Eagles Overcome Carson Wentz's 4 Turnovers to Beat Ben DiNucci, Cowboys

Apparently, a winning streak is possible in the NFC East.

The Philadelphia Eagles won their second straight game and improved to 3-4-1 with a 23-9 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Sunday night's showdown at Lincoln Financial Field. The defense led the way in the first of two matchups between the rivals, helping the team maintain its position in first place in the division and survive four turnovers from Carson Wentz.

Things are slipping away for the 2-6 Cowboys, who started Ben DiNucci under center, failed to score a touchdown and lost their third game in a row.

Notable Player Stats

• Carson Wentz, QB, PHI: 15-of-27 for 123 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 2 fumbles lost
• Boston Scott, RB, PHI: 15 rushes for 70 yards
• Travis Fulgham, WR, PHI: 6 catches for 78 yards, 1 TD
• Ben DiNucci, QB, DAL: 21-of-40 for 180 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs, 2 fumbles lost
• Ezekiel Elliott, RB, DAL: 19 carries for 63 yards; 1 catch for 10 yards

Cowboys Offense Turns in Nightmare Performance

This was not how things were supposed to go for the Cowboys.

They entered the season with legitimate championship aspirations with Dak Prescott operating an offense that featured Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup. Instead, Prescott suffered a season-ending injury and backup Andy Dalton—who is an established veteran with three Pro Bowls on his resume—was sidelined by a concussion.

Enter DiNucci, who lost a fumble, failed to find the end zone and had a handful of near interceptions in the first half.

Dallas' coaching staff tried to help the rookie with creativity and mixed in direct snaps to Elliott, sweeps, a fake reverse and pre-snap motion, but it was Greg Zuerlein who provided the biggest boost with three field goals, including a 59-yarder to give the visitors the lead at intermission.

The Cowboys didn't even have that in the second half, as Zuerlein missed a field goal on one possession before DiNucci threw an incomplete pass on a fourth-down attempt on the other.

Despite all of that, DiNucci had an opportunity to win it with the ball down six with less than six minutes remaining. In fact, he led the offense to Philadelphia's 21-yard line before disaster struck and ended any chances at the upset.

DiNucci fumbled and the ball bounced around before it appeared as if an Eagles player recovered it on the ground. However, it was knocked loose again, and Rodney McLeod scooped it up and returned it for a touchdown.

While the officials may have missed the call, it was a fitting play for an ugly night from the Cowboys offense.

Eagles Survive Wentz's 4 Turnovers

If there were ever a game for the Eagles offense to light up the scoreboard, it was Sunday's.

After all, the Cowboys entered play last in the league in points per game (34.7) and rushing yards allowed per game (178.3). Seemingly every game has been an exercise in frustration for the unit, and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence even said the team has insufficient "backbone," per Jori Epstein of USA Today.

Wentz clearly didn't receive the memo.

The Eagles quarterback turned it over three times in the first half alone, one of which came on a Trevon Diggs interception in the end zone. He also lost a fumble on Philadelphia's first possession when he tried to keep a broken play alive and lost control of the ball, underscoring his tendency to force the issue even when nothing was available.

Not even a touchdown pass to Jalen Reagor could salvage an abysmal first half for Wentz in a performance that was all the more stunning considering just how poorly Dallas has played defensively all season.

Things didn't appear much better in the second half when Wentz threw yet another interception to Diggs, but he at least made up for it with a beautifully placed touchdown pass to Travis Fulgham to take the lead for good.

This is not a game Wentz or Philadelphia's offense will look back on fondly, and playing so badly against arguably the worst defense in the league will do nothing for their confidence. They can at least take solace in the victory, but it didn't come because of the offense.

What's Next?

The Cowboys host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9, while the Eagles head to their bye prior to a Week 10 game at the New York Giants.