PHILADELPHIA, P.A. — The Eagles offense showed as much life as it has all season, but the defense faltered by allowing 416 total yards in a 38-21 loss to the Cowboys on Monday night, Philadelphia's fifth consecutive setback after starting the season 2-0.

The Eagles (2-5) went ahead 21-20 after an impressive touchdown drive to start the third quarter but were outscored 18-0 the rest of the way, including touchdowns by Cowboys' playmakers CeeDee Lamb, who tortured the Eagles' cornerbacks at times, and Javonte Williams, who ran for a career-high 155 yards.

Dallas (3-4) had come into the game, No. 31 in the NFL when it came to running the football, avergaing just 76.0 yards per game.

"It's never just one thing when you give up a bunch of yards like that," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said when discussing the run game. "We've got to do a better job coaching. We've got to do a better job executing, getting off blocks, tackling. We had a couple missed tackles, but it's always going to be about block destruction, playing on their side of the line of scrimmage, and then us putting them in positions to succeed. I give them credit. They played a good game. "

The Eagles are now in third place in the NFC East, outpaced by the Giants (4-2-1) and the Cowboys. Washington, at 1-4-1, is at the bottom of the division and will host Philadelphia in Week 8. The Eagles will then finish a three-game stretch in the division by hosting the Giants on Nov. 8.

Here is the weekly stock market from the game:

THE BULLS

The Saquon Barkley-led running game: Down their top two receivers—DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks—due to injury, the Eagles needed what had been a moribund running game of their own to get going. It did due to the return of Barkley to the backfield, as well as Drew Kendall and Landon Dickerson on the offensive line. However, on the second play of the game, a 29-yard run by Barkley, the dynamic runner felt a tweak in his hamstring, and his back locked up while he favored the injury.

Barkley tried to stay loose and in the game but each time he entered in the second half he left after one run, finishing with 62 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries. Backup Dameon Pierce was also somewhat effective, gaining 47 yards and a TD on 14 carries, although he was also forced to leave with an injury in the fourth quarter.

Tempo: Down 20-14 at halftime, the Eagles came out in the third quarter with tempo, getting Dallas in its nickel defense to strain a back seven that has had a lot of problems communicating this season. The result produced the best drive of the season for Sean Mannion's offense, a 17-play, 84-yard marathon that took over nine minutes off the clock. It was Philadelphia's first TD in the third quarter this season and Makai Lemon's first NFL score.

The drive also shortened the game against the more talented Cowboys but the Philadelphia could not finish the deal.

Makai Lemon: Without Smith and Wicks, necessity forced Mannion to use Lemon in better ways. Difficult catches over the middle of the field and run-after-catch opportunities on shallow crossing routes—things that Lemon excelled at in college at Southern California were a sight for the sore eyes of Eagles fans. Lemon finished with a career-high seven receptions for 67 yards and his first professional TD.

The Philly fans: There was some thought that Eagles fans might boo Jeffrey Lurie when the Eagles owner was inducted into the organization's Hall of Fame at halftime. That stemmed from the messaging and closed-door approach to the handling of Jalen Hurts's health. The popular QB1 had to be shut down after a superficial blood clot turned into pulmonary emboli, something neither Lurie nor general manager Howie Roseman has addressed to date.

Typically, when individuals are inducted into the team's HOF, they are made available to the media, and that was not the case with Lurie. Despite that obfuscation, Lurie is easily the best owner in franchise history and perhaps the history of Philadelphia sports.

The usually tough-minded Eagles fans were able to compartmentalize and show class while honoring Lurie.

THE BEARS

Dirty kicks: After losing Britain Covey to a knee injury, the Eagles were forced to use Pierce and Elijah Mitchell on kickoff returns and each had a very difficult time handling Brandon Aubrey's kickoffs, often forcing a limited offense to take the long road too many times in the game.

The defensive front: The production simply doesn't match the reputation so far this season. Considering the expectations, there might be no more disappointing unit in the NFL than this Eagles defensive front.

Jalen Carter often flashes his enormous talent but is not consistent enough. Jordan Davis remains a two-down player despite being paid like a three-down star; Moro Ojomo has regressed recently and the edge rushers—Jonathan Greenard, Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith (out Monday night with a concussion)—have all battled injuries and haven't produced at the level expected when on the field.

Against the Cowboys, the front managed just five pressures as Dak Prescott got very comfortable en route to a three-touchdown performance.

Fiver: The last time the Eagles lost five straight games was during the 2016 season (Weeks 10 through 14) under then-first-year head coach Doug Pederson and then-rookie quarterback Carson Wentz. Philadelphia is not used to losing like this, and it will be interesting to see how the organization reacts to this kind of adversity with the trade deadline approaching on Nov. 10.