Cowboys vs. Eagles: 8 Things We Learned about Dallas in 34-7 Loss

The Dallas Cowboys ran into a green and white buzzsaw on Sunday night and it seemed to be just fine with them. At the end of the third quarter Dallas was down 27-0 and quarterback Tony Romo was seven for fifteen with 56 yards passing.

It was that kind of night for the Dallas Cowboys. They lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 34-7 on Sunday night.

Linebacker Sean Lee sprained his wrist in the first half, cornerback Mike Jenkins tweaked his hamstring, punter Matt McBriar re-aggravated his foot injury and the rest of the team may as well show up on the injury report as the team turned in a lethargic effort.

Dallas was thoroughly out played and out coached in a game that saw Michael Vick and "Shady" McCoy combine for over 500 total yards. As for Dallas, Romo did throw a touchdown, rookie running back DeMarco Murray had almost 100 rushing yards on only eight carries, and Laurent Robinson was the team's top receiver.

But while Dallas was taken to the woodshed I don't think that fans should be disenchanted by the team's painstakingly awful loss. The Eagles needed to win this game or they would have fallen to 2-5 on the season. All playoff hopes for Philly would have been washed and Andy Reid's seat would have been warmer than a pair of Wade Phillips trousers.

It's a game to remember for Dallas because of the beat down but it may also be a key contest in their quest to make it to the Super Bowl. That's a bit of stretch, yes, but it's not so far fetched to dismiss it as Andy Rooney crazy.

The Cowboys have the Seahawks, Bills and Redskins coming up in a stretch of games that are very winnable and needed.

Yes, they were taken apart by the Eagles but I can also argue that Dallas never truly came to play in the first place.

DeMarcus Ware Is the Best Defensive Player in the League

Before we get into the logistics of the game I must acknowledge Mr. DeMarcus Ware. I remember after he left Dallas, Emmitt Smith felt as if he were a diamond surrounded by a bunch of trash. A little harsh, yes, but it wasn't far from the truth.

At any rate, Ware played that way tonight—like he was a diamond surrounded by a bunch of trash because before the final whistle blew Ware was responsible for four sacks on Michael Vick. As well as Vick played on the night, he was never outside of Ware's view.

Ware is still a half sack behind league leader Jared Allen as he has 12 but Ware doesn't get his due. He's the best defensive guy in the league.

Jason Garrett’s Playcalling

Ok, here we go. Garrett's play-calling and lack of use of his skill players was putrid tonight. Dallas got behind early due to the defense's inability to stop the Eagles but Garrett shares the blame in this blowout as well.

The Cowboys left their spirits on the bus it seems but I guess Garrett decided to sit this one out as well. He only called nine running plays and Dallas was consistently on the field for three plays and out.

Tony Romo was inefficient and largely ineffective as he completed 51 percent of his passes but Dez Bryant didn't get involved in the game until it was well out of hand and Miles Austin only had three total catches.

Receiver Laurent Robinson had over 100 yards receiving on five catches and while Jason Witten had four catches they only went for 28 yards.

Garrett has always come under fire for his questionable play-calling strategy but against the Eagles he seemed out of touched and ill-prepared.

Dallas Has Injury Concerns…Again

Linebacker Sean Lee, punter Mat McBriar, cornerback Mike Jenkins, linebacker DeMarcus Ware and defensive lineman Jay Ratliff were all injured on Sunday night. Lee has a sprained wrist and Mike Jenkins just seems eternally injured. But what should concern most about the Cowboys recent rash of injuries is their inability to find players capable of stepping up and making a significant impact.

Jones went down and Tashard Choice failed to replace him so he was cut. If Jason Witten is injured then Dallas may be forced to start Martellus Bennett and he's probably further in the doghouse with Garrett than Choice.

Dallas needs to get healthy fast but with games coming up against the Seahawks and Redskins they should come out of the next weeks in decent shape.

Martellus Bennett Is on the Way out in Dallas

Bennett has never truly been a fan favorite. Yes he can be entertaining on twitter and some of his Youtube videos keep him in the news but overall his fashion and music choices seem to keep fans engrossed with him rather than his play on the field.

Early in Sunday night's game with the Eagles Romo found Bennett streaking down the sideline and placed the ball right in his bread basket. But Bennett juggled and batted the ball right into Eagle's cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha's hands for a Cowboys turnover.

After the play he seemed to indicate that he lost the ball in the lights but due to his lowly track record of play that excuse just won't fly.

Bennett is on the way out in Dallas as his contract expires after the season. Well, that's if he isn't cut before we reach that point.

DeMarco Murray Is Ready for Primetime

I have a rule that players shouldn't be anointed as good or great until there is a complete body of work to judge them on. Right now Murray has 327 rushing yards in two games but they both came against bad rush defenses.

The Rams have the league's worst rushing defense and Philly isn't much better as they rank 24th coming into Sunday's game. That's no knock against Murray as players can't help what teams they play against and for a rookie that's a pretty darn good haul.

We'll get to see more of Murray in the coming weeks as Dallas has Seattle, Buffalo and Washington. All three teams represent Murray to increase his favor with fans and coaches if he continues to play well.

Dallas Still Has a Great Shot to Win NFC East

I know that it was a bad loss and I know that Dallas was out gained and out played but I didn't feel as if the Cowboys left the Linc feeling dejected.

The Cowboys have a great chance to win the division and make the playoffs due to their schedule. The Eagles have the Bears, Cardinals and Giants in the next three weeks and could very well lose two of their next three.

Dallas will face Philly again on Christmas Eve and that game may be for both team's playoff lives.

Cowboys Defense Still Has Work to Do

Vick and McCoy combined for 529 total yards. McCoy averaged a healthy six yards per carry and Vick completed 21 of 29 passes.

It was a day to forget for Ware and the crew as the holes McCoy had to run through were Greyhound bus sized and Dallas' linebackers had no shot of covering Eagles tight end Brent Celek. Once Sean Lee went out with a wrist injury Dallas was forced to rely on Keith Brooking and Bradie James in pass coverage.

It was a matchup made in heaven for Vick and Celek and they both took full advantage of it.

Rob Ryan's infamous "all-hype" team comment seemed to reflect well on his own group of players instead of the ones he talked about in the offseason.

Cowboys Fans Have a Tendency to Overreact

In defense of Cowboys fans it's easy to see why so many of them did overact on Sunday. Dallas lost 34-7 in primetime after so many picked them to beat the Eagles.

But on twitter Sunday night I saw a plethora of fans call for Romo to be replaced and for Garrett to be fired.

C’mon Son.

Last year so many fans thought that Garrett was the right man for the job because he led Dallas to a 5-3 record during the second half of the season after being named interim head coach and now he needs to be fired?

C’mon Son.

Tony Romo attempted to execute the plays that were called but he didn’t play defense. He didn’t line up to cover Celek or Maclin and he for sure didn’t put his hands in the ground to go after Vick on a third down.

I know this loss hurts but there is no need to panic. If that doesn’t help then let the soothing sounds of Sounds of Blackness calm your nerves.