Eagles vs. Cowboys: Full Report Card Grades for Philadelphia

Thursday's performance against the Dallas Cowboys was just what the Philadelphia Eagles needed to solidify themselves as a legitimate playoff contender in the NFC. The Eagles rolled up 464 yards of offense, scoring on seven different possessions en route to a 33-10 win. It keeps Philly’s Thanksgiving record at an unblemished 6-0.

"

Last 8 quarters of Thanksgiving football for Eagles: 81-30.

— PhillyDraft (@Randyljobst) November 28, 2014"

The Eagles beat down the Cowboys in every way possible. They stifled Tony Romo and DeMarco Murray, besting an offensive line that’s been called the best unit in the game. The offense moved the ball with ease, and special teams were once again a huge factor.

"

The NFC East goes through Philly. #Eagles dominate the #Cowboys, 33-10, and move to 9-3, one game ahead of 8-4 Dallas.

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) November 28, 2014"

Given all the adversity the Eagles have faced this season, it was a fun game to watch, and it solidifies the Eagles as a legitimate contender.

"

Eagles clinched a winning record for the second straight year despite using two quarterbacks, major injuries and a first-place schedule.

— Bryn Swartz (@eaglescentral) November 28, 2014"

Next week’s game will be an equally tough matchup, with Philadelphia set to host the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in a contest that will have huge playoff implications for both teams. For now, here are full grades for the Eagles’ dominating 33-10 win over the rival Cowboys.

Quarterback

USA TODAY Sports

That quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles...he can’t possibly be the infamous buttfumble guy, can he? Two years after etching his name into NFL lore with one of the more forgettable plays you’ll ever see, Mark Sanchez played a near-flawless game for the NFC East's first-place Eagles.

"

Sanchez on the two-year anniversary of the Butt Fumble game: "The gameplan was to not do that again."

— Reuben Frank (@RoobCSN) November 28, 2014"

Sanchez completed 20 of his 29 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown. He ran five times for 29 yards and a touchdown. His 102.2 passer rating was the second-best mark of his career. He led the Eagles on touchdowns on each of their first two drives and points on each of their first three drives.

"

Mark Sanchez: 3-1 record as starter. Offense averaging 30.2 PPG under him. That's a 481-point a year pace. The Chip Kelly effect. #Eagles

— Bryn Swartz (@eaglescentral) November 28, 2014"

Sanchez’s most impressive aspect Thursday was his mobility. He scrambled for a key third down. He ran for a touchdown on what initially looked to be a handoff to LeSean McCoy. He also averted a sack by sidestepping to his left and forcing a roughing-the-passer penalty.

"

Mark Sanchez getting significantly more adept at handling zone read option run plays. Adds another element to #Eagles offense.

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) November 28, 2014"

Sanchez played a turnover-free game too, which was much-needed for the Eagles. He threw 29 passes without an interception, and while he was strip-sacked, the ball was recovered by Philadelphia. In all, this was the kind of game the team will need from Sanchez should it expect to advance deep into the postseason.

Grade: A

Running Backs

USA TODAY Sports

It was a tremendous all-around performance from LeSean McCoy, who has quietly put together a strong string of games this season. McCoy rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, setting season bests for both carries and rushing yards. It’s the third-highest single-game rushing total of his career.

"

Big game for @CutonDime25 rushing for 159 yards w his offensive line winning NBC Turkey Gobbler Award pic.twitter.com/mYj3oYWW0Q

— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) November 28, 2014"

His touchdown was a 38-yard scamper up the middle. McCoy ran hard, he hit the hole fast and he historically has seemed to save his finest performances for the Dallas Cowboys.

"

LeSean McCoy and Walter Payton are now the only players in history with four career rushing games of 130 or more yards against the Cowboys.

— Reuben Frank (@RoobCSN) November 28, 2014"

For the day, McCoy outplayed the NFL’s leading rusher in DeMarco Murray, and he did so by a significant margin.

"

DeMarco Murray: 20 rushes for 73 yards LeSean McCoy: 25 rushes for 159 yards Dallas loves hype, Eagles love results.

— Matthew Chastain (@EaglesScoutBlog) November 28, 2014"

It now makes McCoy one of the more successful runners in Eagles history. He did lose a fumble in the red zone, but fortunately, it had no effect on the game’s outcome.

He’s creeping up on Wilbert Montgomery’s franchise record for career rushing yards, and he added another 1,000-yard season to his resume.

