Eagles-Cowboys takeaways: Nick Sirianni is leading a juggernaut; the defense forces five turnovers

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Eagles left AT&T Stadium with another emphatic win and a need to flip the page quickly with an important matchup against the Washington Commanders fast approaching in a short week.

Sunday’s 34-6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, the Eagles’ fifth straight win coming out of an early bye week, puts them firmly in front of the NFC East going into Thursday night’s game against the plucky 7-3 Commanders.

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, here’s what we learned from the Eagles’ latest victory:

» READ MORE: Eagles’ Jalen Hurts played unevenly, but his resilience is what mattered in win vs. Cowboys

Against the stark contrast of the reeling Cowboys, it was difficult to miss how well-drilled the Eagles were for most of Sunday’s blowout win.

After a shaky start to the season that featured missed tackles, turnovers, and mental miscues aplenty, it’s only fair to acknowledge that Eagles coach Nick Sirianni has this group playing with the fundamentals he so often harps on.

The Eagles are growing into a juggernaut. They’re fourth in the NFL in point differential at plus-72 and have a chance to clear No. 3 Washington in a few days. We’ve seen Sirianni excel leading these types of teams in the past, but the turnaround is what’s worth focusing on first.

This is a defense that managed just four takeaways in its first seven games but forced five on Sunday. I’ve been skeptical in the past about the influence coaching has on turnover luck. Even Sunday featured a fluky fumble from Cooper Rush that went the Eagles’ way, but most of the game’s takeaways affirm which team watched cut-ups of turnovers across the NFL and in college and which one most likely hadn’t.

“I think good teams learn from their mistakes, and great teams learn from everybody’s mistakes,” Sirianni said. “You can watch situational football throughout the league and say, ‘Here’s what this team did in this scenario’ and you can get better from that. And you can do the same thing with fundamentals.”

Beyond the turnovers, there are several habits that help determine the rising ceiling for this team, particularly on defense. The group that was charged with 16 missed tackles by its own defensive coordinator against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4 smothered the Cowboys’ skill-position players for just 11 first downs, 146 yards, and zero touchdowns. Offensively, the Eagles have built a system that more effectively forces opposing defenses to choose between committing to stop Saquon Barkley or containing A.J. Brown.

For as much criticism as Sirianni has received in the last 12 months, and fairly so, his 41-19 record through 3½ seasons and the way the Eagles are playing clearly illustrate the other side. The sample size of this five-game winning streak is now greater than the one that started the regular season, when the team struggled to shed the rust of an idle preseason and the types of mental errors that are so infrequent now.

“I wouldn’t say it’s rocky,” Barkley said Sunday when reflecting on the 2-2 start. “I think you guys made it seem rocky. No offense. You guys are doing your job, but panic outside the locker room was from outside the locker room. It wasn’t in here. We had no panic. We kind of treated it like the preseason games to be honest. That was kind of the mindset. We were like, all right, we’re done with preseason, now let’s go get things shaking.”

The sloppy start to the season raised the temperature on Sirianni, and rightly so. But the coach has shown he can manage a team playing at a high level before, and that’s exactly where the Eagles find themselves through nine games.

It’s far enough into the season to declare that this year’s Eagles defense is built unlike any in recent memory: back-to-front.

Sunday’s dominant performance needs multiple qualifiers. Rush’s first start in place of Dak Prescott was disastrous enough for him to get benched in the third quarter, CeeDee Lamb seemingly lost track of a potential touchdown pass because of the sunlight beaming through the glass at AT&T Stadium and obstructing his vision, and the Cowboys generally have not been good offensively so far this season.

Still, Dallas’ offensive struggles should not cloud the fact that the group still has a handful of good players, with Lamb being chief among them. It’s not all that surprising that Lamb’s matchup against Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell didn’t yield big production for the All-Pro wideout, which showcases how quickly the two rookies have become impact players for a defense sorely in need of them.

» READ MORE: Zack Attack: The Eagles’ turnover bonanza vs. Cowboys was sparked by bargain LB Zack Baun

The Eagles pass rush has been up and down this season, but the constant for the defense since the bye week has been that pair of rookies along with the rest of the secondary playing at a reliably high level. That and the Eagles getting rock-solid linebacker play from Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean, with the former consistently proving to be one of the defense’s best players each week.

It’s unfamiliar territory for the Eagles, who have typically overspent on the defensive front at the expense of the back end and the linebacker spots under general manager Howie Roseman. It’s fair to wonder if the lack of a dominant pass rusher could haunt them against the league’s elite teams, but it’s a formula that’s working for now.

The confounding first year of Bryce Huff with the Eagles took another few turns against Dallas, some predictable and others less so.

A week removed from playing just six snaps against the Jaguars at least partially due to a wrist injury suffered before the game, Huff was once again used sparingly against Dallas and wore a cast around his left hand. Even Eagles rookie Jalyx Hunt, who was quickly labeled a developmental prospect who may need a year or two before playing much by Roseman in April, has overtaken Huff in the rotation for the time being. The third-round rookie played 25 defensive snaps on Sunday to Huff’s 12.

Even after falling out of favor while being slightly hampered the last two weeks, Huff still flashed enough to suggest there’s still a path to him regaining the form he had with the New York Jets. Shedding Cowboys tackle Terence Steele with a club move befitting the wrap on his other hand, Huff shot inside the pocket and punched the ball loose from Trey Lance. Especially considering Huff’s troubles overcoming his smaller frame out on the edge this season, seeing him use speed to power like he did on the play is an encouraging step.

It might not be enough for him to regain the role the team envisioned for him this offseason, but he’s got to start somewhere.

Fourth-quarter rest, up: The Eagles were able to rest most of their starters because of the lopsided score on Sunday, a good thing considering the major test that looms on Thursday. The playoff push won’t begin for another month, but the upcoming matchup with the Commanders will certainly have playoff implications and also begins a stretch against the types of teams the Eagles will need to beat to get where they want to go a few months from now. For as much as we’ve learned so far this season, this upcoming set of games, which includes contests against the Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens, will teach us that much more.

Zack Baun, up: Baun was mentioned earlier, but he’s worth a second mention. Dean called Baun’s recent showings “meat and potatoes linebacker play,” which is fitting because he’s been a steady contributor while also making splash plays. He led the team with eight tackles, forced two fumbles, recovered another, broke up two passes, and made several backfield run stuffs. The Eagles made a good bet on Baun’s conversion to off-ball linebacker, now they’d be wise to sign him to a long-term deal.