Contrary to prior guarantees, the Philadelphia Eagles did not go into Dallas, win on "Sunday Night Football" and take control of the NFC East. In fact, it wasn't even close.
Eagles coach Doug Pederson bookended the week leading up to Philly's 37-10 prime-time loss to Dallas by making (and immediately walking back) a promise to beat the Cowboys and then shouldering the blame for the lopsided defeat.
"I just felt like I had a lot of confidence in this football team," Pederson told reporters following the loss. "A lot of trust, a lot of faith in the guys. We had a good week of preparation.
"Quite honestly, after a game like this, we all have to step back, look in the mirror, especially myself, it starts with me. This is one of those games that you know I take personal from that standpoint. We didn't play well, That's personal on me. I've got to get that fixed."
The Eagles got off to a miserable start, losing two fumbles in the first six minutes, both of which Dallas turned into touchdowns. Philadelphia never rebounded, giving up 27 points in the first half and losing by that margin in the end.
For DeMarcus Lawrence, who promised to shut Pederson up, Sunday night was extra sweet. Not just because of the coach's comments, but also those of Cowboys fans.
"It wasn't just his comments," Lawrence told NFL Network's Jane Slater. "I watch Twitter, I watch Instagram, so just seeing the fans talking all this mess about I ain't get no sacks on Lane (Johnson) and stuff. So it's just more fuel to the fire. Just wanted to go out there and show the world what we made of."
Lawrence entered Sunday without a sack against Philadelphia in nine tries but finally got his first in the first quarter, forcing a fumble of Prescott in the process. Asked whether he still had words for Pederson after his big game, Lawrence let his play speak for itself.
"Nah, it's over. I feel like he got a statement today," Lawrence told NBC Sports' Michele Tafoya. "So we're gonna let him go sleep on it."
Ezekiel Elliott, who ran over Philadelphia to the tune of 111 yards and a score, spoke for the entire Cowboys locker room after moving to 4-3 and into a one-game lead atop the division.
"We don't need another man to get us fired up," Elliott told reporters. "It was just the energy here. The fans came out ready. As soon as we came out on the field today in pregame warmups, I could feel energy from the crowd. So the fans got us pumped and we were pumped for this division game.
"It's NFC East football. What do you expect?"
Dallas goes into its bye in a comfortable position in the NFC East, with a 3-0 division record and one win against each rival.
The same cannot be said for 3-4 Philly who play Buffalo, Chicago, New England and Seattle over the next five weeks. How confident will the Eagles be after that stretch? There's no guarantee.
