The Dallas Cowboys, without Dak Prescott, fell 34-6 to their division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s frustrating because you can see traces of what the Cowboys can do once they get healthy. They lingered in the red zone for most of the first half and prevented the Eagles from increasing the score. Unfortunately, the Cowboys were unable to capitalize on Philadelphia’s mistakes and chased points until the final whistle. The loss keeps the Cowboys winless at home and sends them to 3-6 for third place in the NFC East. It’s time to accept that a season passes by every week. Here are three reasons. including that the Cowboys were again soundly defeated at home.

Losing the turnover battle and not capitalizing on their opportunities

It could have been a game-changer when Micah Parsons forced a fumble on Jalen Hurts to set up the offense inside the Eagles’ 10-yard line. Unfortunately, Dallas couldn’t take that opportunity and hit it into the end zone. After the takeaway, the Cowboys racked up a yard of foul play. Their first play of the series was a three-yard gain by Ezekiel Elliott. It was then followed by an incomplete pass to a wide-open CeeDee Lamb, who couldn’t see the pass because the sun was in his eyes, which was a distraction for the Cowboys at home for years. Ultimately, Rico Dowdle suffered a two-yard loss before the Cowboys had to settle for another field goal. This sequence continued to haunt the Cowboys as Philadelphia scored a touchdown just before halftime to take a crucial 14-6 lead.

Dallas fumbled four times and lost them all. Cooper Rush’s first fumble came on a great defensive play by the Cowboys to force the Eagles to punt after some great plays by DeMarvion Overshown, including a sack on Jalen Hurts. Rush took the snap in the Pistol formation and took his eyes off the ball before he was unable to wrestle it back out of the Eagles defense. It’s a shame because not only did the play look well blocked for Dowdle, but Philadelphia also scored on their drive to get the game’s first points.

The biggest fumble of the afternoon, however, belonged to Elliott. Remember, Elliott has raised concerns about his role in the offense and has been disciplined for a repeated pattern of being late to meetings. The team had moved past that and was willing to do Elliott a favor and put him in a position where he would be most useful to the team. Instead, Elliott fumbled the ball into the end zone after 13 series of 13 plays that lasted more than six minutes, wasting the offense’s longest sustained drive. The Cowboys shot themselves in the foot too many times to give themselves a fighting chance.

Cooper Rush’s 150-foot stinker

There’s a cliff-like drop-off when you go from Dak Prescott to Cooper Rush, but no one could have imagined how bad Rush would look. Rush is an eight-year veteran and has played for Dallas before. That’s why it’s a mystery how bad he was against the Eagles. The protection was solid at times and Rush had moments where he could have stood in the pocket and made a few throws. Substitute Asim Richards performed favorably in place of the injured Tyler Guyton. Rush attempted 23 passes and had just 45 yards for a QBR of 16.5. As to why Rush was so inefficient, look at his passing card.

Rush was nowhere as aggressive as he needed to be or had been in the past. He settled for too many short throws and didn’t push the ball to the first-down markers. When he pushed it downfield, he was wildly inaccurate. Again, it feels strange for Rush, as we’ve seen him be more assertive and accurate in attacking defenses.

When Rush shot deep, he missed a throw to Lamb, who was behind a staggering Darius Slay, but Rush subdued the pass. If Rush hopes to continue giving Dallas the best chance to win, he will have to be less opposed to riskier throws. There are expectations on Rush, and there will be more pressure to improve if he hopes to calm the overtures for Trey Lance. One more loss and a terrible performance, and Rush would likely be on thin ice.

Don’t keep Jalen Hurts in the pocket

When you play against the Eagles, you know you’re in for a challenge that includes the mobility of Jalen Hurts. For a while, Dallas did well and kept him in the pocket while all four rushers met at the quarterback. However, Dallas made the mistake of letting Hurts extend the playoffs off schedule, and it cost them dearly. First, as a rusher, Hurts had 56 yards on seven carries, including a grueling 24-yard scramble to put Philadelphia in the red zone before halftime. On the same drive, Hurts eluded Overshown on a blitz as a free rusher and threw a strike to Dallas Goedert for the touchdown. In the second half, Dallas had Hurts save the pocket in the red zone again, this time finding Johnny Wilson for a 21-6. Dallas’ inability to contain Hurts is disappointing because they essentially contained Saquon Barkley but were unprepared for what Hurts did with his legs.