‘A Beat-Up Philadelphia Team’: Troy Aikman Says Dallas Cowboys’ 38-21 Win Over Eagles Does Not Change His View

PHILADELPHIA — Troy Aikman said Monday night that the Dallas Cowboys’ 38-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles did not change the way he sees the team. The Cowboys improved to 3-4 and ended a two-game losing streak. Philadelphia dropped to 2-5 with its fifth consecutive loss.

Aikman and Joe Buck called the game at Lincoln Financial Field for ESPN’s Monday Night Football before joining Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter. Aikman played quarterback for the Cowboys from 1989 to 2000, won three Super Bowls with the franchise, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. How much the Dallas defense improves before the postseason is the key for Aikman.

“Not really. Not really. And I don’t mean that as a negative,” Aikman said. “This is a beat-up Philadelphia team. To come in here and win tonight, let’s not get carried away. And they did. They kind of did what you would expect them to do.”

“I did think the Eagles defensively would put up a little bit more of a fight than what they did,” Aikman continued. “But it’ll bear itself out as we move forward as to what this team’s capable [of]. Defense did some good things. They’ve still got a ways to go. But that’s going to be the key to this team, is how far along can this defense come between now and when the playoffs roll around, if they get in.”

Philadelphia started Tanner McKee at quarterback for a second straight game. Jalen Hurts is on injured reserve and is expected to miss the rest of the season because of blood clots.

Saquon Barkley returned after missing two games with a hamstring injury and carried 7 times for 62 yards and a touchdown. Early in the fourth quarter, he was listed as questionable to return.

The Eagles scored touchdowns on drives of 75, 76, and 84 yards. They did not score again after McKee’s 4-yard touchdown pass put Philadelphia ahead 21-20 with 5:44 left in the third quarter.

With 7:55 remaining, DeMarvion Overshown intercepted McKee at the Dallas 30. Overshown had missed five games with a hamstring injury before Monday. McKee finished 23-of-35 for 211 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception, and Philadelphia went 5-of-12 on third down.

Troy Aikman Says Running Game Opens Everything Up For Cowboys

Dallas ran 38 times for 204 yards. Javonte Williams carried 25 times for a career-high 155 yards and a touchdown. No Cowboys running back had run for more since Ezekiel Elliott gained 159 yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Dec. 18, 2016.

Going into Monday, the Cowboys ranked last in the NFL in carries per game at 20.9, the team said. Their 76 rushing yards per game were 30th in the league.

Dak Prescott went 15-of-27 for 212 yards and 3 touchdowns without an interception. CeeDee Lamb caught 5 passes for 74 yards and 2 touchdowns on 12 targets, scoring from 9 and 16 yards out. George Pickens caught 4 passes for 57 yards and a touchdown, a 21-yarder in the corner of the end zone that put Dallas ahead 17-14 in the second quarter.

Philadelphia’s cornerbacks include Quinyon Mitchell, a first-team All-Pro in 2025, and Riq Woolen, who signed a one-year deal with the Eagles in free agency. Aikman said running the ball the way Dallas did Monday is what gets Pickens and Lamb one-on-one looks, even against good corners.

“It’s a formula that’s won a lot of football games over the history of the NFL and football in general,” Aikman explained. “So I certainly was a recipient of that, when you’re able to run the football and the way that it just opens everything up. We’ve seen that because now, as a defense, you’ve got to start making some decisions. And when you’ve got George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb on the outside, and now you’re getting some one-on-one looks, even with good corners like we’ve seen from Quinyon Mitchell and Riq Woolen, they’re going to win their share, and they certainly did tonight.”

“Hopefully this is a formula that Brian Schottenheimer and this offense understands, that that’ll become what they’re about going forward,” Aikman added. “And there are going to be those weeks where they don’t run the ball as well. Maybe they don’t throw the ball as well. But to try to maintain some type of balance … it has seemed for the longest time here with Dak as the quarterback, when you do have those weapons on the outside, everyone gets enamored with the big plays and the ability to throw the football. And it’s hard to make a living doing that each and every week.”

“I think it caught up to Dallas the last couple of weeks,” Aikman noted. “And now they got back on track and doing some of the things that I think good offensive teams do.”

Dallas had lost 24-16 to Tampa Bay on Oct. 8 and 23-13 to the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 18. Williams said during the week that the Cowboys needed to start faster and find better balance between the run and the pass in Philadelphia.

The Cowboys scored on 7 of their 9 possessions and gained a season-high 416 yards.

Joe Buck Points To Nov. 10 Trade Deadline After Cowboys Snap Skid

Prescott called Monday a must-win in his postgame news conference and said the NFC East stays in front of Dallas as long as it keeps winning. The New York Giants lead the division at 4-2-1.

Teams have until 3 p.m. CT on Nov. 10 to make trades. When Van Pelt raised Prescott’s must-win comment, Buck said Eagles general manager Howie Roseman probably would not be afraid to move players before that deadline.

“I think both teams were looking at that,” Buck said. “Philly, it’s the NFC East, so nobody thought they were finished, as we’re still in October with the way the division has kind of unfolded. But I think Dallas came in looking at it as a must-win.”

“You’ve got the trading deadline that we talked about coming up in 15 days, and that’s probably a benchmark day for this Eagles team,” Buck continued. “After this loss, they’ve lost five in a row. Howie Roseman probably not scared to divest of some of the players that they have as they go toward it. It’s in the NFC East, but we’ll see. Jerry Jones has already said he would add if he could. And they come out of here with a win, a much-needed win to break that two-game losing streak.”

On Oct. 15, Aikman said on 96.7/1310 The Ticket that he will broadcast through this season and become a free agent at the end of the year. Buck has already signed a new contract with ESPN. Their next Monday Night Football assignment is the Chicago Bears at the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 2.

Dallas hosts the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at AT&T Stadium, with kickoff set for noon CT on FOX. The Cowboys visit the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 8 and host the San Francisco 49ers on Nov. 15. Philadelphia visits Dallas on Thanksgiving, Nov. 26.