"

LeSean McCoy is the ONLY Eagles RB to EVER have 4 - 1,000-yard rushing seasons #6abcEagles pic.twitter.com/cy1XraME9b

— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) November 28, 2014"

Backup Darren Sproles had his typical day—limited touches and fantastic results. Sproles carried the ball once, converting a 3rd-and-2 by scampering 13 yards around left end. That raises his season average to 6.56 yards per carry, best in the NFL among running backs (minimum 40 attempts). Sproles also caught three passes for 19 yards.

Third-year back Chris Polk has cemented himself as a solid change-of-pace runner; he plays extremely hard and turned in a good performance. Polk carried the football 11 times for 49 yards, tying his second-best single-game total.

As a team, the Eagles carried the football 43 times for 258 yards (two kneel-downs lower those rushing totals to 45 for 256). That’s the second-best total Philadelphia has ever put up against Dallas. After rushing for over 250 yards four times under Andy Reid (in 224 games), the Eagles have now done it five times under Chip Kelly (in just 28 games).

Grade: A+

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

USA TODAY Sports

It was a fun matchup for Jeremy Maclin, who took advantage of $50 million cornerback Brandon Carr to catch eight passes for 108 yards, including a 59-yarder down the sideline. It gives Maclin his first 1,000-yard season of his six-year career.

"

Jeremy Maclin has his 1st career 1,000-yd receiving season -- 1st Eagle not named DeSean Jackson w/ 1,000 Rec yds since 2007 (Kevin Curtis).

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 27, 2014"

Maclin’s 59-yarder puts him in special company for the season.

"

After his 59 yard catch, Jeremy Maclin now leads the NFL with 6 receptions of 50-plus yards this season.

— Brett Strohsacker (@BStrohEagles) November 27, 2014"

Rookie second-round receiver Jordan Matthews continued his strong season, catching four passes for 51 yards and a 27-yard touchdown.

"

Jordan Matthews now has 5 Rec TD in 5 games from Mark Sanchez. He had 2 Rec TD in his first 7 games this season with Nick Foles.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 27, 2014"

Riley Cooper had four catches for 32 yards and put up a nice block on Maclin’s 58-yarder downfield. Fourth receiver Josh Huff had no catches but turned his first-ever NFL carry into a seven-yard gain.

The surprise of the day was the general no-show from the tight ends; Brent Celek had just one catch for seven yards, and Zach Ertz—remarkably—had zero catches.

Grade: B-

Offensive Line

USA TODAY Sports

It’s difficult to look at stats for offensive linemen, so let’s look at the team numbers. The Philadelphia Eagles scored 33 points. They rushed for 256 yards, and they accumulated 464 total yards.

Since 2013, that scenario has occurred four times. The Eagles have now done it three times. The rest of the NFL has combined to do it once.

"

Chip: Best OL has played this year.

— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) November 28, 2014"

Mark Sanchez was sacked just once. He was hit just one other time. He had plenty of time to throw.

Right guard Andrew Gardner, filling in for a benched Matt Tobin (who was playing for an injured Todd Herremans), played a tremendous game. He recovered Sanchez’s fumble on the sack and threw a key block on LeSean McCoy’s touchdown run.

Jason Peters was his typical dominant self and even lined up out wide as a receiver on one play (although he wasn’t targeted).

"

Eagles healthy offensive line making a big difference. Sanchez avoiding mistakes. Romo not attacking the corners. Recipe for Eagles W.

— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) November 27, 2014"

In all, it was a road-grinding performance by a unit that may be the best in the game.

Grade: A+

Defensive Line

USA TODAY Sports

This put arguably the NFL’s best offensive line (Dallas) against a Philadelphia Eagles defensive line that, to be honest, didn’t really think Dallas was all that good.

"

"I don't think there's anything special or spectacular about them." Bennie Logan tired of hearing about Dallas O-Line http://t.co/rYwIl3puU4

— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) November 24, 2014"

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones didn’t take too kindly to Bennie Logan’s remarks, saying Logan would pay for his comments.

"

Jerry Jones on Bennie Logan saying Cowboys O-line is just OK: "He's gonna get his you know what knocked off."

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 27, 2014

"

Guess what, Jerry? The Eagles won this matchup handily.

In the midst of potentially a 2,000-yard season, DeMarco Murray was held to just 73 yards on 20 carries, a paltry 3.7 yards-per-carry average. That was Murray’s lowest single-game rushing total of the year. It was also the first time Murray was held to less than 4.0 yards per carry.

Murray did score a touchdown, but it was on just a one-yard rush. In all, it was a stifling performance from the Eagles defensive line.

Fletcher Cox stole the show. Cox recorded four tackles, a sack, a quarterback hit and two tackles for a loss.

