CHIRPING BIRDS- EAGLES VS COWBOYS

My take on the Eagles' destruction of Dallas, 37-9...

* The opening kickoff cost the Birds in two ways. They gave up a return to their own 35-yard line, plus, the Eagle kicker, Jake Elliot, made a TD saving tackle which gave him a concussion. He later missed a 34-yard field goal and stayed out of the game with a head injury.

It looked like special teams might be the downfall of the Eagles- until they exploded in the second half.

* The defense played great again. If championship teams are built on great defenses, the Eagles have what it takes. The defense kept the team in the game in the first half while the offense struggled. In the second half the defense completely shut-out the "Boys.

As always, turnovers were a key, as Philly intercepted two passes ( the score could've been even more lop-sided if the birds would've capitalized on the turnovers)and returned a fumble for a back-breaking touchdown late in the game.

CB Ronald Darby returned from a dislocated ankle and  not only led the team in tackles but also intercepted a  Dak Prescott pass.

The defensive line kept pressure on Prescott all night, and although the run defense wasn't quite up to it's usually standards ( surprising, with Elliot out, the Cowboys could never get any offensive consistency.

TE Jason Whitten was a non-factor. WR Dez Bryant caught 6 passes but his yardage was limited. Once the Eagles were up by 14 points, you never had the feeling that Dallas would come back. They simply didn't have the firepower and the eagles defense was just playing too well.

*  Credit Coach Pederson and his staff for making adjustments at halftime. One of the major criticisms about previous coaches Andy Reid and Chip Kelly were they didn't make adjustments very well. Time management was always an issue, and things like time-outs and challenges really hasn't been a problem for Pederson.

* Elliot missed a crucial 34-yard FG in the first half, which temporarily gave Dallas momentum. Depending on whether he passes concussion protocol this week, we may see former kicker Caleb Sturgis again. If Elliot is healthy, it will be interesting to see who does the kicking duties for the remainder of the year.

* The Eagles clearly were a bit rusty in the first quarter after their bye week, dropping passes like last year, with Carson Wentz hitting his first five passes, then missing his next five. But again, once they got their feet on the ground, the Eagles were composed and businesslike.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys quit. They are 5-5 and in turmoil, in danger of not making the playoffs. Nobody likes Cowboy owner Jerry Jones - even the other owners can't stand him now. Their coach should've been fried a long time ago, but really, Jones runs the team, so as long as he owns the Cowboys they will win a Super Bowl.

Most of all, Dallas simply quit, at home, in a must-win game, on national TV. Maybe they realized that Philadelphia is simply a better team, but to play like dogs as they did/ The eagles took their heart away, which makes bearing Dallas that much more satisfying.

* I wrote here, when the Eagles were 4-1, they may be a team of destiny. Everything seemed to be going their way. Why not the eagles? Now, talk about the playoffs and the Super Bowl is even being discussed by the national media.

*Refreshingly, the refs were no factor at all last night. Only five penalties were accepted. Doesn't the game flow much better than all of the constant flags you see from other stupid officials?

* Interesting situation last night after kicker Elliot was ruled out for the rest of the game. Would punter Donnie Jones do the placekicking? No, Coach Pederson simply went for manageable 4th downs and converted 3 of 4 two-point tries. Glad the game didn't come down to a last-second field goal try. I think once the Birds' coaches found out that Elliot was gone, they put the pedal to the metal with the offense, determined not to allow the game get too uncomfortably close.

* Carson Wentz is clearly ahead of Dak Prescott as a quarterback. Prescott is good, but he benefits from a better running game and offensive line, although this season, the Eagles have the upper-hand in both departments.Prescott still needs to work on his pocket presence. He throws the ball great on the run. There's a reason why he was drafted in the fourth round. but it will be fun, knowing the Wentz-Prescott rivalry will go on at least twice a years for years to come.

So what does it all mean? For the Eagles, they go 9-1, 4-0 in the NFC east, which they will win, make the playoffs and now can set their sights on getting an all-important first-round playoff bye and home field advantage.An Eagle win next Sunday afternoon against the Bears- very likely- and a Cowboy loss to the Chargers on Thanksgiving-possible, and a Redskin loss at home Thanksgiving night vs the Giants-probably won't happen, would give the birds the NFC East title.

It will happen soon. After the Chicago game at the Linc next Sunday, the Birds go on the dreaded west coast swing to Seattle 9 not what they once were, with both Chancellor and Sherman out on defense), and the LA Rams ( I'm still not convinced in the Rams, especially after Minnesota smoked them yesterday).

The third game of the road trip is in New York to play the terrible Giants. Division game or not,the Birds will have too much to play for to ever lose that game. Follow that up with two final home games- Christmas night vs the Raiders, who seem disinterested this year and may have checked out by then, and a return match-up with Dallas on New Year's Eve which may also prove to  be meaningless.

Maybe a loss in Seattle, but who else on the schedule can beat them/ 14-2 looks really good.

We will wrap-up the entire week in the NFL tomorrow. Teams are starting to separate themselves . The Patriots and Steelers clearly look like the best teams in the AFC. Who will get home field advantage is the key, so their week 15 showdown in Pittsburgh will tell a lot about who gets to face the Eagles in the Super Bowl.

As for the NFC, it's always good to see Washington lose, however New Orleans is now 8-2 after a miracle comeback \victory, and the Vikings are 8-2, with a huge game on Thanksgiving Day against the host Lions.

As long as the Eagles don't let up, get a bye and at least one or two home playoffs games, they must be considered  the favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl in February.

Imagine the party and the hype leading up to the game. Imagine the championship parade down Broad Street with millions of people lining the streets, ending up at Lincoln Financial Field for a celebration to end all celebrations.