The Cowboys got revenge on the Eagles in their Christmas Eve rematch over the weekend. Dak Prescott led Dallas to a 40-34 victory after Philadelphia took the first matchup against Cooper Rush.
This time the Eagles were missing starting quarterback and MVP candidate Jalen Hurts, but they also made it a game with Gardner Minshew under center.
One of the biggest storylines in the game was turnovers. The Cowboys had four takeaways to the Eagles’ one, but that was a big one with Josh Sweat picking off Prescott for a touchdown in the first quarter. After that, however, the Dallas defense was able to win the turnover battle.
Some turnovers can be a bit luckier than others. Was that the case for the Cowboys against the Eagles?
Bobby Belt and former NFL scout Bryan Broaddus of the Audacy Original Podcast “Love of the Star” explained why there was nothing fluky about the Cowboys’ four takeaways against the Eagles.
“The one thing about turnovers is you got to put yourself in a position to be able to make ‘em, be able to get ‘em,” Broaddus said (1:22 in player above). “Sometimes you got to catch breaks in these games, which are turnovers, but I kind of see guys not interfering with receivers and playing the ball perfectly and going through a guy, not interfering, rights to the ball, finishing plays. I see guys punching balls out, knocking balls loose. That’s not fluky. That’s technique. That’s taught. That’s what you go to do.”
The Eagles had four turnovers: two interceptions and two fumbles. While the first fumble may not have been knocked out by a defender, the Cowboys creating pressure and filling the gaps goes a long way.
“You can have a fumble at the mesh point, but you know why you get a fumble at the mesh point? Because the runner looks up and they see white flash jersey or guy in the hole – it takes their eyes and their concentration off something that they’re supposed to be doing,” Broaddus continued.
“So you’re still creating a turnover even though the mesh point is back and the ball’s coming out. You’re still creating opportunity by playing your technique or shooting a gap or stepping up or flashing in there to where the runner drops the football. So I’m not going to say anything the Cowboys did was fluky.”
The Cowboys put themselves in a position to create turnovers and got the win over the Eagles. That now has them in a position where they can win the NFC East if they win out and the Birds lose out with Hurts’ status still up in the air.
