What went wrong …
1. Tackling dummies.
Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles blamed poor tackling for his defense’s first two (less than stellar) outings. Against the Cowboys, it was more of the same. The Eagles simply don’t know how to wrap guys up and bring them down. Felix Jones made six different Eagles (Nnamdi Asomugha looked especially bad) on his 11-yard touchdown catch.
2. King for a day.
King Dunlap was bad. The right tackle single-handedly killed a third-quarter drive after getting gobbled up on a play, then negated a 12-yard pass completion due to an illegal hands to the face penalty (Dunlap racked up two of those). To make matters worse, Dunlap failed to take the field for a field goal attempt and forced the Eagles to burn a timeout.
3. Nick Foles.
Andy Reid shortened the playbook for rookie Nick Foles (21-of-31, 218 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 85.1 QB Rating). However, Foles did make a disastrous mistake in the fourth quarter when he was picked off by Brandon Carr, who returned it 47 yards for a score. Foles had another interception called back due to holding on Dallas — and fumbled in his own end zone to end the game.
What went right …
1. Feeling faded.
Mike Vick hit Riley Cooper on a fade route for a touchdown on the Eagles’ opening possession. It was a perfect pitch and catch play, the type of play we had been expecting to see in the red zone ever since the Eagles drafted the 6-foot-4 wide receiver. It also marked the first time the Eagles had scored on their opening offensive possession all season.
2. Sack masters.
That much-maligned defensive line finally showed up in a meaningful game. Mychal Kendricks, Cullen Jenkins and Fletcher Cox all recorded sacks, with Trent Cole creating havoc. Brandon Graham also supplied a great pass-rush.
3. Nick Foles.
Filling in for an injured Mike Vick (concussion), the backup quarterback showed he could play in the NFL. Foles was decisive, got the ball out quickly and read his check downs well. His third quarter 44-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Jeremy Maclin was thrown on a rope.
