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 /

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Oct 30, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) runs the ball against Philadelphia Eagles free safety Rodney McLeod (23) in the third quarter at AT&T Stadium. Dallas Cowboys won 29-23. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Keep Running the Football

The Dallas Cowboys didn’t have the fast start they’ve become accustomed to in recent weeks. Though they showed they were able to come from behind to win the game, the running game should have been used even more.

It was no secret that Dak Prescott wasn’t having his best game. In fact, through regulation, it might have been his worst game of his very short NFL career. That said, he did prove he was capable of being calm under pressure and win the game.

My question is, should he even have been in that position? Did the Cowboys run the football enough to take pressure off Prescott? Between Ezekiel Elliott and Alfred Morris, there should have been more than 25 carries given out on Sunday night. Elliott finished with 22 carries for 96 yards and no touchdowns, while Morris had only three carries for six yards. Prescott carried the ball seven times for 38 yards and a touchdown, too.

Remember when Prescott threw the interception in the end zone? Why didn’t the Cowboys run the football there with Elliott? It was second-and-goal on the 7-yard line and the Cowboys lined up in a shotgun formation. It still doesn’t make sense. If the Cowboys would have run the football there, the entire landscape of the game could have changed.

But the team got the win, which is what is most important. But it would have been nice to see even more of the run like the Cowboys did on the final drive where they mixed both the pass and the run and had success doing so.

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