'TNF' takeaways: Eagles hang on thanks to ugly second half from Cowboys star 

He had an earlier drop on that drive that was even more egregious. 

The Cowboys had their chances, and they had their big-money player in positions to make game-changing plays. He could not make them.

Dallas' other big-name receiver, offseason acquisition George Pickens, also had a tough night catching just three passes for 30 yards while also committing a major 15-yard penalty.

None of this is what Dallas had in mind when they put that duo together.

Jalen Hurts still finds ways to win

The Eagles passing game did not really find its stride on Thursday, which was a problem at times during the 2024 season. But it rarely stopped the Eagles from finding success. That is another trend that continued on Thursday — they still managed to win.

Hurts did not have a huge game throwing the ball, completing 19-of-23 passes for only 152 yards and no touchdowns, but he still made enough big plays to help lift the Eagles. Including plays with his feet.

Hurts ended up rushing for a team-leading 62 yards, while also scoring two touchdowns on the ground and picking up the game-clinching first down in the fourth quarter.

Eagles have big injury concern on offensive line

The status of Eagles guard Landon Dickerson going into Thursday night was very much in doubt, and even though he started and played most of the game he still ended up leaving mid-way through the fourth quarter.

That's a problem and concern for the Eagles.

The Eagles' offensive line is a huge part of their identity — and success — and if he has to miss any time that is going to be a significant blow to their offense. The offense struggled mightily after he left the game. 

Cowboys run defense took a while to figure things out

The argument the Cowboys tried to sell with the Micah Parsons trade was that by getting Kenny Clark it would help them do a better job of stopping the run. 

That did not really happen for much of Thursday's game, as they allowed the Eagles to run for 158 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries. 

Most of that damage was done through the first three-and-a-half quarters, and it was not until Dallas started to stack the line and dare the Eagles to beat it through the air that it was able to finally start slowing Philadelphia down. Dickerson's injury also seemed to be a big turning point. 

At the end of the day, however, the Cowboys still allowed Philly to score on its first four possessions of the game and sacked Hurts just one time. They still missed Parsons in a big way.