Eagles vs. Cowboys score, takeaways: Philly D dominates with five turnovers as Birds roll over NFC East rivals

Kenny Pickett is in at quarterback for the Eagles with 12 and a half minutes left. This one's in the bag.

Ferguson fumbles as Eagles get fourth takeaway

Trey Lance can't escape the Cowboys' turnover spree. He dumps one off to Jake Ferguson, who coughs up the ball right after getting hit by Zack Baun. Safety Reed Blankenship then scoops it up to give Philadelphia its fourth takeaway of the night. The Eagles are just embarrassing their rivals at this point.

Trey Lance takes over for Cowboys

The No. 3 signal-caller is back under center with 14:50 left in the game, and he promptly gets sacked by a combo of Brandon Graham and Jalen Carter. Looks as if he's staying in as the Cowboys' quarterback now.

Jake Elliott drills a 39-yard field goal, and the Eagles now lead it 31-6. It's been a quiet day for some of Philly's stars, including Saquon Barkley (66 rushing yards) and DeVonta Smith (14 yards), but Jalen Hurts has been sharp since starting slow with two turnovers, and Vic Fangio's defense has completely suffocated the Cooper Rush-led Cowboys passing "attack." Dallas has just eight first downs on the night.

Eagles force third Cowboys turnover

Bryce Huff lives for the Eagles! The embattled pass rusher explodes into the pocket, knocking the ball right out of Cooper Rush's hands, and Philly takes over just outside the red zone. That makes three giveaways for Mike McCarthy's offense, which somehow has just 45 passing yards on 23 attempts. The Eagles will have a chance to further extend their lead in the fourth quarter.

The Cowboys put Trey Lance in at quarterback with just over two minutes left in the third, then go right back to Cooper Rush for the next play. So it's not a real change under center. Just an offensive "package." Not hard to see why some fans would just prefer an all-out switch, with Dak Prescott sidelined and this game suddenly out of reach.

Hurts headlines another Eagles TD drive

The Eagles offense delivers again. Jalen Hurts floats a perfect deep ball to A.J. Brown to start the momentum, and then he seals the drive with an explosive option run up the gut of Mike Zimmer's defense. It's now 28-6, looking like the blowout many anticipated with Dak Prescott unavailable. You have to wonder if Dallas will consider turning to Trey Lance, just to get some kind of spark for the home stretch.

Cowboys second-year linebacker DeMarvion Overshown is hurt and walks off the field under his own power. He has a game-high 11 tackles and two sacks against the Eagles thus far today. He tore his ACL in the 2023 preseason after being selected in the third round of the 2023 draft.

Eagles unfurl complete drive to extend lead

First, a Braden Mann punt pins the Cowboys inside their 10. The Eagles defense forces a three-and-out. Rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean gets a nice return on the ensuing punt. And the offense goes the distance, with Jalen Hurts again buying time to fire into the end zone, this time to rookie Johnny Wilson.

Cowboys fans boo the team off the field to close Dallas' final offensive possession of the first half. Cooper Rush sends one into the dirt to an open receiver in the flat, one play after Jalen Carter deflects one of his throws at the line. It's a three-and-out with zero yards gained for the Cowboys, and we go into the break with the Eagles up 14-6. Not a perfect start for the visiting club, with Jalen Hurts turning the ball over twice, but Vic Fangio's defense has stood tall in the red zone, while also logging two takeaways.

Hurts to Goedert to extend Eagles' lead

This time, the Cowboys bring pressure, but Jalen Hurts responds, shaking off an extra rusher and firing one to an open Dallas Goedert to cap an 84-yard touchdown drive. That whole series took just 1:25.

Per the Dallas Cowboys public relations department, their defense's five first-half sacks against the Philadelphia Eagles are tied for the highest sack total in a first half of any regular season in the last 25 seasons since 2000.

Cowboys settle for FG after Parsons strip-sack

Well, it's the same story for Dallas: The defense is showing out, but the Cooper Rush-led offense is not. After Micah Parsons puts the 'Boys inside the 10-yard line with his forced fumble against Jalen Hurts, Mike McCarthy's group goes run-heavy, and the Eagles' front stuffs both Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott. So the drive ends with a 23-yard Brandon Aubrey field goal, and it's 7-6, Philadelphia.

Parsons forces Hurts fumble; Cowboys in business

Say hello to the Dallas defense once again. Micah Parsons comes bursting up the middle, and Jalen Hurts loses the ball while trying to escape the sack. The Cowboys quickly recover, setting up shop inside the Eagles' 10-yard line, with a chance to take their first lead of this game. Mike Zimmer's unit now has five sacks and two takeaways in this first half. Let's see if the offense can hold up its end of the bargain.

