PHILADELPHIA — It’s a fitting tribute to the Philadelphia Eagles‘ dysfunctional 2020 NFL season that just when a giant window of opportunity opened, they slammed it shut right on their fingers.
With the Washington Football Team unable to take care of business against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, an Eagles win against the Dallas Cowboys would have set up a Week 17 showdown between Philadelphia and Washington for the NFC East crown.
Instead, the Eagles stumbled on defense and fell to Dallas 37-17. As a result, the Eagles were eliminated from the playoffs, and they will miss the postseason for the first time in four seasons.
Down centerpiece defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and multiple members of their secondary, the Eagles were burned for over 500 yards and four touchdowns.
Cox exited in the first half with a stinger and did not return. He had missed practice all week with a lingering neck injury. Philadelphia’s defensive line was already missing edge rushers Derek Barnett and Josh Sweat because of injury. A lack of pressure allowed Dallas quarterback Andy Dalton way too much time to operate, and he took advantage by picking apart a defensive backfield working without starters Avonte Maddox and Rodney McLeod.
Eagles rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts started hot but cooled late in his third career start. He ended 21-of-39 passing for 342 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, while also rushing for 69 yards. Wideout DeSean Jackson burst back onto the scene with an 81-yard touchdown in his first game since Week 7.
The 990 combined yards on offense was the most in this rivalry’s history.
Sunday’s loss fell mostly on the defense, but everyone has had a turn contributing to the Eagles’ worst season since 2012, when they went 4-12 in coach Andy Reid’s last year in Philly.
The Eagles are now a week away from what promises to be a drama-filled offseason during which the fate of coach Doug Pederson and quarterback Carson Wentz will be decided.
One way or another, changes are coming. That’s what happens when a team falls a mile short of expectations and a championship-caliber nucleus reaches its expiration date.
Biggest hole in the game plan: Michael Jacquet, the undrafted rookie out of Louisiana, got the start opposite Darius Slay and yielded seven catches on nine targets for 182 yards. The Eagles eventually moved Jalen Mills from safety to his natural corner position, but it was too little, too late.
Troubling trend: The Eagles committed 12 penalties for 115 yards, including six false starts. They were tied for the league’s fifth-most penalties per game (6.4) coming in to the contest and were bit once more by the lack of discipline.
Eye-popping NFL Next Gen Stat: Jackson recorded his fifth receiving TD of 80-plus yards. That’s tied for the most in NFL history with Jerry Rice, Lance Alworth, Bob Hayes and Derrick Alexander, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.