Score, highlights from the NFL game of week 17

PHILADELPHIA − It’s easy to forget that Eagles backup quarterback Kenny Pickett was a full-time starter in his final two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

So it shouldn’t be a big deal for Pickett to replace Jalen Hurts, who is out with a concussion, when he faces the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

After all, Pickett was the Steelers’ first-round pick in 2022 (No. 20 overall) and was 14-10 as a starter. The speed of the game isn’t as much of an adjustment for Pickett as it is for the players around him.

Tanner McKee, replacing Pickett, throws the first touchdown of his career

Tanner McKee, who replaced Kenny Pickett, looked like a seasoned veteran rather than a second-year player making his NFL debut. He completed his first pass, a 9-yarder to DeVonta Smith, and capped the drive with a 20-yard back-shoulder touchdown pass to AJ Brown with 2:44 left in the third quarter.

That gave the Eagles a 34-7 lead.

Kenny Pickett leaves with rib injury

Eagles quarterback Kenny Pickett left Sunday’s game in the third quarter when he was hit in the ribs by Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons during a touchdown pass to AJ Brown.

Pickett was taken to the locker room and it is questionable whether he will return. He was replaced by Tanner McKee, who had never played in an NFL game before.

The Eagles extend their lead with a bizarre end to the first half

Still, it wasn’t easy, at least until the last 36 seconds of the first half. At that point, CJ Gardner-Johnson’s second interception as time expired set up Pickett’s tush from the 1, giving the Eagles a 24-7 lead.

However, it was a bizarre ending. Saquon Barkley started the drive with a 15-yard run. Then Pickett hit DeVonta Smith with a 49-yard pass to the 1 with 13 seconds left. Pickett was then stopped with a tush push with two seconds left. On the second down he tried again and got in.

Gardner-Johnson’s 69-yard interception return for a touchdown opened the scoring. Jordan Davis’ fumble recovery brought the Eagles to Dallas’ 39 late in the first half. The Eagles needed 11 plays to cover 26 yards for a field goal with 1:55 left.

That’s because the Cowboys have focused on Barkley without having to worry about Hurts as a running threat. Barkley had just 25 yards on 12 carries until the final minute of the first half. In total, he had 13 carries for 40 yards, well short of the 268 yards he needs to surpass Eric Dickerson’s single-season record of 2,105 yards.

Pickett was 9 of 14 for 133 yards and a touchdown.

This is what happens to Pickett and the Eagles:

Kenny Pickett TD pass to DeVonta Smith, Eagles lead 14-7

Ultimately, the Eagles’ offense remained uncontrolled after being outscored 117-14 in the first quarter. Kenny Pickett and the offense still had some fits on the touchdown, which ended with Pickett’s 22-yard touchdown to DeVonta Smith.

There was a reverse pass to Saquon Barkley that was a run for a loss of 7 yards, and a pass to Barkley that was a loss of 4 yards. But on 3rd-and-8 from the Eagles’ 46th yard, Grant Calcaterra made a one-handed, over-the-shoulder catch for 34 yards to the Cowboys’ 20th.

No Jalen Hurts, no tush push; a change at LB

It’s almost unheard of for the Eagles to miss an opportunity to get out of midfield on 4th-and-1. But that’s exactly what the Eagles did late in the first quarter. That’s because Jalen Hurts isn’t in the game. But the Eagles were also probably hesitant to try it because Kenny Pickett is playing with a rib injury.

Additionally, it looks like rookie Jeremiah Trotter has replaced Oren Burks at linebacker. Burks started in place of Nakobe Dean, who is out with an abdominal injury.

CJ Gardner-Johnson pick-6 gives the Eagles an early lead

CJ Gardner-Johnson made up for his exclusion from last week’s game by intercepting Dallas’ Cooper Rush and returning the ball 69 yards for a touchdown on the Cowboys’ first possession of the game. The Cowboys faced a 3rd-and-3 from the Eagles’ 42 penalty when Gardner-Johnson kicked over the middle for Brandin Cooks before Rush’s pass.

