ARLINGTON, Texas – The Eagles are leaving AT&T Stadium with a win for the first time in seven years.

A sloppy first half from both teams gave way to a lopsided affair; The Eagles forced five turnovers and defeated the Cowboys 34-6. This is the Eagles’ first win at Jerry World since the 2017 season, and it’s a significant one; It pushes them to 7-2 and first place in the NFC East with a matchup against the second-place Washington Commanders on Thursday.

Here’s our instant analysis of the big win:

Baunny is on the scene

Zack Baun is starting to make a habit of taking the ball away.

Baun forced a turnover for the third week in a row and was once again one of the team’s most effective defenders. Baun’s third out of the season came at a crucial moment Sunday when Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott stripped him of the ball and the Cowboys faced first-and-goal from the Eagles’ 6-yard line. Rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean He recovered the loose ball in the back of the end zone and saved the Eagles by at least three points late in the second quarter with the game still on the clock.

“Right now he’s on a streak of taking the football away and having the ball in his mind,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “The best compliment I can give a guy is: ‘Man, this guy is a really good football player.’ And that happens when you’re strong, when you’re physical, when you’re detailed, and when he’s playing really fundamentally sound and getting better every time he steps on the court.

Baun, who also had a forced fumble against the Cincinnati Bengals and an interception against the Jacksonville Jaguars, doubled his score for the evening with another punch to tight end Jake Ferguson early in the fourth quarter.

Baun’s influence was evident even outside takeaways. He finished the game with eight tackles, two pass breakups, a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery.

Fellow supporter Nakobe Dean said: “Very good, meat and potatoes defender game.” “Then there are games that jump off the screen. Yeah, that’s it.”

Baun added, “I’m trying to be a complete defender. I’m just working on every little thing and taking my time.

turnover party

Like last week, Baun wasn’t the only Eagles defender to take the ball away. Milton Williams recovered the first fumble of the game after Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush mishandled his shotgun and threw the ball downfield. Williams was in the right place at the right time, landing on the ball at the Cowboys’ 17-yard line, setting up the Eagles’ first scoring drive. Late in the third quarter, Eagles offensive lineman Bryce Huff also came onto the board with his own strip bag.

Huff has seen his role reduced significantly in the last two games and wears a protective cast on his left hand due to an apparent wrist injury he suffered two weeks ago. Still, the Eagles used him sparingly in obvious rush situations, and while it wasn’t the role the team envisioned when signing him in free agency, he showed up Sunday with the game still somewhat in the balance.

CJ Gardner-Johnson also made his second interception of the season, bringing the Eagles’ takeaway count to five for the evening. This must be a welcome sight for the team, which caused only four turnovers in the first seven games of the year.

“We knew the takeaways were what was missing when it came to our defense,” Dean said. “When we got one we knew it would work, and that’s what it does. We will keep the floodgates open. There is no closure.”

Roller coaster for those who suffer

Although the Eagles spent most of the second half maintaining a lead and running the ball frequently, there were some ups and downs as they gained that lead. jalen hurts.

Hurts, who seemed eager to take shots deep down the field against an aggressive Dallas secondary, often had to keep the ball in the pocket despite the pressure and limited fielding options. As a result, Hurts had an arrhythmic performance in the first half; Hurts was ejected five times, had one turnover and an interception.

The interception in the second quarter ended Hurts’ four-game streak without a turnover. targeting Dallas Goedert Running a vertical route in the red zone, Hurts left the ball behind the tight end and in range of Dallas cornerback Trevon Diggs. It’s fair to acknowledge Diggs’ effort to make the play. The former All-Pro cornerback had seemingly sidestepped the task of pursuing Grant Calcaterra down the sideline, instead committing to getting under Goedert’s route.

Arguably the biggest mistake, Hurts’ second turnover, came late in the quarter when Micah Parsons forced a fumble deep into Eagles’ territory. The Cowboys were unable to capitalize on the offense at the Eagles’ 6-yard line and decided to kick a field goal, but the play was similar to the shaky play the team had earlier in the season before Hurts found his footing. farewell week.

Still, Hurts’ response to close out the half set things up for the rest of the game.

As the Eagles took control at their own 16-yard line with 1 minute, 43 seconds left in the second quarter, Hurts led the offense downfield with several tight window throws and a timely tackle. Hurts went 5-for-6 on the drive, including a 14-yard completion A.J. Brown Facing pressure, he threw an impressive touchdown pass to Goedert, causing a pass rusher to miss only to burst out of the pocket. Hurts also had a 24-yard tackle to put the Eagles just outside the red zone.

Hurts, who watched most of the lopsided second half from the sideline with Kenny Pickett running the show, finished 14-of-20 for 202 yards with two touchdowns and one interception while also rushing for 56 yards and two touchdowns.

“He did a lot of good things,” Sirianni said. “It didn’t start the way we wanted, but there’s something to be said for players who can rebound and play a really good game when things aren’t going well early. We’re going to want some of those plays back, he’s going to want some of those plays back, but overcoming adversity, keeping your head down, continuing to work.” great job. … He’s a winner, he knows how to win, he knows not every game is going to be perfect.”

I’m running to the sideline

On the other side of the ball, Rush had a memorable start, replacing Dak Prescott.

The Cowboys’ offensive struggles were evident even before Prescott left last week’s game with a hamstring injury, but Rush fared even worse against the Eagles defense and was brought off the bench late in the third quarter. Rush finished the game 13-of-23 for just 45 yards, had one turnover, and was sacked once and replaced by Trey Lance.

Lance had his share of fumbles, too, including a fumble in the third quarter when Huff beat Dallas bench Terence Steele inside and released the ball. Gardner-Johnson also got the upper hand on Lance midway through the fourth quarter, picking off the third-year signal caller on a pass intended for Cowboys receiver Jalen Tolbert.