What we learned from Eagles-Cowboys: Jonathan Gannon’s record vs. top quarterbacks remains suspect

The Eagles couldn’t overcome four turnovers and leaky pass coverage in a 40-34 shootout loss to the Cowboys on Saturday at AT&T Stadium. Win, lose, or draw, here’s what we learned:

As frustrating as it might have been to miss out on clinching the No. 1 seed at Dallas, the 13-2 Eagles still have two chances to secure the first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. And even if they were to lose both games, one of the 12-3 Vikings, 11-4 49ers, and 11-4 Cowboys have to win out to overtake them. The Eagles’ percentages to claim the NFC’s top spot merely dropped three percentage points — from 99 to 96 — after the loss. Despite not having Jalen Hurts, despite four giveaways, and despite a rash of injuries, victory was well within reach. Nick Sirianni and his coaches clearly have some issues to clean up on both sides of the ball. But it was a worthy effort against a divisional rival they could yet see a third time.

» READ MORE: Eagles lick their wounds while still in position to clinch the NFC East division title and No. 1 seed

In the bigger picture, the Cowboys had far more to lose and probably delivered their best performance of the season. But they needed uncharacteristic errors on offense and miscommunication on defense to outlast a squad that was without its MVP. In each of the Eagles’ two losses, they’ve turned the ball over four times. Giveaways haven’t been the norm, overall, but there have been seven the last two weeks, which could suggest a trend. If I’m Sirianni, I focus on the offensive positives: 442 total yards, 6.4 yards per play, and above-average conversion rates with a backup quarterback. And in terms of the defense, I’m happy the pass rush sacked Dak Prescott six times and Josh Sweat grabbed a pick six, and I acknowledge issues with the secondary while cognizant of the injuries that played a role in the breakdowns.

The Eagles, all of a sudden, have an overcrowded infirmary. Hurts, of course, is of primary concern. Sirianni has said Hurts has a chance to return in time for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints , but he said the same last week and Hurts never practiced. The original estimate I was given was that Hurts could be out for two games. The latest update is that it still would be a reach to expect him back so soon. If he’s completely healthy, he’ll play. But it’s unlikely he’ll be 100%, and then it becomes a question of whether it’s worth the risk. The above percentages and Gardner Minshew’s relative steadiness suggest it is not.

Lane Johnson’s condition is of only slightly less worry. He has an abdominal tendon tear that will sideline him for the rest of the regular season, NFL sources said. The Eagles hope he can be back by the postseason, but without surgery, there will likely be some level of pain management. Johnson left the New York Giants game early two weeks ago with an abdomen injury. It’s unclear if he further aggravated the same injury. While the term “sports hernia” has become popularized, an injury to a muscle, tendon, or ligament in the abdomen area isn’t a hernia. It’s a tear and it’s often painful. There isn’t a tougher guy, and aside from Hurts, there may not be a more important player on the roster. When he’s in the lineup, the Eagles are 72-44-1 (.620 winning percentage) and when he is not they are 12-20 (.375).

Let’s address the elephant in the room — a mind-boggling third-and-30 blown coverage — first. Question Jonathan Gannon’s Cover 2 call all you like, but if Josiah Scott does his job, T.Y. Hilton doesn’t likely get behind the secondary for a 52-yard grab. Scott said he was communicating the call as Dallas quickly snapped and was thus late to react to the receiver’s route. Some fans wanted cornerback Darius Slay to cover for his teammate, but that’s just not how it works. He was playing trail technique and was responsible for the curl-to-flat. Scott was supposed to have the deep half. Credit Prescott and Hilton, as well. They took advantage of a mistake.

But there was plenty of Prescott taking advantage of the Eagles. He completed all 24 of his passes for 300 yards and three touchdowns vs. zone looks, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats. That’s, uh, not good. So that would mean — gets calculator out — Prescott was just 3-of-11 for 47 yards and an interception vs. man defense. Gannon played a little more man than usual, but the disparity in numbers reflected an inability to adjust. The bigger problem, though, was the blown coverages. The Eagles entered with the No. 1 pass defense in the league and a lot of that had to do with Gannon’s matchup zones, which allow his defensive backs to switch off assignments. Pre-snap communication is key. So is chemistry. The Eagles, for the most part, have been able to survive injuries to slot cornerback Avonte Maddox and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. But when Maddox went down again on Saturday with a foot injury, the losses seemingly caught up to them against a better quarterback.

