Fansided

Cowboys roll, AFC West is best and Eagles crash

By Matt Williamson

Aug 25, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) rushes against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half of an NFL football game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 25, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) rushes against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half of an NFL football game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 16, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) is sacked by Washington Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan (91) in the first quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) is sacked by Washington Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan (91) in the first quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

As for the Eagles, they are clearly coming back to Earth. Without Lane Johnson in this game (or the next nine games for that matter), Philadelphia’s pass protection is a real area of concern. Washington got after Carson Wentz without having to blitz. The rookie quarterback should expect much more of the same going forward, as Wentz, who got little help from his running game, has excelled against the blitz this season.

Just think how ugly this game would have been for the highly-penalized Eagles if they didn’t score twice on defense and special teams. Philadelphia has a brutal schedule the rest of the way and their window in this division is closing quickly, while Washington could make some noise going forward.

Lastly, the Cowboys had a very difficult matchup traveling to Green Bay. It was a much-publicized “Unstoppable Force vs. Immovable Object” battle between Dallas’ rushing attack and the Packers’ run defense in a game that featured the NFL’s top two offensive lines.

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The Cowboys didn’t have Dez Bryant in this game and the Packers were without their top two cornerbacks. The vastly underrated Dallas secondary did a very good job in man coverage against an uneven Packers’ passing game.

Aaron Rodgers no longer deserves a pass and isn’t playing close to the otherworldly level that he once was. And before long, it was pretty clear that Dallas’ running game won the featured matchup and continued to exploit this as the game went on.

Rodgers also had crucial turnovers that they just couldn’t overcome against a superior opponent. Dallas is in the drivers seat in the NFC East and sent a message to the rest of the league with this performance.

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