Josh Sweat’s timely sack turns tide in Eagles’ win over Dallas Cowboys: ‘It was big-time’

Josh Sweat’s signature celebration couldn’t have been more fitting.

The Eagles edge rusher had just wrangled Dak Prescott in the decisive moment of the team’s 28-23 win on Sunday, releasing the heightening, sweat-inducing tension that mounted during a lightning-quick 79-yard drive in the game’s final minute.

In the aftermath of the sack with 27 seconds remaining, Sweat bounded toward the Eagles sideline, stopped, and pretended to wipe sweat away from his brow.

Also fitting about this gesture was its brevity, which saved Sweat from being out of position as the Cowboys scrambled back onto the ball for two last-gasp plays.

“I was about to run off and everybody was [yelling],” Sweat said. “I had to get a celebration in. I had to get it. Everybody was like, ‘You still got to go. You still got to go.’”

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni added, “It’s a good thing his celebration is quick. Man, like, ‘Get back out there!’”

Sweat’s big play reversed a tide that must have felt like a tsunami for the Eagles. Prescott led the Cowboys roughly 70 yards in the span of 20 seconds after a failed four-minute drive from the Eagles offense ended with D’Andre Swift running into A.J. Brown and fumbling the football before frenetically recovering it.

It was a spotty evening for the Eagles’ pass rush, which finished with five sacks. Prescott went 29-for-44 for 374 yards and three touchdowns. Dallas had one fourth-quarter drive end on the one-inch line and the previous drive stall in Eagles territory after a Brandon Graham sack set the offense behind the sticks.

Watching Cowboys’ final effort, which ended with Dallas receiver CeeDee Lamb running into a wall of Eagles defenders and fumbling as time expired, was a stressful experience for the Eagles.

“I tried not to watch,” Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson said. “I was sitting there turning away. I was head-butting [Jason] Kelce and head-butting Julio [Jones]. We age in dog years. I entered the game 33, but I’m probably 42 right now.”

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The Cowboys’ final series started with James Bradberry suffering an injury after conceding a pass interference penalty that gave them a 36-yard gain. The veteran cornerback eventually returned, but missed a handful of plays.

The next snap, Darius Slay went down after a Jake Ferguson catch and a roughing-the-passer penalty gave the Cowboys a net gain of 25 yards, furthering the snowball effect.

Dallas broke into the Eagles’ red zone with a 14-yard completion to Lamb, who torched the Eagles from the slot for much of the evening, finishing with 11 catches for 191 yards. A false start penalty gave the defense a slight reprieve, but Sweat’s big play turned out to be the true pivot point for the reeling group.

“Oh, it was big-time,” Eagles safety Reed Blankenship said, sighing. “It’s like a lot of weight lifted off your shoulders. We do our job on the back end to let them dogs run, and that’s what they did.”

Sweat’s sack came against Cowboys right tackle Terence Steele. He spent most of the game rushing against left tackle Tyron Smith, but flipped with Haason Reddick during the final drive.

According to Next Gen Stats, Reddick had seven pressures to Sweat’s six. Reddick also had a sack in the second quarter, bringing his tally up to 7.5 on the season.

“Those two guys feed off each other, Josh and Haason,” Sirianni said. “Because it’s hard to take one away. If you pay attention too much to one, the other guy makes a play. Man, I wouldn’t want anyone else rushing the passer except the guys that we had.”

Sweat got the edge on Steele and closed in on Prescott, dragging him to the ground for an 11-yard loss. He’s got 6.5 sacks this season and 50 pressures, which is tied with Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons for most in the NFL, according to NGS.

“I remember about three years ago I was telling everybody Josh Sweat was going to be a special player,” Johnson said. “I feel like I could see that early in him, his ability to move. Just really, when you look at our last two possessions, our D-line turned it on.”

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Sweat said the energy in the defensive huddle didn’t wane, even as the Cowboys gained consecutive chunk plays that knocked Slay and Bradberry out temporarily.

“We had to get it done somehow,” Sweat said. “It didn’t look like it was going our way, some penalties and stuff, but we came through.”

On his celebration, Sweat said he knew he needed to get back for the next play, but first, he needed to wipe his brow just like everyone else.

“I knew it wasn’t game, I just had to get the celebration in,” Sweat said. “I was hoping it was over, though. ... In this big rivalry, having the biggest play in the end. I’ve never had anything like that before.”