For the first time this year, the Eagles suffered a road loss after a 40-34 defeat to the Cowboys on Saturday, and turnovers were the biggest reason. 

The Eagles finished with four turnovers— two fumbles and two interceptions. The one that arguably hurt the most came when the Eagles were trailing 37-34. Miles Sanders fumbled, and set up the Cowboys for a field goal. The Gardner Minshew interception before that was just as deflating. Both led to points. It was a killer.

The Eagles beat themselves.

It’s just that simple. 

The Eagles allowed a season-high 40 points, and most came after turnovers. Teams cannot win giving up the ball that many times, backup quarterback or not. The Eagles gave up 20 points on turnovers, and the six at the end after being tied 34-34 was just heartbreaking. Any team cannot win giving up that many points.

The Eagles started the game great with a Josh Sweat interception return for a touchdown to go up 10-0. A breakdown in the defense allowed the Cowboys to go up 14-10. The score was 17-17 at one point, and the Eagles led 20-17 at halftime.

It’s hard to just point to Minshew for the loss. Despite his two interceptions, he still finished with 355 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a score. He was not terrible. Yes, not having Jalen Hurts wasn’t ideal, but quarterback play wasn’t the entire issue.

The defense was a bigger issue, despite holding the Cowboys to two late field goals after turnovers to keep the team in contention. But the defense has a lot to answer for. Third-and-30 late in the fourth quarter, and they let Dallas convert? That just cannot happen. The Eagles either allowed third conversions on long third downs and committed untimely penalties.

The defense and turnovers cost this game. 

Right now, it’s just tough to take as a fan. I understand, trust me. I was watching the game with my family while celebrating Christmas Eve, as most of you probably were. I’m also upset because I lost my fantasy semifinals after winning the championship last year . … I’m getting off track. 

The Eagles are ok! They are going to beat the Saints next week, and clinch the division and the the top seed. I just hate losing to Dallas, especially because the media has been all over them. And guess what? Dallas deserved to win this game. Congratulations to them, but let’s not be disappointed.

Minshew started for the first time in over a year. He will bounce back next week, if he starts. I want Hurts to start, but if he’s not healthy, the Eagles cannot risk it. Not after Saturday. A.J. Brown gave fans a scare. Lane Johnson, Jordan Davis and Avante Maddox all left with injuries Hopefully they are fine.

Those three, especially Johnson, are huge losses going into the postseason. The Eagles have to have everyone healthy. After next week and clinching the top seed, the Eagles need to rest EVERYONE!

I want to give Hurts some reps before the playoffs to avoid a four-week absence of in-game action, but I don’t know right now. I would rather have a rusty Hurts than no Hurts, right? At least he can shake off the rust in one quarter or so, and the Eagles’ first-round opponent shouldn’t be as threatening.

Right now, the Eagles have to clean up the turnovers and just focus on beating the Saints. Once that happens, then we can worry about the future. It was a very tough loss, but the Eagles are still 13-2 and can fix everything with a win on New Year’s Day!