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Eagles unravel with 4 turnovers vs. Cowboys, spoil chance to clinch NFC’s top seed

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ARLINGTON, Texas — The Philadelphia Eagles experienced a losing locker room for the second time this season. They also lamented four turnovers for the second time this season.

These events occurred on the same night.

“F—, man, that’s terrible,” offensive tackle Jordan Mailata said, shaking his head. “That’s a crazy stat.”

There was a lot that went wrong for the Eagles in a 40-34 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday — and a lot that went right, too — but there was a simple message felt in all corners of the locker room on Christmas Eve.

“We can’t give a good team like that the ball four times and expect to win the game,” said coach Nick Sirianni.

“We shot ourselves in the foot,” quarterback Gardner Minshew said.

“I feel like we beat ourselves,” wide receiver AJ Brown said.

“We’ve got to get turnovers and we have to minimize our turnovers,” said defensive tackle Linval Joseph. “They did what we’re supposed to do.”

This is not how the Eagles wanted to celebrate Christmas. They envisioned wearing T-shirts and hats to mark the NFC East crown, clinching the NFC’s top seed in the process. They’re now 13-2, still the best record in the NFL. And their magic number remains one with two games remaining, the first of which is next week against New Orleans. So the Eagles didn’t spoil anything Saturday as much as delay the possibility of clinching. But they gave oxygen to the Cowboys’ hopes of somehow outpacing the Eagles to the division crown, and they showed vulnerability against a team they might well see in a month.

The vexing part for the Eagles is that they made plays throughout the game, on both sides of the ball. The offense didn’t punt and had two receivers top 100 yards. The defense scored a touchdown and totaled six sacks. There was much they did that was spectacular, and not enough they did that was basic.

Minshew went 24-of-40 for 355 yards and two touchdowns plus a rushing touchdown, but he threw two interceptions and fumbled the ball at the mesh point on a handoff to Boston Scott. That was one of two fumbles, with Miles Sanders coughing up the ball late in the fourth quarter when the Eagles trailed by three points. Four turnovers for a team that entered the game tied for the fewest giveaways in the NFL. There are now nine teams with fewer turnovers than the Eagles after Philadelphia had three fewer than any other team just two weeks ago.

And then on defense, the Eagles’ inability to get off the field on third downs was particularly concerning. They allowed the Cowboys to convert 8 of 15 third downs, including two touchdowns. Perhaps the most costly came in the fourth quarter when the Cowboys completed a 52-yard catch to stay on the field on a third-and-30. Yes, a third-and-thirty.

For all the Eagles did well, it was easy to understand why they lost. They turned the ball over and they couldn’t get off the field.

“As good as we are, we can’t still mess up the little details, the little things. We can’t beat ourselves,” said Haason Reddick, who had two sacks and a forced fumble. “Turnovers, third-down defense, everything. The stuff we preach, we just let it get away from us today. It’s another reality check. You need that. We’ve been winning so much. You kind of get complacent. I’d rather it happen now than the postseason.”

This much is certain: When the Eagles reconvene after the holiday, it won’t be the first time Sirianni emphasizes turnovers. It’s a message to start each week, and a particular point of pride for Sirianni. He’s said in the past it’s not a coincidence when the Eagles have the fewest turnovers in the NFL because of the way they drill it and discuss it. They have signs throughout the team facility outlining the fundamentals of ball security.

Yet it’s now been seven turnovers in two weeks for a team that has only 17 on the season. The Eagles have had 47 percent of their turnovers in their two losses this season and 65 percent of their turnovers in three games. They had two turnovers in their first seven games of the season and 15 in their next eight.

“We stress turnovers all the time,” Minshew said. “That’s a big part of what we do and why we’ve been so successful. It was uncharacteristic of us today. That’s what really bit us.”

Minshew’s interceptions came on targeted passes to Quez Watkins. Sirianni credited Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse for making a play on the ball on the first interception, which came on the second drive of the game. Minshew took responsibility for the poor exchange with Scott on the fumble.

The Eagles nevertheless had a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter when the third-down issues on defense and the turnovers collided at once.

