PHILADELPHIA — Despite an opportunity for the Eagles to clinch the NFC East by beating their most hated rival, much of the first quarter against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday had all of the excitement of a preseason game. After a 69-yard pick-six touchdown by C.J. Gardner-Johnson on the Cowboys’ opening drive, and then a Dallas score to tie it, the Eagles’ offense finally got its hands on the ball with 5:38 left in the period — and promptly settled into back-to-back punts while moving the ball only 14 yards. But 5:48 into the second quarter, backup Birds quarterback Kenny Pickett hit tight end Grant Calcaterra for a 34-yard completion, setting up a 22-yard touchdown connection to DeVonta Smith. From there, the Eagles were off. They built a 17-point halftime lead and went on to a 41-7 romp, wrapping up the division in a pretty, post-Christmas bow. “It’s exciting,” said head coach Nick Sirianni, donning an ‘NFC East Champions’ cap at his postgame press conference. “We’ll enjoy this, and then we’ll get right back to work because our goals are bigger than just winning this division. “This is a hell of a division with great teams and great coaches and great players. So, to be on top of that … you guys walk in the building, and there’s that area where it’s just the champions, the NFC East champions. I walk by it every day on my way in and my way out. … It’s cool to add another one there.” It won’t be forgotten that the Eagles secured the NFC East title against Dallas, but it was almost an afterthought, considering the Cowboys were already eliminated from playoff contention, their starting quarterback has been shut down for weeks, and their head coach’s future is in limbo. These are two organizations going in opposite directions. The Eagles, with the sixth-youngest roster in the league, have won 11 of their last 12 games. Their defense and running game can travel, and they’ve shown an explosive passing attack when necessary. The Cowboys (7-9), who committed four turnovers in the loss, have a roster full of question marks. “I mean, minus-four (turnovers), you can’t win games like that,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “We can’t even stay in games, you know, minus-four.” McCarthy’s contract is up at the end of the season, but he refused to speculate about what lies ahead. “I mean, that’s in eight days, you know? I’m here to finish the race. That’s my mindset and that’s the team’s mindset.” • • • This is the Eagles’ 11th NFC East championship under Jeffrey Lurie’s ownership. … Sirianni is the third Eagles head coach to win multiple division championships within his first four years, joining Doug Pederson (2017, 2019) and Andy Reid (2001, 2002). … C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s 69-yard pick-six was  the first touchdown of his NFL career. … The Eagles, who won 34-6 in these teams’ previous meeting, swept the season series with the Cowboys for the first time since 2011. The Birds’ plus-62 margin of victory against Dallas marks their highest figure in the all-time series. —— Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.