Observations: Cowboys 17, Eagles 3

Here’s what we saw during today’s Eagles-Cowboys game.

OFFENSE

* Nick Foles played one of his worst games as a pro, completing 11 of 29 passes (37.9 percent) for 80 yards (2.8 YPA). He got crushed by two Cowboys defenders and left the game early in the fourth quarter with a head injury.

* Foles missed open receivers all game long as the only points the Eagles scored came courtesy of great field position after a DeMeco Ryans interception. They were going up against an average Cowboys defense that was playing without DeMarcus Ware. The Eagles’ best chance at scoring a touchdown came in the second half, but Foles missed a wide-open Jason Avant. In the first half, he had Brent Celek open on a corner route that could have been a big gainer, but overthrew him.

* The Eagles didn’t get much from their running game either. LeSean McCoy carried 18 times for 55 yards (3.1 YPC).

* Riley Cooper was the team’s leading receiver with six catches for 88 yards. DeSean Jackson had a frustrating day with three catches for 21 yards on eight targets. The Cowboys played a lot of man coverage with a single high safety, but the Eagles couldn’t take advantage. Early on, they tried to create mismatches with their running backs against Dallas’ defenders, but didn’t have much luck. McCoy finished with six catches for 26 yards. Jeff Maehl had a pair of drops.

* The offensive line seemed to be up and down. There were times when they gave up pressure, specifically on the interior, but there were plenty of other instances where Foles had time to find receivers and failed to pull the trigger.

* Matt Barkley entered the game in the fourth quarter and went 11-for-20 for 129 yards and three interceptions. Next week’s starter is up in the air as Michael Vick continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

DEFENSE

* The defense turned in perhaps its best performance of the season. Going up against a high-powered offense, the Eagles limited the Cowboys to three points in the first half and 17 overall. They pressured Tony Romo a fair amount and kept the Eagles in the game, even as the offense sputtered.

* Overall, Romo went 28-for-47 for 317 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Earl Wolff picked Romo off on a Hail Mary at the end of the first half. DeMeco Ryans had a third-quarter INT.

* The Eagles got good pressure on Romo. Ryans sacked him on a blitz up the middle in the first quarter. And Vinny Curry sacked Romo in the second. Curry seemed to get a bump in playing time with the Eagles often in their nickel package.

* The Eagles limited the Cowboys to 76 yards on the ground and 3.2 YPC.

* Dez Bryant had eight catches for 110 yards on 16 targets. He had a big 19-yard grab in the third to set up the Cowboys’ first touchdown. Trent Cole was initially lined up against Bryant on the play, but then appeared to have passed him off as the defense was playing zone. Bryant only had two grabs for 34 yards on seven targets in the first half.

* Terrance Williams beat Bradley Fletcher for a 9-yard slant for a touchdown in the fourth.

* Wolff suffered a head injury on a collision with Bryant in the second half and left the game. He did not return.

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
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