The Dallas Cowboys arrived in Philadelphia with the fewest carries per game in the NFL. They left with 204 rushing yards, a division win and a running back who finally got the workload he had been waiting for.
Javonte Williams ran 25 times for a career-high 155 yards and a touchdown Monday night as Dallas beat the Eagles 38-21. According to the Cowboys and NFL Research, it was the most rushing yards by a Dallas player in one game since Ezekiel Elliott went for 159 against Tampa Bay in December 2016.
Feeding the back
Dallas came into the week averaging 20.9 carries and 76 rushing yards a game, the second figure ranking 30th in the league, according to the team. Williams had not topped 20 carries in any of his first six games and had been held to 12 or fewer four times, including 11 in the loss at Green Bay.
That changed from the opening series. The Cowboys ran nine times on their first 15 snaps and turned their first two possessions into 10 points. By the end of the night they had run 38 times at 5.4 yards a pop, well above their season average of 3.7.
"It was good to give [head coach Brian Schottenheimer] the confidence to keep calling the runs," Williams told the team's website. "He made a big emphasis on that this week -- to get at least 25 rushes in a game. ... And the [offensive line] did a great job. The holes were wide open. And I was just running through it."
NFL Next Gen Stats credited Williams with 13 successful runs, a career best, and eight forced missed tackles, which tied his career high. Four of his carries went for 10 yards or more.
Closing it out
His longest run came while Philadelphia was still within a touchdown. Protecting a 28-21 lead and starting from their own 16, the Cowboys handed off to Williams, who broke free for 34 yards. The drive ended with Brandon Aubrey's 24-yard field goal and a 10-point cushion.
After the Eagles turned the ball over on downs at their own 17 with a little under five minutes left, Dallas gave it to Williams on six straight plays. The last one was a 2-yard touchdown that set the final score.
"Javonte, man, the power, the acceleration, it was there tonight. He looked great," Schottenheimer said, according to The Associated Press.
