Javonte Williams ran for a career-high 155 yards and Dak Prescott threw three touchdowns as Dallas beat Philadelphia 38-21 on Monday Night Football.
Dallas needed this one. The Cowboys beat the Eagles 38-21 on Monday night in Philadelphia, riding a run game that finally showed up and a quarterback who looked like himself again, according to the team's own game recap.
How Dallas won it on the ground
Javonte Williams carried 25 times for a career-high 155 yards. Cowboys.com, citing ESPN, says that is the most by a Dallas running back since Ezekiel Elliott ran for 159 against Tampa Bay in December 2016. As a team, the Cowboys rushed 38 times for 204 yards, or 5.4 a carry, well above their 3.7 season average.
Dak Prescott was sharp too. After a pair of rough outings, he threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, a 118.1 rating. He also passed Tony Romo for the most multi-touchdown games in franchise history, with 80. Dallas scored on seven of its nine possessions and piled up a season-best 416 yards.
A messy first half, then a decisive third quarter
The Cowboys led 10-7 after one quarter on a 55-yard Brandon Aubrey field goal and a 9-yard Prescott touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb. Saquon Barkley, back after missing two games with a hamstring strain, gained 49 of Philadelphia's 75 yards on the opening drive and scored.
Then the penalties piled up. An offside call on fourth-and-1 and a roughing-the-passer flag kept an Eagles drive alive, and a holding call wiped out a 91-yard kickoff-return touchdown by Tyler Goodson. Prescott answered with a 21-yard touchdown to George Pickens, who made a fingertip catch in the corner, and Aubrey's 27-yard field goal made it 20-14 at the half.
Tanner McKee's 4-yard touchdown pass to Makai Lemon put Philadelphia ahead 21-20 in the third quarter. It was the Eagles' last score. Dallas went 61 yards in nine plays, Prescott hit Lamb from 16 yards out, and he sneaked in the two-point conversion for a 28-21 lead.
Aubrey added a 24-yard field goal. With the Eagles stopped on fourth-and-9 and under five minutes left, the Cowboys handed off to Williams six times in a row, and he finished the drive with a 2-yard touchdown.
Defense returns, Eagles slide
Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and cornerback Cobie Durant both came back from hamstring injuries. Overshown tied for the team lead with six tackles and added a tackle for loss, two passes defensed and an interception. McKee finished 23 of 35 for 211 yards, one touchdown and one interception, according to ESPN, which also reports that Jalen Hurts is expected to miss the rest of the season because of blood clots in his lungs.
The Eagles are 2-5, and the Northeast Times says the loss was their fifth in a row, their longest streak since 2016. The Giants lead the NFC East at 4-2-1.
What it means for Dallas
This is our read, not the team's. The Cowboys are 3-4 and second in the NFC East, and one big night does not erase a stretch that had CBS Sports asking last week why the offense "suddenly looks broken." The penalties are the other thing to watch. Dallas kept handing Philadelphia free yards, and a better opponent will punish that.
The next test comes Sunday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m. ET against the Cardinals, followed by a trip to Indianapolis on Nov. 8 and a home game against the 49ers on Nov. 15, according to NFL.com.
Picture credit: Dallas Cowboys