That gave the Eagles a 7-0 lead with 11:43 minutes left in the first quarter.

The Cowboys got back on the field and tied the game on Rush’s 4-yard TD pass to Jalen Tolbert with 5:38 left in the first quarter. The Eagles’ offense hasn’t evened the game yet.

SAQUON TRACKER:Saquon Barkley Tracker: How does Philadelphia Eagles RB perform against Dallas Cowboys?

Eagles inactive: Jalen Hurts, Nakobe Dean out

Jalen Hurts wasn’t the only Eagles star to sit out Sunday’s game. Linebacker Nakobe Dean, who was listed as questionable because of an Adomen injury, is also out. Dean had limited training this week. Oren Burks is expected to start in his place.

The Eagles’ other inactives are RB Will Shipley (concussion), QB Ian Book and OL Trevor Keegan, Darian Kinnard and Nick Gates.

The Cowboys won’t have star WR CeeDee Lamb, who has 101 catches for 1,194 yards. He was placed on IR with a shoulder injury.

The Eagles activate DE Bryce Huff and make other roster moves

On Saturday, the Eagles activated edge rusher Bryce Huff (wrist) from injured reserve and signed QB Ian Book to the 53-man roster after signing him to the practice squad earlier in the week. To make room for both players, the Eagles waived DE Chuck Harris and placed PR/WR Britain Covey (neck) on IR.

Additionally, the Eagles promoted RB Tyrion Davis-Price and LB Dallas Gant to the practice squad. Davis-Price replaces Will Shipley, who was sidelined with a concussion.

Eagles vs. Cowboys: Today is the day

Date: Sunday, December 29th
Time: 1 p.m
Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia

What channel is Eagles vs Cowboys on today?

TV: FOX
Radio: 94 WIP, Merrill Reese (play-by-play), Mike Quick (analysis) and Howard Eskin (sideline)

History of the Eagles vs. Cowboys

Series record: The Cowboys lead 74-57
Eagles’ last win: November 10, 2024 (34-6)
The Cowboys’ last win: Dec 10, 2023 (33-13)

Eagles vs. Cowboys prediction

It’s only fitting that a marquee game in the coveted 4:25 p.m. national TV time slot has already been moved to 1 p.m. and will end up as “The Battle of Backup Quarterbacks.” So in the match between Kenny Pickett and Cooper Rush, the difference will come down to the supporting cast. The Eagles are better, mostly because the Eagles have Saquon Barkley and the Cowboys don’t have CeeDee Lamb.

The choice: Eagles 23, Cowboys 19

Eagles vs. Cowboys betting odds

BetMGM lines and odds:

Spread: Eagles by 7.5
Over/under: 38
Money line: Eagles minus 375 (bet $375 to win $100) and Cowboys plus 300 (bet $100 to win $300)

Weather update Eagles vs. Cowboys

It should be mostly cloudy but dry at game time. It will be warm for late December, with a temperature of 61 degrees remaining consistent throughout the game. Winds will be from the southeast at 10-15 miles per hour.

Eagles 2024 schedule

September 6 vs. Packers in Sao Paulo, Brazil (W, 34-29)
September 16, vs. Falcons, (L, 22-21)
September 22, at Saints (W, 15-12)
September 29, at Buccaneers (L, 33-16)
Oct 6th, bye
October 13, vs. Browns, (W, 20-16)
October 20, at NY Giants, (W, 28-3)
October 27, at Bengals (W, 37-17)
November 3, vs. Jaguars, (W, 28-23)
November 10, at Cowboys (W, 34-6)
November 14, vs. Commanders (W, 26-18)
November 24, at Rams (W, 37-20)
December 1, at Ravens, (W, 24-19)
December 8, vs. Panthers (W, 22-16)
December 15, vs. Steelers (W, 27-13)
December 22nd, at Commanders (L, 36-33)
Dec. 29, vs. Cowboys, 4:25 p.m., FOX
January 5th or 6th, vs. NY Giants, TBD, TBD

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.

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