Locked On Cowboys Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Several BIG Mistakes Helped Cowboys Fall Into 21-0 Deficit | Is Dallas BETTER Than Philadelphia?
Date: November 25, 2025
Hosts: Marcus Mosher & Landon McCool

Episode Overview

In this episode, Marcus Mosher and Landon McCool analyze the Dallas Cowboys' dramatic comeback win over the Philadelphia Eagles, focusing on the costly early mistakes that led to a 21-0 deficit and examining whether Dallas is actually better than Philadelphia. The hosts break down pivotal plays from the All-22 film, discuss coaching decisions, evaluate player performances (with a focus on both trenches and skill players), and debate the outlook for the Cowboys moving forward.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Game Catastrophe: How Dallas Fell Behind 21-0

Timestamps: 01:14–11:14

• Opening Mishaps and Decisions
  • The Cowboys received the ball first: “You don't want to have the ball when you're at home because your crowd is pumped up.” – Marcus (02:54)
  • On the first drive, Dallas fails on a 4th and 3 at midfield with a Dak Prescott incomplete intended for Javonte Williams, leading to Philadelphia’s first touchdown. Both hosts agree on the aggressive decision but not the execution (04:28).
• Special Teams Blunder
  • Punt block attempt leads to a penalty: “I don't know why the Cowboys were so aggressive trying to block that punt, but … three plays later … you get off the field and Javian Clowney lines up offsides.” – Marcus (03:24)
• Penalties and Turnovers Compound Issues
  • A fumble by KaVontae Turpin deepens the deficit. Turpin fumbles on the next play after a near-fumble from CeeDee Lamb.
    “You’re down so many running backs ... you’re putting KaVontae Turpin in the backfield and he fumbles the ball running into the back of Tyler Guyton.” – Marcus (05:59)
• Defense Fails to Respond
  • Multiple failures on third and long.
    “You give up an eight yard run to Tank Bigsby when it was so clear they were running the ball … then a deep shot to Devonta Smith—41 yards. Two plays later, they score.” – Marcus (07:24)
• Summing Up the Chaos
  • “It just felt like, you know, everything was going wrong at that point. You weren’t gonna be able to dig yourself out of the hole.” – Landon (06:37)

2. Offense Shows Life But Can't Capitalize

Timestamps: 08:50–11:14

• Despite mistakes, Dallas nearly scores before more self-sabotage:
  • “You hit Jake Ferguson on a beautiful throw up the seam … but on first and goal, they run a direct snap from shotgun ... That ends up being a huge play because ... that is the interception to CeeDee Lamb. The game just felt completely over at that point.” – Marcus (09:15–09:58)
• “You finally had your best moment in the game ... it just all disappeared right in front of your eyes.” – Landon (09:58)

3. Momentum Swing Before Halftime

Timestamps: 11:14–11:44

• “As bad as everything went, ... that drive right before halftime was enough to at least give them some momentum going into halftime where they felt like they could maybe steal this game.” – Marcus (11:14)
• Landon highlights optimism:
  “It was heartening because it feels like the Cowboys were the more consequential of these two teams. It felt like it was the Cowboys hurting themselves and the Eagles kind of, you know, taking advantage, but not necessarily that they were the better of the two teams.” (11:44)

Second Half Analysis & Team Comparison

4. Are the Cowboys Actually Better Than the Eagles?

Timestamps: 13:28–19:40

• Second Half Adjustments
  • Despite continued mistakes (drops, missed field goal, penalties), Dallas outplays Philadelphia:
    “They still were able to win this game despite the worst first quarter I think I’ve ever seen them play. … I do think the Cowboys are better.” – Marcus (13:28)
• Talent Advantage Emerges
  • Cowboys “had to play this game on hard mode” – Landon (14:25)
  • Even with injuries, replacement players (Nate Thomas at tackle) performed, and Dallas dominated the line of scrimmage:
    “The Cowboys were dominating the line of scrimmage at certain points for, I would say, more than three quarters of this game.” – Landon (15:00)
• CeeDee Lamb’s Poor Performance Costly
  • “If CeeDee Lamb has a B minus CeeDee Lamb game ... the Cowboys probably win this game by double digits.” – Marcus (17:18)
• Defensive Dominance
  • “107 yards in the final eight drives for Philadelphia. ... They were pretty dominant on that side of the ball in the second half.” – Marcus (17:18)
• Eagles' Key Players Still Present
  • “Jalen Carter was still out there, those corners were still out there. And the Cowboys were winning those matchups ... Brown was out there, Smith was out there, Saquon Barkley and Hertz were out there.” – Landon (18:53)