Ezekiel Elliott fumbles into end zone

Wow. The Cowboys roll all the way inside the Eagles' 10-yard line, in large part due to Rico Dowdle's burst on the ground, then bring in Elliott for a red-zone carry. The former Pro Bowler promptly coughs up the ball on first-and-goal, and Cooper DeJean recovers for Philly in the end zone. Huge swing that prevents a potential Dallas lead before halftime.

Mike McCarthy dials up a fourth-and-1 sneak near midfield with about six and a half minutes to go in the first half, and Cooper Rush converts, driving past the Eagles front to move the chains. Bold call, but the right one, as Rico Dowdle breaks free for a big run a few snaps later. Dallas is very much alive in this ballgame.

Cowboys 'D' makes another stand

Jalen Hurts hits Jahan Dotson for a nice sideline lob, but the Eagles can't generate much momentum after that, as Dallas gets to the quarterback for back-to-back sacks. Micah Parsons logs the latter. And it's still a 7-3 ballgame with the Eagles out in front. Mike Zimmer's defensive front is keeping this thing close.

Trevon Diggs picks off Hurts in the end zone

Dallas' top cornerback, who suited up despite a calf injury and late-week illness, quickly makes up ground in coverage of Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert, then dives to intercept Jalen Hurts and kill an otherwise promising Philly drive. That's Hurts' first turnover in weeks, and it costs the Eagles potentially six points.

The Cowboys feed Rico Dowdle to move into Eagles territory on their third drive, and they get points as a result. Brandon Aubrey is good from 46 yards on the field goal, and it's 7-3, Philly.

Another look at Saquon Barkley's tackle-shedding dynamism that set up the Eagles' touchdown:

Barkley, Hurts put Eagles in front early

Seconds after Cooper Rush's bobbled snap puts Philly in possession inside the Cowboys' 20-yard line, the Eagles' top weapons go to work: Saquon Barkley takes a third-down checkdown all the way to the 1-yard line with some shifty open-field moves, and then Jalen Hurts converts the "Tush Push" sneak for the score. It's 7-0, Eagles, and already Dallas' turnover has put the Cowboys in a hole.

Eagles steal the ball on Rush's bobbled snap

Uh-oh. Cooper Rush can't hold onto a Shotgun snap while looking to hand the ball off, and the Eagles pounce, ripping it from his grasp. Suddenly the Birds are in the red zone with a chance to take the lead.

Cowboys rack up early sacks

Back-to-back sacks for the Cowboys defensive front, which lead to a fairly quick Eagles punt. Philadelphia's Fred Johnson is still filling in for the injured Jordan Mailata at left tackle, and it's showing early. Johnson gets flagged for a false start, then fails to help the line prevent a Jalen Hurts takedown by DeMarvion Overshown.

That's now 2.5 sacks for Dallas Cowboys veteran edge rusher Carl Lawson the last two weeks after he and defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa combined to take down Eagles QB Jalen Hurts. A nice spark for a Cowboys pass rush that desperately needs one.

Cowboys get nothing on opening series

Not surprising, with Cooper Rush under center making his first start for Dak Prescott, but the Cowboys muster just three yards on three plays to start the ballgame. It's a quick punt for the home team.

Former president George W. Bush flips the coin, and the Cowboys win the toss. Dallas opts to receive the opening kick. 

Cowboys All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons, a Penn State alum, described Eagles running back Saquon Barkley as "playing running back so peacefully" in his first season in Philadelphia. Here's a closer look at the Barkley difference and how Dallas' defense matches up with him this afternoon. 

Here's why Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has plenty of faith in backup-turned-starter Cooper Rush and compared him to 2002 NFL MVP quarterback Rich Gannon. 

Cowboys three-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons is officially active and will return from his high ankle sprain that has held him out since the second half of Week 4 at the New York Giants. Since he is playing, Parons made it clear earlier this week that he'll be going all out.

"Yeah, once I'm playing, I'm playing. That's just the competitor in me," Parsons said. "I was banged up plenty of times. I'm just like 'Man, once I'm competing, I'm competing.' It's hard to restrain that. Yeah, high ankle's those lag on the more you cut on it and bang on it. You just build a tolerance. It's just one of those things."  

As the Cowboys' inactives confirmed, Dak Prescott is officially out for Dallas as well, despite not yet landing on injured reserve. The quarterback is expected to undergo season-ending surgery for a hamstring injury in the near future, leaving Cooper Rush at the helm of Mike McCarthy's offense.