Scott struggled to fill Maddox’s slot-safety combo role. But the issues on the back end have been there for most of the season. Gardner-Johnson had covered up some of the problems with his instincts and athleticism, but Marcus Epps hasn’t compensated for his absence. Reed Blankenship’s lack of experience showed in Dallas. K’Von Wallace’s deficiencies in space forced personnel changes last week. Maddox was in a walking boot after his injury and has already been out six games this season. He’s missed 19 games to injury in his five-year career. Gardner-Johnson (lacerated kidney) could provide relief as he is eligible to come off injured reserve this week.

Now is not the time to panic. Gannon should have enough against New Orleans. The Andy Daltons of the NFL haven’t given him headaches. It’s top-tier quarterbacks who can pick apart his soft zones who have. Gannon’s defensive backs have been sound in executing his calls most of the season. But if the pass rush doesn’t get home — and there were some early lulls against the Cowboys — the better throwers of the league will find the schematic holes. Maybe Gannon didn’t want to show all his cards with the possibility of a postseason rematch. He didn’t get particularly exotic when it came to receiver CeeDee Lamb, who caught 10 of 11 targets for 120 yards and two touchdowns. But Gannon has yet to deliver a defining defensive exhibition against a top-shelf quarterback.

Minshew completed his first two passes to A.J. Brown for 57 yards, but he looked a little skittish to start. It had been over a year since his last meaningful start. So the Eagles were likely expecting some nervy moments. He threw an interception on his third pass and needlessly threw off his back leg on several other early attempts. Minshew was clearly conscious of Dallas’ pass rush, and understandably so. He overthrew a schemed-open Quez Watkins and later on needed spectacular catches by Dallas Goedert and DeVonta Smith to save high tosses.

» READ MORE: Taking Jalen Hurts’ place, Gardner Minshew misses an opportunity in Dallas

But he moved well in terms of avoiding pressure, whether in the pocket or outside of it, and made a number of strong throws, especially once his mechanics improved. He did especially well vs. the blitz, completing 8 of 8 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Overall, he wasn’t sacked once. Minshew’s two interceptions weren’t completely on him. Watkins was the intended receiver on both and his route on the second was egregiously sloppy. Cowboys defenders made splendid grabs, too, but Watkins also got out-muscled on both.

As efficiently as Minshew was running the offense, it was obvious that not having Hurts affected how the unit functioned. Miles Sanders (21 carries for 65 yards) didn’t have as many lanes to run through without Hurts as a plus-one factor in the run game. The Cowboys didn’t have to account for a scrambling quarterback and when Minshew was forced to take off there was an obvious downgrade. He threw for 355 yards and two touchdowns on 24 of 40 passes (60%) and did so by often throwing with anticipation. But any argument that claims Hurts is purely a product of a system and the talent around him lost further credence on Saturday.

They may have two of the most common last names in America, but there’s nothing ordinary about Brown and Smith. In Dallas, they became the first two receivers in team history to go over 1,000 yards and they did so in 15 games. The Dolphins are the only other team in the NFL to have two receivers over the milestone — Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle — this season. Brown now has 80 catches for 1,304 yards (16.3 avg. and 10 touchdowns, while Smith has 79 catches for 1,014 yards (12.8 avg.) and seven touchdowns. In the last four games, the former has 27 receptions for 473 yards and four scores, while Smith has 23 receptions for 405 yards and four scores.

“Swole” and “Skinny” Batman complement each other, as well. Brown wins in the air and can break tackles after the catch, while Smith runs precise routes and can make acrobatic grabs. I’m not sure which of Brown’s high-flying catches against the Cowboys was better — a toe-scraper just inside the sideline or a body-adjusting leaper over the middle — but both were spectacular. Despite their outward differences, both receivers have the ability to stretch defenses and to make catches in traffic. With Goedert’s return, the Eagles have maybe the best trio of ball catchers in the league. The tight end, to some surprise, saw only three passes come his way in his first game back. But he caught all three for 67 yards. This season, he’s caught 46 of 56 targets and has the best catch ratio (82.1%) of any receiver or tight end in the NFL.

The Eagles now have 60 sacks and are three away from breaking the franchise mark set in 1989. They likely want to accomplish the feat without the additional 17th game. The Eagles became the third team ever to have three players with double-digit sacks — Haason Reddick (14), Sweat (11), and Javon Hargrave (10) — and if Brandon Graham (9) gets one more, they would be the first team with four. … Sirianni has done well with game management this season, but having Minshew spike the ball after Smith’s 22-yard catch with 34 seconds left was probably the wrong decision. The Eagles had one timeout remaining and needed the down more than time in that situation. Minshew threw three incompletions and Prescott kneeled out the remaining 14 seconds to end the game. … It might be time to move Grant Calcaterra ahead of Jack Stoll on the tight end depth chart. His blocking has improved and he gives the Eagles a greater threat in the pass game.