This Sunday, the Eagles and the Cowboys face off in a monumental early season showdown. Dallas comes into the game riding a 4 game winning streak. With Dak Prescott sidelined since their seasonopeing loss to Tampa Bay, back up quarterback Cooper Rush has been undefeated. The Eagles, led by Jalen Hurts, are one of the few teams that have been playing better than Dallas to start the season, going 5-0 as we all know. In this old school rivalry, there are plenty of matchups to watch out for so let’s get into it.
Lane Johnson Vs. Demarcus Lawrence
This is a classic matchup that I just had to touch on. Over the last 8 seasons, these two have battled it out from the right side of the field. Lane Johnson has not allowed a sack since 2020 but that sack was to Lawrence in another primetime affair. Lawrence, who has 51.5 sacks on his career, only has 3 against Philadelphia, thanks in large part to Johnson.
As the lone offensive lineman to not leave the field for the Eagles this year, Lane continues to prove that he is one of the very best tackles in the league, and another shutdown of a good pass rusher only furthers that case.
Darius Slay Vs Ceedee Lamb
Shifting gears from the trenches, the next matchup to watch out for is Eagles CB Darius Slay vs Cowboys receiver Ceedee Lamb. Slay has been awesome this year, having his best year as an Eagle and maybe the best season of his career. In five games, he has 2 interceptions and 5 passes defended, while allowing a passer rating of only 47.6 when targeted. He also could have at least 5 interceptions this year but has dropped a few early on in the year.
On the other side, Lamb will be lined up as Dallas’ number one receiving option. After a slow first game, Lamb has turned it on, bringing his season totals so far to 341 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Cowboys seemingly go as he goes. In his 1 bad game they lost and in their 4 wins, he had 50+ receiving yards. Slay is capable of shutting down top receivers, like his masterclass against Justin Jefferson and Minnesota, so I would not be surprised if Lamb is a non-factor in this game if the Eagles do win.
Eagles Offense Vs. Cowboys Defense
The third matchup I want to look at is the Eagles’ offense versus the Cowboys defense as a whole. While this is kind of broad, it kind of sums up how the teams have been winning. The Eagles are the more balanced team, but most of the headlines come from the electric offense. Jalen Hurts is playing like a franchise QB, there are 3 electric receivers and a dynamic running game. On the other hand, Dallas specifically has been led by their defense.
Their defense is dynamic on all fronts. With 20 sacks and 5 interceptions, they have shown their effectiveness and have not given up more than 19 points in a game this season. This is the matchup to watch because if the offense breaks the defense, the Eagles will win. But if Dallas is able to use their young weapons like Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs (who yes, is actually good) and limit the Eagles chances, they could steal a game.
Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
