The Eagles struggles continued in familiar areas on Sunday night, and this time, it hurt.
The Eagles now sit in second place in the NFC East and have to hope for a lot of luck to save their playoff hopes this season. And they can thank their own flaws for being in that position.
Here is this week's report card.
Pass offense: The Eagles unleashed a handful of big passing plays during their comeback, none bigger than Jeremy Maclin's 72-yard catch and run. But the glaring issue remains. Mark Sanchez can't get the job done. He threw two interceptions. He can't throw the ball deep. His passes were all over the place and only a handful of those were caught. C-
Run offense: Not the best game, yardage-wise, for the running backs, but the Eagles got three touchdowns on the ground and did spread the ball around. Chris Polk scored twice. Darren Sproles scored one. LeSean McCoy helped set up those scores. Kind of an average night – no mistakes, but no defining plays. C+
Pass defense: Usually, this grade is split. The secondary has struggled all season, but the pass rush balances the grade. On Sunday, the pass rush wasn't there either. Dez Bryant was wide open for half the night. Tony Romo had time. The Cowboys were able to do what they wanted at will. A night to forget for the pass defense. D-
Run defense: DeMarco Murray did score two touchdowns, but for the most part, wasn't the reason the Cowboys had success. He averaged less than three yards a carry and rarely broke through the line. This was the one area the Eagles did a nice job. B
Special teams: Not many positives here either. When you create a turnover instantly on the opening kickoff, it's hard to recover. Cody Parkey remained strong with two field goals, but otherwise, the night was overshadowed by the early gaffe on the kickoff. D+
Overall: It seemed easy to take, losing in all aspects of the game to Seattle last week. But doing the same to Dallas? That stings. The Eagles now put their playoff hopes in someone else's hands. The Eagles lost back-to-back games last season – both within the division too – but it was at a point in the season when recovery was still an option. A 3-5 record could still be saved with half a season to play. Now at 9-5 and needing help in two weeks just to make the playoffs, a loss all but ends the Eagles season. Mistakes finally caught up with this team and it may prove incredibly costly. D
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
