Merry Christmas, Cowboys: Without Jalen Hurts, Eagles gift-wrap a win

ARLINGTON, Texas — Merry Christmas, Cowboys.

The Eagles gave away a win in the biggest game of their season. They could have earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the first-round bye. They could have locked up the NFC East title.

The Eagles led by 10 points in the third quarter. They led by seven midway through the fourth. And they lost, 40-34. The defense was as generous as Scrooge after his three-ghost epiphany, but two interceptions and two fumbles led to 20 of the Cowboys’ points, and that’s where the game was lost.

“We definitely let one go,” said receiver DeVonta Smith, who had his fifth career 100-yard game and his second two-touchdown day. “You’re not going to win the game turning the ball over four times. It was nothing that they did. Everything was one us.”

They flew home as sad as Cindy Lou Who. It should have been a much happier holiday.

It would have been happier if they’d had “system quarterback” Jalen Hurts, who missed the game with a sprained throwing shoulder. Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons diminished Hurts’ MVP run two weeks ago with the aforementioned descriptor, and was clearly proven wrong Saturday night.

» READ MORE: Blood feud begins: Micah Parsons gives Jalen Hurts and Eagles another reason to hate the Cowboys

Hurts will probably miss the next game, too, when the Saints visit on Jan 1.

It had better be a better New Year’s Day, because the Night Before Christmas in the Eagles’ locker room was utterly bleak. Angry. Downright Grinchy.

“Shot ourselves in the foot, man,” said left tackle Jordan Mailata. “Simple handling errors. Stuff that we’ve drilled every day.”

It was the second time the Eagles turned the ball over four times. They lost that game, too, against Washington on Nov. 14.

“[Bleep], man, that’s terrible,” Mailata said.

Indeed.

“I can’t even find the words,” he said. Mailata running out of words is like the Pacific running out of water. “You feel dumbfounded.”

He wasn’t alone.

On the most joyous day of the year, they left their city in disappointed shock. Bitter Christmas to all. It was not a good night.

The Eagles could have given the Philadelphia region, not to mention Hurts, a lovely present: Three weeks of utter inconsequence with a franchise-record 14th win of the season. Philly fans could have nestled, all snug in their beds, as visions of Super Bowls danced in their heads.

» READ MORE: Eagles-Cowboys analysis: Turnovers doom the Birds in Dallas as a chance to clinch the NFC East falls short

Instead, they gift-wrapped a win for the Cowboys, their only real threat to take the top seed and the East title. Now, with Hurts still hurt, all bets are off.

Especially if the Eagles remain this inefficient. They entered with just 13 turnovers and the best turnover differential in the NFL. Not only did they give it away four times, they gave it away twice in the fourth quarter.

Turnovers weren’t the only issue.

The defense, ranked No. 2 entering the game, melted like snowmen. It entered the game ranked No. 1 against the pass. Then Dak Prescott threw for a season-high 347 yards and a season-high three touchdowns. After sacking Prescott on consecutive plays, the Eagles gave up a 52-yard bomb on third-and-30.

All that said, Dallas does not stink — the Cowboys are 11-4 — and the Eagles weren’t awful.

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The Birds scored 34 points; the offense, without Hurts, scored 27. The defense sacked Prescott six times and got a 42-yard pick-6 from defensive end Josh Sweat.

But, in the end, their spirit of giving was simply too much.

Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew finished with 355 yards and two touchdowns, but he wasn’t good enough often enough. Neither was the rest of the team.

He threw an inexcusable interception in the second quarter — a soft-floater pass to a soft-floater receiver, Quez Watkins. Dallas later scored a touchdown.

In the third quarter, backup running back Boston Scott dropped a simple handoff. Minshew tried to take the blame, but Scott said it should be shared. Regardless, Dallas later scored a touchdown.

Minshew threw another pick in the fourth, which the Cowboys used to go ahead, 37-34.

Finally, Miles Sanders fumbled for the second time in as many weeks, deep in Eagles territory, with just over two minutes to play.

“I gotta hold the ball. Bad situation, fumbled at the wrong time. I take full responsibility,” Sanders said. He was despondent. “Nobody else’s fault but mine. I had the ball clearly in my hands. I just have to hold onto the ball.”

The miscues were basic. They were committed by veterans who know better. Only one play — Minshew’s second pick — could be classified as unavoidable.

It was a shame.

They wasted a brilliant offensive game plan by coach Nick Sirianni and excellent play-calling from offensive coordinator Shane Steichen. They committed to the run, designed plays Minshew could handle, and leaned on Smith, who caught eight passes for 113 yards and those two TDs. A.J. Brown had 103 yards. Tight end Dallas Goedert, in his first game back after missing five with a shoulder injury, had three catches for 67 yards.

For naught.

Can they win again without Hurts? After all, it’s just the Saints, then the Giants.

No.

Not with Jonathan Gannon’s defense giving up big play after big play. Not with the offense giving up the ball on series after series. And certainly not against a Dallas team that has proven to be the NFC’s second-best, with a 7-2 record, since Prescott returned from injury on Oct. 30.

The way things were going Saturday night, the Eagles were lucky to fly back to Philly without hitting Santa.