It’s officially Dallas hate week in the City of Brotherly Love and there’s a keen sense of anticipation for Sunday Night. Can the Eagles explode off of their bye week and put the final nail in the coffin for the Cowboys 2018 season? If they are to do so, winning these matchups will be key.
Eagles red zone offense vs Cowboys red zone defense
If there’s one area of the offense that needs to be firing on all cylinders on Sunday, it’s the red zone offense. As of right now, the Eagles get the ball into the end zone just 54% of the time when inside the 20, that’s 10% down from last season’s number. Luckily for Carson Wentz and the Eagles offense, they have a favorable matchup this week.
#Eagles Carson Wentz in the redzone 2018: 40/62, 353 yards, 10 TD, 0 INT, PR of 119.2 (5th of 38 QBs)
Dallas #Cowboys redzone passing defense 2018: 22/37, 242 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT, PR allowed of 118.5 (28th/32 teams)#FlyEaglesFly
— Lee Sifford (@LeeSifford) November 9, 2018
The Cowboys haven’t exactly been great in limiting teams to field goals this season and with a new piece to play with in Golden Tate, finding ways to punch the ball in for six could be the difference maker in two day’s time.
Zach Ertz vs Cowboys Linebackers
The Stanford product has enjoyed a fantastic start to the season so far, leading the team in receiving yards with 644 and scoring 3 touchdowns in the process. Dallas may be without Sean Lee this weekend, but a duo of Leighton Vander-Esch and Jaylon Smith will aim to make life difficult for him as the Jaguars defense did in London and the Falcons succeeded in doing back in week one.
When the Eagles have thrown in Ertz’s direction when a linebacker is responsible for him, the Wentz/Foles combined for a mere 81.5 passer rating, which is significantly lower than if he’s matched up against a corner or safety. A young Cowboys linebacking corps will have their hands full on Sunday night and have played very well all season long, but if Ertz can find a way to punish them over the middle, it’s going to be huge for the tight end who has 23 more targets than Alshon Jeffery, who has the second most on the team.
Eagles defensive line vs Cowboys offensive line
This matchup will always have fans licking their lips. The intense hatred between Philly and Dallas is embodied in trench warfare between players doing all they can to assert their dominance and ruin their opponent’s night. The Eagles run defense has been absolutely remarkable this season and has allowed under 700 yards through 8 games. Facing them however is a once-elite offensive line that is still able to push the pile. We’ll talk a little more about Zeke later on, but the unit has been awful in pass protection at times.
Dak has beens sacked 28 times, which is the 6th most in the NFL and he’s seen a little too much pressure for Coach Garrett’s liking. The issue is that as a result, he’s now playing scared and is forcing the ball out early, skimming reads or seeing ghosts…which leaves the Eagles pass-rush, who have been among the league’s best despite being plagued by injury, licking their lips.
Zeke vs Eagles run defense
Elliott always finds a way to make Eagles fans clench their fists and I’m sure this Sunday will be no exception. One of the most well-rounded and patient backs in the league, Elliott has 680 yards this year already along with 3 touchdowns and 5 runs of 20+ yards, not to mention his 226 yards through the air. He faces an elite run defense this week, but he did a few weeks back against Jacksonville, where he rushed for 106 yards and 1TD. Stopping Elliott is absolutely crucial this week, especially with Prescott standing on the edge of a Knife and showing some worrying traits when under pressure. If the Eagles can smother the run and force Prescott to throw from behind, the win is theirs for the taking.
Amari Cooper vs Eagles secondary
The last time Amari Cooper faced the Eagles, he put Jalen Mills on skates and took off to the end zone. Now, he’ll face the wounded Eagles secondary twice in eight games. It’s not yet known if Ronald Darby will shadow the newly signed #1 wideout or if they will let the offensive formation dictate the coverage. However, the Eagles did well to isolate OBJ earlier in the year by adding ‘cone’ concepts to force the receiver into ‘no mans land’ and may do the same on Sunday.
Cooper had 58-yards in his star-donning debut and it’s still early days. That doesn’t mean the Eagles can afford to take him lightly, especially with a lack of Safety depth and the potential to be without Jalen Mills. Stopping Cooper and forcing Dak to throw into tight coverage over the middle, with Jordan Hicks and Nigel Bradham patiently waiting for him to do so, will be clinical.
Mandatory Credit: Steve Flynn-USA TODAY Sports
