The Micah Parsons Trade Didn't Cost The Cowboys On Thursday. Their Offense Did.

After a shocking waste and acquisition connected nan eve of nan NFL regular season, each eyes were connected nan Dallas Cowboys defense and really they would execute without protect extremity Micah Parsons against nan Philadelphia Eagles connected Thursday.

After a shoddy start, nan Cowboys’ defense really held their ain successful a 24-20 nonaccomplishment to nan defending champion Eagles. Dallas’ offense, connected nan different hand, was arguably overmuch much responsible for nan squad falling to 0-1 to commencement nan year.

In nan first half of Thursday’s game, nan Cowboys appeared to beryllium pursuing nan book astir expected for them aft Parsons — 1 of nan game’s elite walk rushers — was traded to nan Green Bay Packers connected Aug. 28: The discourtesy was humming while nan defense was getting sliced up. Dallas scored connected each of its first 4 possessions against Philadelphia, but nan defense surrendered 3 touchdowns connected 3 drives, putting nan Cowboys astatine a 21-20 disadvantage astatine halftime.

The 2nd half was a different story.

Dallas surrendered only 3 points successful nan last 30 minutes, and made up for a deficiency of walk unreserved by sending much predominant blitzes to unit Eagles backmost Jalen Hurts. With a stout secondary, nan strategy yet paid dividends.

For nan game, nan Cowboys held Hurts to only 152 yards passing, held prima moving backmost Saquon Barkley to only 60 yards rushing (a full that would person been his 2nd lowest past season), and held wideouts DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown to only 24 yards receiving combined.

The beardown protect effort gave Dallas’ discourtesy 4 opportunities to return nan lead successful nan 2nd half, but Dak Prescott and Co. faltered each time.

On nan Cowboys’ first thrust of nan 3rd quarter, they managed to get wrong nan Eagles’ 15-yard statement earlier a Miles Sanders fumble gave nan shot backmost to Philadelphia.

On Dallas’s adjacent possession, nan squad punted pursuing a driblet by prima receiver CeeDee Lamb connected 3rd down — a imaginable conversion that alternatively went correct done Lamb’s hands.

Then, aft some sides traded punts, nan Cowboys had nan shot trailing 24-20 pinch 3:02 to go, but turned nan shot complete connected downs aft only 7 plays. Lamb erstwhile again dropped a cleanable walk from Prescott during nan drive, and connected Dallas’ last violative snap, Lamb couldn’t make a difficult diving play connected a 4th-and-3 heavy changeable down nan near sideline.

Prescott started nan crippled connected fire, completing 12 of his first 17 passes for 127 yards. But successful nan 2nd half — successful portion owed to nan captious drops — he completed only 9 of 17 attempts for 61 yards.

The defense held up its extremity of nan bargain successful crunch time, allowing Philadelphia only 86 yards of discourtesy successful nan 2nd half.

Of course, if nan Cowboys could person stopped nan Eagles successful nan first half, possibly their separator of correction would person been larger successful nan 3rd and 4th quarters. But considering really wide Dallas was criticized for shipping distant Parsons, its defense really gave nan squad plentifulness of opportunities to triumph Thursday night.

For 1 game, astatine least, it was nan discourtesy that was lacking successful nan game’s biggest moments.