After DeVonta Smith’s second touchdown of the game gave the Eagles a 34-27 advantage, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was sacked twice — once by Reddick and once by Josh Sweat. Reddick actually stripped Prescott and Joseph almost recovered, but Cowboys center Tyler Biadasz fell on the ball to retain possession. (As Joseph said, the Eagles need to force turnovers and can’t turn the ball over. They were minus-3 on Saturday.) The sacks forced a third-and-30 at the Cowboys’ 29-yard line. Keep the Cowboys from gaining at least 30 yards, and the Eagles would regain possession with a lead and a chance to put the game away.

Instead, Cowboys receiver TY Hilton somehow found a way past Eagles defensive back Josiah Scott, who was responsible for the deep half of the field. Scott said it was a miscommunication on the play, with the Cowboys quick-snapping while the Eagles were preparing for coverage.

“We didn’t make a play, the guy did,” Sirianni said. “It was really as simple as that. TY Hilton made a really nice catch, Dak made a really nice throw, and we didn’t make the play. They did, and we didn’t.”

The Cowboys took the lifeboat and turned it into a touchdown to tie the score. Then on the next possession, Minshew’s pass attempt to Watkins was wrestled away by Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland. The Eagles were able to limit the Cowboys to a field goal, except the offense had only one play to catch its breath. That’s because the hope of a go-ahead drive started with Sanders’ fumble — his second in two weeks after he earned praise throughout the season for his ball security.

“Gotta hold the ball,” Sanders told reporters. “Bad situation, fumbled at the wrong time. Take full responsibility. Nobody else’s fault but mine.”

Once again, the defense held the Cowboys to a field goal. The Eagles offense regained possession with 1:41 on the clock needing a touchdown to win. Minshew drove the Eagles to the 19-yard line, but they couldn’t find the end zone.

“Game on the line, we’ve got the ball in our hands? That’s what you dream of,” Brown said. “So much to learn. … No need to be down. It’s not a loss. It’s a learning experience.”

Brown called it a playoff atmosphere Saturday, and he told the Eagles between possessions that every drive mattered. That proved to be true; the Eagles either scored points or turned the ball over on every drive before their last attempt at the end of the game. The Cowboys turned the four turnovers into 20 points.

“You can’t do that in the playoffs. You’ve got to put the teams away,” Brown said. “When we do what we’re supposed to, good things are going to happen.”

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Five takeaways from the Eagles’ Christmas Eve loss to the Cowboys

Fletcher Cox said it was a “pissed off” locker room, as one would expect after a loss on that stage in that fashion. Sirianni said the message was that everything happens together — they won 13 games together, they lost Saturday together, they’ll learn together. And Mailata suggested that sentiment was apparent on the sideline between turnovers.

“When adversity strikes, it’s not like, ‘F— you!’ Guys are positive. We reinforce that,” Mailata said. “That’s why I know this team is different. That’s why I know we’ll be all right. We’ll be all right for next week. It’s going to be a long plane ride home. … But with the locker room we have, I have no worries.”

The Eagles will need to monitor the status of right tackle Lane Johnson, who exited the game in the fourth quarter, and defensive back Avonte Maddox, who was in a walking boot after injuring his toe. And of course, the Jalen Hurts watch continues. The quarterback made the trip to Dallas and was a presence on the sideline and in the locker room. Sirianni said when Hurts is cleared, he’ll play. (That still might not happen next week.)

Sirianni praised the way Minshew played, and the coach and offensive coordinator Shane Steichen devised a game plan that would have been the overriding storyline had the turnovers not caused the Eagles’ unraveling. Minshew said they used most of the same concepts that the Eagles used with Hurts, minus some of the quarterback running game. There were times Minshew was quick to throw the ball away and there was some rust to shake off — especially in two-minute situations — but he kept the Eagles in contention against one of the top teams in the NFL on the road during a short week .

So it could be Minshew again with a chance at clinching the NFC’s No. 1 seed at home. Sirianni said the attention won’t turn to the Saints until they fix the problems from Saturday, and there’s enough to review to last the Eagles through the Christmas leftovers. But they still have the best record in the NFL, they still have a pristine path to the top seed, and the sky wasn’t falling on their flight home.

“Nobody said it’s going to be easy,” Brown said. “I think we’re in a good place.”

(Photo: Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

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