Philly Leader

The Philadelphia Eagles secured a decisive 41-7 victory over the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field, clinching the NFC East title and ensuring at least the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs. This win marked their first sweep of Dallas in 13 years, improving their record to 13-3.

Key to this victory was safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who intercepted two passes from Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush. His first interception resulted in a touchdown that gave the Eagles an early lead. Gardner-Johnson emphasized the importance of fundamentals: "The more you go away from your fundamentals and technique... it's not going to go well."

Tight end Grant Calcaterra made a significant impact with a one-handed catch that helped ignite the Eagles' offense. Quarterback Kenny Pickett praised Calcaterra's performance: "[Eagles TE] Grant [Calcaterra] is a phenomenal player... He's a special, special player."

Pickett played effectively until he left due to injured ribs after being hit by Dallas linebacker Micah Parsons. Before his exit, Pickett completed 10 of 15 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown. Tanner McKee stepped in for his NFL debut, completing three out of four pass attempts with two touchdowns.

Head Coach Nick Sirianni commended both quarterbacks for their preparation and performance: "They deserve all that credit... They had some greatness from other guys out there."

Oren Burks started at linebacker in place of Nakobe Dean and contributed significantly with seven tackles and a forced fumble that led to an Eagles field goal.

Running back Saquon Barkley rushed for 167 yards on 31 carries, surpassing the 2,000-yard mark for the season and setting a franchise record for yards from scrimmage.

Barkley expressed gratitude towards his teammates: "I wouldn't be able to do that without this team... I'm just happy I was able to be part of the team."

The Eagles continued their pattern of scoring late in the first half and early in the second half, which has been instrumental throughout their successful season.