"

Fletcher Cox has been in Dallas' backfield all game. One of most disruptive D-linemen in NFL. Still only 23. Going to be a blue-chipper

"

"— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) November 27, 2014"

He beat rookie soon-to-be Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin for a key stuff of Joseph Randle on third down. He stuffed Murray near the goal line.

This is close to being labeled "The Fletcher Cox Game." He's been defense's best player all season. Dominant today.

Perhaps Cox felt he had something to prove, given the way the Cowboys talked all week.

"

Fletcher Cox said he felt disrespected entering this game, and he’s playing like it too.

— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) November 27, 2014

"

Pass-rushing specialist Vinny Curry had another sack and a quarterback hit. The line seemed to make Tony Romo uncomfortable in the pocket all day, and he clearly was not himself. Murray was just average, and the Cowboys had just 267 yards in all.

Grade: A

Linebackers

USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Eagles really beat down the Dallas Cowboys in every way possible, and the strength of this linebacking corps could determine just how far Philadelphia goes in the playoffs.

As mentioned, DeMarco Murray was held to just 73 rushing yards. Tony Romo was sacked four times—the linebackers had two of those, with Casey Matthews and Brandon Graham doing the damage. Dallas has a $100-plus million left tackle in Tyron Smith and two linemen who will likely make the Pro Bowl in Zack Martin and Travis Frederick. But it didn’t matter to the Eagles.

Connor Barwin blew up Murray near the goal line, nearly getting a safety, and he finished with four solo tackles, including two for a loss. Trent Cole had three tackles and a quarterback hit against Smith, per Philly.com's Jeff McLane.

Athletic inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks was all over the field, covering Murray early on a swing pass and then stopping him on a 4th-and-1 near midfield. Kendricks tied for the team lead with seven tackles, registering one for a loss. He was also in coverage on Jason Witten for a handful of plays; unbelievably, Witten finished the game with just one catch for eight yards (and he was only targeted twice).

It was one of the more complete performances you’ll see from a team, and the linebackers were pivotal in shutting down Murray and Witten.

Grade: A+

Secondary

USA TODAY Sports

Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher are easy targets for Philadelphia Eagles fans, but they both turned in outstanding performances against an offense that features a Pro Bowl quarterback and elite targets in both Dez Bryant and Jason Witten.

"

No complains about the secondary. They were terrific today. Let's give them their respect. #Eagles

— Bryn Swartz (@eaglescentral) November 28, 2014

"

Bryant was held to just one catch for 38 yards for the majority of the game; late catches in garbage time padded his final numbers to four receptions for 73 yards. Terrance Williams had just two for 38. Witten had just one catch, his worst numbers since a 1-of-7 line against the New York Giants in 2010.

Fletcher tied for the team lead with seven tackles and added two more passes defensed to an impressive season total of 20 (tops in the league, per Pro-Football-Reference.com). Williams recorded an interception against Romo. Nate Allen had two himself, although a Williams penalty did negate one of them.

"

Nate Allen with maybe the best game of his career. Two interceptions (one called back by penalty) and a fumble recovery. #Eagles

— Bryn Swartz (@eaglescentral) November 28, 2014

 

"

Allen also recovered a fumble forced by nickel cornerback Brandon Boykin.

"

 

"

Nate Allen has more touches than Jason Witten.

— Reuben Frank (@RoobCSN) November 28, 2014

 

"

"

In all, three turnovers by this defensive backfield is a stellar day.

After allowing 300-plus passing yards in each of the last three weeks, Romo threw for just 199. The Eagles also stopped a pretty impressive streak by Romo.

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

Tony Romo's TD streak is over -- he had a Pass TD in 38 straight starts, the 2nd-longest active streak in the league (Peyton Manning, 43).

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 28, 2014

"

"

"

"

"

"

"

Grade: A

Special Teams

USA TODAY Sports

It’s probably the best special teams unit in the NFL, and the Philadelphia Eagles continue to get outstanding performances from their players week in and week out.

Rookie kicker Cody Parkey converted all four of his field-goal attempts. He’s the first Eagles kicker since David Akers in 2010 to make four-plus field goals in consecutive games. He’s now at 93 percent for the season, and he’s threatening to etch his name into the NFL’s record books.

"

Parkey now 24-for-26 and 111 points. On pace to break franchise and NFL rookie scoring records.

— Reuben Frank (@RoobCSN) November 27, 2014 "

Punter Donnie Jones was called on twice. Both of his punts landed inside the Dallas 5-yard line. You can’t do your job much better than that.

Return man Darren Sproles ran back three punts for 32 total yards; he also had a 25-yarder called back by a Nolan Carroll penalty.

Grade: A