Dallas Cowboys: 5 Takeaways from Week 8 Win Over Eagles

Oct 30, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (82) celebrates his overtime touchdown catch with quarterback Dak Prescott (4) against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys beat the Eagles 29-23. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (82) celebrates his overtime touchdown catch with quarterback Dak Prescott (4) against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys beat the Eagles 29-23. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
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Oct 30, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Marcus Smith (90) sacks Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) in the first quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Marcus Smith (90) sacks Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) in the first quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

5. Improvement Needed in Pass Blocking

The Philadelphia Eagles used their blitz packages to stump Dak Prescott during their game on Sunday night. However, it was evident that pressure needs to be stopped more effectively than what it was. Sure, there were things Prescott could have done better, too, but the pass rush through regulation was giving this offensive line fits.

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Maybe some of it was the fact the Eagles knew the Cowboys had to throw the football when they trailed by 10 points (with a rookie quarterback), but the offensive line, for as great as their run blocking skills are, still needs to watch out for what could happen if all doesn’t pick up correctly when the opponent blitzes.

Even with troubles handling the pass rush, two Cowboys had very high grades from Pro Football Focus this past week in left tackle Tyron Smith and center Travis Frederick, who each graded around 80.44 (out of 100) for the week. That said, with the edge rushing of the Eagles, right tackle Doug Free struggled with a grade of 27.1.

Prescott was sacked twice for a loss of 14 yards, which is the second consecutive game that has occurred for the Cowboys. The question is: Will things get better with pass rush projection? With the talent this offensive line has, I believe so, and this upcoming week, even against the Cleveland Browns, the Cowboys better be careful because Cleveland does have some talent at linebacker.