PHILADELPHIA — What the Dallas Cowboys put on film in their win over the Philadelphia Eagles was a master class of how they wished they'd balanced the offense through the previous six games of the season. Their 38-21 victory at Lincoln Financial Field featured a heavy dose of Javonte Williams and Tyler Goodson, and it paid immediate and long-term dividends — Williams finishing with the best outing of his career.
He beat the Eagles into submission, along with the help of a dominant performance from the offensive line, to the tune of 25 carries (season-high) for 155 rushing yards (career-high) with a game-sealing rushing touchdown, and he did it all while averaging 6.2 yards per game (season-high).
"It was good to give [head coach Brian Schottenheimer] the confidence to keep calling the runs," said Williams. "He made a big emphasis on that this week — to get at least 25 rushes in a game. … And the [offensive line] did a great job. The holes were wide open. and I was just running through it.
"And shout out to [Tyler Goodson], too. He's a great running back."
Mission accomplished on all fronts.
All told, not including the scrambles from Dak Prescott, the Cowboys ran the ball a total of 36 times, setting up the most efficient passing game of the season, one that featured three passing touchdowns from Prescott, two to CeeDee Lamb and one to George Pickens, and the two-dimensional attack both wore down the Vic Fangio's' defense and simultaneously kept them guessing.
"It was huge," Williams added. "We were just trying to get back to a balanced offense, and I feel like we did a great job tonight. … We've got a high-powered offense, and when you've got G.P., CeeDee, Jake Ferguson, those guys on the outside, I mean, it's going to open up the running."
This time, and as it should be going forward, until further notice, the rushing attack is what opened up the passing attack; and that's something that was sorely missed as the Cowboys fell to 2-4 on the season.
But, throughout those struggles, Williams never logged a complaint. He simply kept his head down, kept working and kept doing what the Cowboys asked him to do until, on Monday Night Football, they asked him to help take over the game.
And so, he did that, too.
"He's a true pro," said Prescott of Williams' impact. "One of the best teammates, the guy that does everything right, a smart football player, and a physical football player. He's a guy you gotta get in a groove, and I think that's probably one of the frustrating things for him in the last couple of weeks, is not getting that chance again and again to get in that groove.
"He can turn some of those two yard runs into six yard runs and so on and, tonight, he had that chance. And when you follow that offensive line, trust them, trust those blocks, that's the product you're gonna get."
The next goal for the Cowboys is to keep this gameplan as their baseline going forward, hoping to build off of it when the scrappy Arizona Cardinals come to town. But, for one night in Philadelphia, the Cowboys offense was exactly what it always had the potential to be:
A problem on the ground and in the air, and for four full quarters.