Coaching & Play-Calling Assessment

5. Evaluating the Staff

Timestamps: 19:40–21:58

• Matt Eberflus Praise on Defense
  • “Actually thought Matt Eberflus did a really good job ... to help slow down this Eagles rushing attack.” – Marcus (19:40)
• Critiques of Brian Schottenheimer
  • “I still think he is pretty green as a head coach ... you and I were talking today, like, he can be a little bit emotional as a play caller and you feel that in some of these games.” – Marcus (19:40)
  • “Times when you just feel like he could be a little bit less ... emotional.” – Landon (20:24)
• Decisive Fourth Down Call
  • On going for it late in a tie game:
    “I actually really like Brian Schottenheimer’s answer where he said he trusted the defense … and that is exactly what played out.” – Marcus (21:25)

Notebook Dump: All-22 Film Takeaways

6. O-Line Steps Up; Surprising Performances

Timestamps: 24:27–28:48

• Tyler Booker's Strong Game
  • “Tyler Booker’s performance against ... Jalen Carter. ... if you’re trying to imagine ... how many you could possibly win against a guy like Jalen Carter, you just hope that you survive some. And I think he won the majority of his reps.” – Landon (24:27)
• Nate Thomas Fills In Successfully
  • “He came in ... and he held up well. ... What a luxury it is to have a tackle that you can put into the game and not feel like it's going to be a disaster.” – Marcus (25:24)
• Defensive Front’s Improvement
  • “I thought that the Cowboys won the battle on both sides of the trenches in a way that I just seriously don’t think that the Eagles were expecting to lose.” – Landon (25:24)
• Donovan Azaraku Emerging as Run Defender
  • “He didn’t have a bad game ... not only is he not bad against the run … I think he’s actually a plus run defender and that’s a really nice luxury to have.” – Marcus (27:34)
  • “He can function as your starter now all already because he can play so well on the run.” – Landon (28:09)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On countless early errors:
  “It really was a comedy of errors.” – Marcus (01:14)
• On the team’s resilience:
  “It was heartening because it feels like the Cowboys were the more consequential of these two teams.” – Landon (11:44)
• On the turning point:
  “As bad as everything went ... that drive right before halftime was enough to at least give them some momentum going into halftime.” – Marcus (11:14)
• On CeeDee Lamb’s struggles:
  “If CeeDee Lamb has a B minus CeeDee Lamb game ... the Cowboys probably win this game by double digits.” – Marcus (17:18)
• Summary of second half dominance:
  “107 yards in the final eight drives for Philadelphia.” – Marcus (17:18)
• On coaching decisions under pressure:
  “Just run the ball two more times, be physical, just get downhill. ...Your offensive line was mauling them.” – Marcus (19:40)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• The Early 21-0 Deficit Explained: 01:14–11:14
• Momentum Swing/Mid-Game Reflection: 11:14–11:44
• Second Half Improvement & Team Comparison: 13:28–19:40
• Coaching Decisions Analyzed: 19:40–21:58
• Film Room Notebook (Offensive/Defensive Lines): 24:27–28:48

Closing Thoughts

Both hosts ultimately conclude that while the first quarter was disastrous, the Cowboys' ability to claw back, adjust, and dominate in the trenches suggests their talent ceiling is higher than Philadelphia’s. Key injuries and a poor game from their star receiver did not prevent Dallas from making a statement win, indicating an upward trajectory for the rest of the season.

For further deep dives, player analysis, and fan discussion, check out Locked On Cowboys on YouTube or follow Marcus (@Marcus_Mosher) and Landon (@McCoolBCB) on Twitter.

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