NFL Week 9: Dak and Dallas in disarray; Jonathan Gannon in first place; Lamar Jackson even better
Eagles fans are licking their chops during Dallas Week. The Cowboys have lost three straight and Dak Prescott has used colorful language to describe just how much they stink.
As they walked down the stairs outside of Lincoln Financial Field, a chant arose from Eagles fans:
“We want Dal-las!”
Why wouldn’t they?
Anyone with a Philly connection knows that Dallas Week begins as soon as the final gun sounds on the previous week’s game, and Dallas Week could hardly come at a better time for Bird brains.
The Eagles are 6-2 and have won four in a row since returning from the bye. Jalen Hurts is playing off the charts. The third-ranked defense has allowed an average of 11 points per game during the winning streak. (The defense can’t be blamed for a blocked punt against Cleveland and a fumble against Jacksonville, both of which were returned for touchdowns.)
» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts saves Nick Sirianni’s bacon in a messy Eagles win over the Jaguars and Doug Pederson
The Cowboys, meanwhile, are 3-5. They lost their third straight game Sunday, in Atlanta, in the comical style that has become their trademark this season: They botched a fake punt and had a fourth-down jet sweep implode. That wasn’t the worst of it.
Dak Prescott, their $240 million quarterback, left the game with a hamstring injury and won’t play against the Eagles. He was captured on the sideline telling a teammate, “We [expletive] suck!”
Agreed.
CeeDee Lamb, their $136 million receiver, left with a shoulder injury. Ezekiel Elliott, their prodigal star running back, has been so unproductive and so unprofessional in his return that he was a healthy scratch Sunday for the first time in his career; in fact, the Cowboys left him back in Texas.
Their offense is compromised. Their defense is the sixth-worst in the league by yardage allowed and second-worst by points allowed.
And while the Eagles are fretting over receiver A.J. Brown, who missed the second half Sunday with a knee injury, Mekhi Becton returned from a concussion and Dallas Goedert looked good enough leaving the locker room to prompt questions about whether he’d be available next week in Big D.
“That’s the plan,” Goedert said.
Good plan.
A tale of two QBS
How hot is the Lions’ Jared Goff? No quarterback in NFL history has, over a six-game span, carried a 140.1 passer rating and completed at least 82.8% of his pass attempts. The Lions are 7-1.
Conversely, Packers franchise man Jordan Love threw a silly pick-six near the end of the first half against Detroit. The interception was his 10th of the season, which leads the league, including at least one interception in each of the Pack’s games. They are 6-3.
Who’s No. 1? Really?
A year after going 4-13 as a rookie head coach, former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon already has the Cardinals at 5-4 and on top of the NFC West, with the woeful Jets on deck and a bye the week after. The Cards handed the surprising Bears (4-4) a 29-9 loss.
Despite leading the Rams, 49ers, and Seahawks, Gannon’s team is nothing special, besides its running game and a solid year from QB Kyler Murray. Don’t blink, though. All of the other teams in the conference have four wins, and when they come off the bye, the Cards have a home-and-home with Seattle sandwiching a trip to Minnesota. The Vikings are 6-2.
King Henry rising
Ravens back Derrick Henry collected his 100th and 101st rushing touchdowns Sunday, bursting into the top 10 all-time and pushing past century men Shaun Alexander and Marshall Faulk. He’s three behind John Riggins and five behind Jim Brown. Everyone in front of Henry is in the Hall of Fame except Adrian Peterson, who won’t be eligible until 2027.
Extra points
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, two-time and reigning MVP, is having an appreciably better season than he did last year. He will approach 1,000 yards rushing for the third time and the first since 2020 and has thrown 20 TD passes and just two interceptions, but he has been overshadowed by Henry’s run toward immortality. ... After a three-touchdown day at home against the Texans on Thursday night, Aaron Rodgers has a 114.9 passer rating in his last two games. He began the season with an 82.2 passer rating through seven games. ... The Vikings, who started 5-0, broke a two-game losing streak with a three-TD day from Sam Darnold, who beat fellow should-be-a-backup Joe Flacco and the Colts. ... A late field goal was the difference in the Bills’ win over the Dolphins, who now are 2-6. Which two-win Florida coach gets cut loose first: Miami’s Mike McDaniel or Jacksonville’s Doug Pederson?