PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) -- It wasn't pretty by any means, and the Eagles know it.
Despite committing four turnovers (all by Carson Wentz), the Eagles found a way to get past the Cowboys as they came away with a 23-9 victory. The Eagles faced a Dallas squad, which appears to be ready to collapse after several blowout losses. The four Eagles turnovers kept the game close before they put the game away in the fourth quarter.
Coach Doug Pederson knows despite the team's first place status, there is a lot which needs to be corrected as the Eagles head into their bye week.
"We've got to get better," said Pederson. "We've got to fix it. We've got to fix it in a hurry. We've got a chance to sit back and look at the first eight games and evaluate and try to come away with some 'whys,' but we just can't keep turning the ball over and shooting ourselves in the foot, things we've got to clean up in the second half of the season."
The Eagles trailed at halftime, 9-7, before shutting out the Cowboys in the second half. All of the Dallas points came on field goals in the first half. However, the Eagles took the lead on a touchdown catch by Travis Fulgham, then put the game away on Rodney McLeod's fumble return.
Brandon Graham and the defense had a field day against Ben DiNucci. The Dallas rookie quarterback struggled throughout the game as Graham and his teammates tightened up in the red zone all night.
"We knew it was going to be a battle," Graham said. "But we held strong when it came down to holding them in the red zone, and I’m happy that we stuck together during those times."
Wentz's struggles were especially concerning in the victory. The man who once seemed poised to be part of the next great generation of quarterbacks fumbled twice and was intercepted twice. These mistakes will eventually catch up to Wentz, and he knows he has to be better over the final eight games.
"I’m not good enough," said Wentz. "I’m pumped we got the win, but I’m going to have to watch the tape. And I’m a little frustrated with how I played and how we’ve left some plays out there, left some points out there, and missed some big opportunities. I can be better. I know I will be."
Wentz will need to improve after the bye week as the Eagles face one of the toughest schedules for the final eight weeks of the season. A performance by Wentz against a host of teams better than the Cowboys will result in losses instead of wins. Wentz will take some time off but will eventually have to find a way to clean up his mistakes.
"It’s a long season," Wentz said. "With everything going on with the world these days, guys really need to take the time off. We’ll have a couple work days, and we’ll capitalize on those, make the most of them, and get better."