A blowout victory.

History made.

A division title won.

On a 60-degree Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles clinched the NFC East and at least the No. 2 seed in the NFC with a 41-7 win over the Dallas Cowboys in which the defense continued to take the football away and the offense used a series of big plays to sweep Dallas for the first time in 13 seasons and improve the Eagles' record to 13-3.

It took a minute to get warmed up, but then the Eagles rolled to 27 consecutive points to break a 7-7 tie. How did it happen? Some observations from a glorious afternoon in South Philadelphia ...

1. C.J. Gardner-Johnson provides the spark – twice

Dallas took possession of the football first and picked up a couple of first downs to move into Philadelphia territory. But on a third-and-3 play from the Eagles' 35-yard line, quarterback Cooper Rush, with defensive tackle Milton Williams bearing down on him, threw short for wide receiver Brandin Cooks, covered by cornerback Cooper DeJean. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson swooped in with inside coverage and intercepted the pass and, escorted by DeJean the whole way, sped down the sideline for a touchdown and a lead.

Late in the first half, Gardner-Johnson was there again. With the Eagles ahead 17-7, Rush looked left and deep for Cooks and overthrew the pass. CJGJ was there for the interception at the Philadelphia 10-yard line, had room to return the football to the Philadelphia 35, and with less than two minutes remaining in the half, the Eagles took advantage and put together a touchdown drive to really put the game out of reach.

"We have to continue to do the detailed things, and understanding that this game is not easy," Gardner-Johnson said. "The more you go away from your fundamentals and technique and try to shy away and do everything on skill, it's not going to go well. So I think for us, to get the ball back and coach preaching every day is something that we take part in because if we don't get the ball,
we're kind of pissed off."

The impact of Gardner-Johnson is profound with his big-play ability, his emotion, his physicality, and the way he covers sideline to sideline. He was all over the field on this Sunday.

2. Grant Calcaterra wakes up the offense with a one-handed catch

Midway through the second quarter, the Eagles just had not found their stride offensively. Quarterback Kenny Pickett had some success, but the running game was limited and the offense had not put any points on the board. On a third-and-8 play from the Philadelphia 46-yard line, Pickett used his feet to create space and rolled right and threw deep for tight end Grant Calcaterra. He made a remarkable catch – reaching up with one hand and grabbing the football and keeping possession for a 34-yard gain to the Dallas 20-yard line. After that, it was go time for the Eagles' offense.

"I got away from pressure and the scramble drill. I saw him wheel up the field, I just put it up for him, and he made a [heck] of a play. [Eagles TE] Grant [Calcaterra] is a phenomenal player. Doesn't get enough love, I feel like on this team, because there's so much talent. But I've been with him since I got here. We got a lot of reps together early on. He's a special, special player, a great person. So, I'm really happy for him," Pickett said.

That play was the turning point.

Three plays later, Pickett threw for DeVonta Smith, who ran a perfect corner route and was open, for 22 yards and a touchdown and you ... could ... just ... feel ... what ... came ... next.

3. Kenny Pickett rose to the occasion – and so did Tanner McKee

Until he left the game early in the third quarter with injured ribs, following a hit from Dallas linebacker Micah Parsons in the red zone, Pickett looked good. He completed 10 of 15 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown, and also gained a couple of first downs and a touchdown on the Brotherly Shove.

Pickett stood up to pressure, got the football out, and let his playmakers make plays. Pickett threw some beautiful passes – to Smith for the touchdown, to Smith for 49 yards just before halftime – and he managed the offense nicely. This is why he's here – to take over when Jalen Hurts can't go and to help the Eagles win games.

And how about Tanner McKee's NFL debut!

McKee only attempted four passes, but made the most of them, completing three of them with two for touchdowns. He helped the Eagles gain 54 yards through the air and had a near-perfect 156,2 passer rating (158.3 is the pinnacle). Even on his one incompletion, wide receiver A.J. Brown nearly made a highlight-reel, one-handed catch in the end zone, but was just unable to get the second foot down. It didn't matter as his next attempt went back to No. 11 for a 20-yard touchdown, the first of his NFL career, which Brown tossed into the crowd and the Eagles had to do some extra work to get the ball back.

"Those guys did a really good job coming in and playing. They played really clean football. Happy with the way they prepared themselves this week and went out and performed. They deserve all that credit. You can't go out there and play that position without the greatness of other people, and they had some greatness from other guys out there," Head Coach Nick Sirianni said.

"Starting with their coaches – [Offensive Coordinator] Kellen [Moore], [Passing Game Coordinator/Associate Head Coach] Kevin [Patullo], and [Quarterbacks Coach] Doug [Nussmeier] really did a good job of getting them ready. Then just the plays that they got from Smitty [WR DeVonta Smith] and Saquon and [TE] Grant Calcaterra and [WR] A.J. [Brown] and the offensive line. That's what a team is. A team steps up in adversity, and steps up and has each other's backs."

4. Oren Burks starts at linebacker and makes an impact

Nakobe Dean missed the game with an abdominal injury, so Oren Burks started at linebacker and was involved in a big way. He had seven total tackles and came up with a big takeaway – a forced fumble that the Eagles recovered and turned into a Jake Elliott field goal and a 17-7 advantage in the second quarter.

It was the second of four takeaways by the Eagles, who have nine takeaways in the last two games. Depth is critical in these long seasons and having Burks out there – an experienced pro who knows how to play and knows where he is supposed to be – is a big plus and a big kudos to Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman: The Eagles have been challenged with injuries throughout the season and here they are, 13-3 and winning a huge game in December with a backup quarterback and a backup linebacker starter. Jeremiah Trotter, Jr. also saw some good reps and continues to impress.

5. Once again, Eagles strike at the end of the first half and the start of the second

This has happened throughout the entire season: The Eagles have a late score in the first half and then come out with a first-possession score in the second half to completely change the complexion of the game. Pickett's plunge ended the first half and gave the Eagles a 24-7 lead at the half and then the offense drove 55 yards in 12 plays to extend the lead to 27-7 after halftime with a Jake Elliott field goal. This is why most teams defer the opening kickoff – score late in the second quarter with that extra possession and get the first crack at points in the second half. The Eagles do it very, very well.

6. Saquon Barkley continues his assault on the record books

Saquon Barkley had a huge game, rushing for 167 yards on 31 carries and eclipsing the 2,000-yard mark (he has 2,005 yards becoming the ninth player in NFL history to accomplish the feat) – and also set the franchise record for yards from scrimmage in a season (he has 2,283 yards from scrimmage for the season).

"I'm not going to lie, but just being a fan of the game and the running back position, to reach a milestone and put myself up there with eight other backs that I respect, and some of them I grew up watching, definitely means a lot," Barkley said. "But at the same time, I wouldn't be able to do that without this team. Like I said, you can't be great without the greatness of others, and I'm just happy I was able to be a part of the team and be able to reach a milestone like that."

It was his franchise-record (there it is again) 11th 100-yard performance of the season.

It should be noted that Barkley is exactly 100 yards behind Eric Dickerson for the all-time single-season NFL rushing record.

Here are a few other highlights from the blowout victory:

• The defense picked up its game after Dallas drove on its first two possessions. They allowed just 5 first downs on the Cowboys' next six possessions.
• Elliott kicked off for the first time this season. Braden Mann had handled the duties, but the Eagles made the switch and Elliott had a big leg.