10's afternoon slate, as their offense committed five turnovers and failed to score a single touchdown in a 34-6 shellacking at the hands of their chief NFC East rivals.

Fill-in quarterback Cooper Rush managed only 45 passing yards on 23 attempts against Vic Fangio's unit, which also shut down star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Eventually, Dallas pulled Prescott's top backup in favor of third-stringer Trey Lance early in the fourth quarter. By that point, Eagles star Jalen Hurts was on his way out of the game to rest, having put the visiting squad up 31-6. Hurts had an uneven start to the game, throwing an end-zone pick and losing the ball on a Micah Parsons sack, but rebounded with four total scores, including a pair of rushing touchdowns.

The Eagles improve to 7-2, now winners of five straight, thanks to Sunday's matchup. The Cowboys, meanwhile, fall to 3-6 on the season after suffering their worst loss to the Eagles since 2017.

Here are some takeaways from Sunday's game:

Play of the game

The Cowboys pass rush got home early on Sunday, but Jalen Hurts' sidestep to avoid the blitz and find Dallas Goedert just ahead of halftime was a critical step for the Eagles offense:

The Cowboys are done

Most could've declared this before Sunday's game, with Prescott likely out for the season and McCarthy's offense already struggling to meet expectations. But such an atrocious blowout loss to a division rival all but confirms it: Dallas has little hope for the remainder of the 2024 campaign. Neither Rush nor Lance inspired any confidence under center, and Mike Zimmer's "D," while fast out of the gate, simply could not keep up. In a division that also includes the Washington Commanders, the Cowboys may be playing out their schedule with 2025 draft positioning in mind.

The Eagles defense is underrated

Fangio drew some criticism earlier this season for failing to elevate Philly's "D" against legitimate opponents, and just generally lacking any meaningful pass rush. His group has surrendered fewer than 20 points in five of the last six games, however, and the Cowboys never threatened to break away offensively on Sunday night. Even Bryce Huff, who had registered little impact off the edge despite a pricey offseason deal, got in on the action against Dallas' front, and every level of the unit got hands on the football.

Don't count out Nick Sirianni just yet

Remember a few weeks ago, when even Eagles fans were calling for Sirianni to be back on the hot seat? The head coach avoided any notable in-game blunders this time around, and it's once again becoming hard to question his shepherding of playoff-caliber talent. This win means he's now enjoyed three straight seasons with at least a 7-2 start, while ensuring all the Eagles' highly paid playmakers have their turns with the ball. If the Birds can come up big in Week 11 against their other rivals, he'll have this group firmly back in the conversation for another run at a conference title.

What's next

The Eagles (7-2) will return home on a short week to host the rival Commanders, who fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. That matchup could help determine the shape of the NFC East race. The Cowboys (3-6) will stay at AT&T Stadium in Week 11 for a Monday night matchup with the Houston Texans.