ARLINGTON – In Texas they call it a butt whoopin’.

In Philadelphia they call it time.

There are some numbers from Sunday that are hard to believe. Here’s the first: Philadelphia Eagles 34, Dallas Cowboys 6. The Eagles hadn’t beaten their NFC East division rival this badly since beating them by the same 28-point margin in 2017. And that’s the second. It was so seven years since the Eagles last beat the Cowboys on the road. Only Brandon Graham, Lane Johnson, Jake Elliott and Rick Lovato remain from those cycles of rosters who never knew what it was like to leave Texas feeling like they’d struck oil.

Graham dodged two questions about that drought. Instead, he focused on a third set of numbers: five forced turnovers. After collecting just two points in their first six games, these Eagles moved up to fifth for a three-game spell in which they have forced eight goals. Four were fumbles. That in itself seems to be a strange number. But it it isn’t. They’ve done this once in each of the last three seasons: (Minnesota Vikings win in 2023, Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022).

Sure, the Cowboys are terrible. When backup quarterback Cooper Rush played poorly enough, he was benched for third-stringer Trey Lance (who fared no better). The Cowboys embody what injured starter Dak Prescott may have been muttering. But the Eagles did what great teams should do to the bad ones. They stomped them. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, speaking to reporters, confirmed the distance between them: “Philadelphia is a high-caliber team. We are not ready for it.”

GO DEEPER

Jalen Hurts’ 4 TDs follow Eagles in 34-6 win vs. Cowboys: Takeaways

Here’s a fourth song. The Eagles have a point differential of +72 through nine games. Only the 2017 (+104) and 2022 (+79) seasons had higher margins in that period. Both teams reached the Super Bowl. The ghosts of 2023 certainly haunt these types of conversations. The fullness of this team’s force will become better known Thursday night, a quick turnaround that sees the Eagles (7-2) host the Washington Commanders (7-3) for control of the division. But the difference underlines the dominance, especially of the defense. Only two opponents have scored offensive touchdowns in Philadelphia’s last five games.

“We just have to keep getting better, keep building that bully up,” Graham said.

There’s a jaunty swell that fuels their in-game stoicism. Jalen Hurts, flawless in five games, turned the ball over twice in a first half that could have ended disastrously. Hang the first on adversity. Hurts fired a pass from the red zone to Dallas Goedert, and behind cornerback Trevon Diggs flew into the air to get it. On the second, Hurts was stripped during a layoff by Micah Parsons. The turnover saw the Cowboys at the Eagles 6, and to make matters even more dire, Saquon Barkley had to have his left forearm taped after unsuccessfully flexing it in an attempt to recover the fumble. But three plays later, defensive tackle Jalen Carter limited the Cowboys to a field goal by dropping Rico Dowdle for a loss of two yards. Hurts walked all over the bench and shook hands with every defender.

“I was grateful for them,” Hurts said later. “They had my back.”

The Eagles defended their end zone twice. Earlier in the second quarter, on first and goal at the 6, Zack Baun and CJ Gardner-Johnson both hit Ezekiel Elliott at the line, causing the football to come loose, where it was recovered for a touchback by Cooper DeJean. (Baun later forced another fumble in a fourth quarter that had become unnecessary.) Both red zone stops helped the Eagles hold on to a 7-6 lead — a slim lead they were only able to secure because Rush mishandled a snapshot taken by Milton Williams at the finish line. Cowboys 17. Hurts scored four plays later on a Brotherly Shove.

“That was probably the easiest play I’ve ever had in the league,” said Williams, a 2021 third-round pick who had forced just one fumble in his career to that point.

BIG BANG BAUN & COOOOOOP ‼️@zackbizzun | @cdejean23 pic.twitter.com/PVg7YP5Djs

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 10, 2024

Hurts couldn’t say the same. He was sacked five times in the first half. Parsons, back from an ankle injury that sidelined him for four games, dropped Hurts twice. DeMarvion Overshown, another rangy linebacker, also sacked Hurts twice. Right tackle Lane Johnson said Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer initially confused the Eagles’ offensive line by fielding a rotating three-man front in which Parsons and Overshown crowded the line at times. Hurts ultimately foiled the plan on a decisive drive that gave the Eagles a 14-6 lead at the half.

On second-and-5, at the Eagles 35, Parsons rushed Hurts to throw an incomplete deep ball. One play later, anticipating another rush, Hurts hit AJ Brown on a short cross for a 14-yard gain. The Cowboys retreated into coverage by sending just a four-man rush on the next play, and Hurts scrambled for 24 yards. Two plays later, on second-and-1 at the Dallas 14, Hurts sidestepped an unblocked Overshown and threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Goedert. Hurts said they didn’t shift the protection to account for Overshown before the snap, creating an obstacle with Goedert open in the end zone.

“It was either I get the ball out or I make a play,” said Hurts, who was 14 of 20 passing for 202 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. “I chose to make a play.”

Hurts was not fired again. Still, the initial pressure is unsettling. Johnson, wary of such trends adopting future opponents, said “we’re going to have to go back and look at it.” While the Cowboys were indeed creative in rushing Hurts, at times the quarterback was technically unhurried. According to TruMedia, he averaged 4.1 seconds to throw on each bag. The average NFL throwing time for quarterbacks is 2.93 seconds. Hurts, who failed to find options downfield, eventually adapted to such plays by stopping and running – as he did during his 24-yard scramble.

Barkley’s influence also alleviated further problems. On Philadelphia’s third drive of the second half, using a run-oriented look under center, one of the two Cowboys safeties dropped down, leaving just one safety deep and Brown in one-on-one coverage. Hurts slung a 44-yard completion to Brown down the right sideline. Hurts then handed the ball to Barkley four times in a row for 30 yards (fullback Ben VanSumeren filled in for two plays). Then, on second and goal at the 8, Hurts saved a zone-read handoff for a touchdown.

Jalen Hurts with his second rushing TD of the day!

📺: #PHIVsDAL on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/g1Xt51UqYx

—NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2024

Hurts recorded both a rushing and passing touchdown in a game for the 23rd time, the most in franchise history. His mobility in particular stood out. Officially he missed Wednesday’s training due to a “rest day”. Then on Friday, coach Nick Sirianni initially said Hurts was dealing with an ankle injury before being reminded by a PR staffer that Hurts’ appointment was a rest day. Sirianni then said, “I thought you were talking about something else.” ESPN later reported that Hurts has been dealing with a mild ankle injury for a few weeks. Hurts, who has suffered numerous injuries in each of the past three seasons, is never in the mood to talk about that.

“I’m doing good,” Hurts said of his ankle on Sunday. “Did it seem like it hurt today?”

Little seemed painful for the Eagles. They left for the team jets without anything to warrant a proverbial limp. Which ultimately leads to a fifth and final number: Four. They only have a limited number of days left before they play host to the Commanders, their most challenging opponent yet.

“We’re not done yet,” Graham said. “We have a big one this week against a great, great team. They are hot right now. I just heard they lost, but they probably still marked us on the calendar for sure because we know they have to go through them as much as they have to go through us. We have to make sure we deliver it on Thursday.”

(Top photo of Cooper DeJean: Tim Heitman / Imagn Images)