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Dak Prescott accounted for all three touchdowns and made the big throws en route to the game-winning field goal as the Dallas Cowboys erased a 21-point deficit to beat the defending champion and NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles.
The star quarterback knew where to start when trying to explain the improbable rally that kept Dallas (5-5-1) in the playoff conversation a short week before Thursday’s Thanksgiving matchup with Kansas City (6-5), last season’s other Super Bowl team.
“Defense, defense, defense, defense,” Prescott said after breaking Tony Romo’s club record for passing yards in Sunday’s 24-21 win over the Eagles. “We wouldn’t have won this game without the opportunities they gave us time and time again.”
Imagine Prescott saying that a month ago after the Cowboys let a middle-of-the-pack Denver offense score six touchdowns in seven complete possessions in the Broncos’ 44-22 win and finished this week ranked dead last at 32nd in pass defense and 31st in pass defense and total defense.
Of course, something significant has changed since then. The Cowboys used one of two first-round picks acquired in the trade that sent star player Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers a week before the season to obtain standout defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets at the trade deadline.
Dallas is 2-0 with Williams, starting with last week’s 33-16 win over Las Vegas in which the Cowboys posted a season-high allowing just 236 yards and holding the Raiders to a 25 percent conversion rate on third down. Dallas still has the worst third down defense in the league.
The Cowboys followed by shutting out the Eagles over the final 41 minutes.
“We’re hitting our stride and everything is coming together,” Williams said. “I can’t go out there and do everything by myself. Nobody can. I just think we all think together and execute together.”
Odighizuwa got Jalen Hurts’ third sack, which gave the Cowboys a chance to drive to Brandon Aubrey’s game-ending field goal after Prescott and company failed to take advantage of two Eagles fumbles in the fourth quarter. The fifth-year player who was drafted by the Cowboys will say he has more room to move around with Williams.
“The offense has continued all year,” Odighizuwa said. “So we know by making some stops, getting them the ball back, giving them as many chances as possible to score, they’re going to get the job done. To be able to do that and have a follow-up win like this, especially in a comeback like this, I feel like it just speaks to our style of play and our character. We’re going to fight, scratch, claw, every play, until it’s over.”
What works
The connection between Prescott and George Pickens is something to behold after the receiver was added in an offseason trade with Pittsburgh. Pickens’ spectacular 43-yard catch set up Prescott’s 8-yard game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Eagles. Pickens has tied his career high of nine catches three times and already has a career high of 67 catches this season. His 1,054 receiving yards are 86 shy of his best, and he’s on pace for over 1,700.
What needs help
Pickens’ sidekick CeeDee Lamb needs a confidence boost after drops plagued him against the Eagles, just as they did in the NFL’s season opener, a 24-20 win at Philadelphia that could have been a Dallas victory had Lamb hung on to one of three crucial drops. Lamb made a big catch on the drive that gave the Cowboys a touchdown, but the drops are bad when Pickens continues to make crazy catches.
Store
TE Brevyn Spann-Ford fumbled coming out of a timeout on a route into the end zone with Prescott watching him the whole time, hoping he wouldn’t fall. Spann-Ford stayed upright and finished with his first career touchdown on a 4-yard catch.
Stock falling
Receiver and kick returner KaVontae Turpin lost a fumble after taking a handoff out of the backfield and was penalized when he half-heartedly signaled a fair catch on a punt and ran anyway. The penalty cost Dallas field position on the final drive, but the Cowboys overcame it.
While Turpin is fourth among qualifying kickoff returners a year after being named All-Pro, he is nowhere to be found on the punt returner list. Without value in these areas, ball security could threaten little Turpin’s job security.
Injuries
The biggest concern was Williams staying down after a play and saying after the game that Saquon Barkley was shot in the ribs on a rushed pass. Williams, however, returned. … LT Tyler Guyton injured his ankle and was replaced by Nate Thomas for nearly half the game.
Key number
34,378 — Prescott’s career yards after breaking Romo’s previous record of 34,183. The next big number is TD passes. Prescott would need to average two TDs per game the rest of this season to beat Romo’s mark of 247. He has 236.
Next steps
The first winning streak of the season gives Dallas a chance against the Chiefs to surpass .500 for the first time. The Cowboys are 0-3 when playing for a winning record this season.
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