Every season, Eagles’ fans circle in red two games on the schedule…the Dallas weeks. This will be the first of two regular season meetings between these two bitter rivals, and it might not feature both teams at full strength.
The Cowboys (3-5) are not only in a tailspin, but also decimated with injuries currently. Dak Prescott was placed on injured reserve with his hamstring injury, star wideout CeeDee Lamb carries a questionable designation into this weekend with a shoulder injury that forced him to be limited in practice on Thursday. Wide receiver Brandin Cooks is also out for the year while on defense, playmakers Michah Parsons (questionable) and cornerback Trevon Diggs (questionable) also might not be at a full 100%.
Meanwhile for the Eagles, A.J. Brown was a full participant Friday and is expected to play after leaving last week’s game against Jacksonville with a knee injury, tight end Dallas Goedert who has missed the last three games with a hamstring also was a full go during the final day of practice. Interestingly, Nick Sirianni may have slipped and announced that Jalen Hurts is dealing with an ankle injury, but should be fine for the game come Sunday.
Here’s a look at the five matchups to watch in this one:
Eagles’ Defense vs. Cooper Rush
This is the most obvious. With Prescott out for the foreseeable future, it will be Cooper Rush under center for the Cowboys. A more experienced backup quarterback than some, Rush is in his seventh season, played his first full game last week against Atlanta. He threw for 115 yards and a touchdown going 13-for-25 while posting a low QB rating of 47.8.
This won’t be a foreign matchup for the Eagles. They faced Rush back in 2022 after he got off to a good start in his first stint as the starter, winning four straight games and not throwing an interception until he faced the Eagles where he was picked off three times, throwing for a touchdown and 181 yards in a 26-17 victory.
The Cowboys don’t have many weapons for Rush to look to other than a banged-up Lamb and young running back Rico Dowdle who expects to be the lead back from this point on as he proved he is the better running back and took advantage of an issue between Ezekiel Elliot and the team, where he was surprisingly benched by the team.
It might be a long day for this Cowboys offense if Rush isn’t smart with the football.
Rico Dowdle vs. Eagles Rush Defense
Speaking of Dowdle, the talented running back put together a solid game against Atlanta last week. The fifth year back ran for 75 yards on 12 carries while also being a threat in the pass game, hauling in five of his six targets for 32 yards and a score. Dowdle is starting to carve out a role in this offense and is clearly the more explosive playmaker in the backfield for Dallas. Unsurprisingly, it’s taken the Cowboys this long to realize that while trying to force in Elliott.
The Eagles’ defense has been on a roll as of late, but they have been extremely impressive against the rush, entering this week with the 5th ranked rush defense, allowing just 101.1 yards per game this season. Dallas will have to force feed Dowdle in this one, which makes him a solid fantasy running back for those out there looking for a play, and the Eagles defense will need to be ready to stop the dual threat running back to force the Cowboys’ hand into being one dimensional.
Fred Johnson vs. Micah Parsons
We mentioned that Parsons is banged up, but he’s still Micah Parsons. And once again, Big Fred Johnson finds himself mentioned in this series for yet another week. He has held his own against some of the top pass rushers in the NFL, including Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson, but didn’t have as good of a game against Jacksonville’s EDGE rusher Josh Allen-Hines. According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson let up four pressures and surrendered two sacks in the Eagles win.
He will need to tighten it up on the left side of the line against the three-time Pro Bowler who is battling a high ankle sprain which could potentially slow him down. Parsons only has one sack on the season and will be playing in just his fifth game of the year.
Regardless, the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year has shown his skillset on the field and could be a disruptive menace if he’s not hampered by the ankle.
Brown, Smith, Goedert vs. Cowboys’ Pass Defense
The band is back together…again! This will mark just the third game this season that the trio of Brown, Smith and Goedert will be playing in the same game. Pretty hard to believe, but all three have missed time. Smith has led the way, playing in seven games this season, while Brown and Goedert have both played in five each. Brown and Goedert were full participants in Friday’s practice which is a very promising sign regarding the health of the two playmakers.
The three lead the Eagles’ in receiving yards, targets and catches despite missing time this season. They will go up against a Dallas pass defense that ranks 17th in the league, allowing 217 yards per game. Since joining the Eagles, Brown has averaged 82.5 receiving yards in four games against the Cowboys with two touchdowns, going for 90+ yards in two of those four meetings.
Smith has scored four touchdowns in his career against the Cowboys while averaging 58.3 yards per game and Goedert averages 44.7 yards per game and has scored three times.
Saquon Barkley vs. Cowboys’ Rush Defense
What can’t be said about Saquon Barkely in his first year with the Eagles? It has been a match made in heaven and after earning yet another NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor, Barkley is in wonderful position to do it again this week.
The Cowboys’ rush defense ranks 30th in the league, yielding 147.8 yards per game. Only Indianapolis and Carolina are worse in stopping the run. The Eagles have found their identity offensively over the last month and that is pounding the ball on the ground with one of the top running backs in the league.
Now, there is some concern that the Eagles might be utilizing the All-Pro running back a bit too much as of late. They handed it off to him a season-high 27 times last week, which marked the first time he’s carried the ball 20+ times in consecutive games (22 in Week 8) since the first two weeks of the season, but as of right now, there seems to be no stopping Barkley.
Barkley has a chance to make it three straight games of hitting the century mark on the ground after racking up 159 yards against the Jags, 108 against the Bengals and 176 against his former team in the Giants. which helped earn him another NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. Expect him to be featured early and often in this one.
The Eagles head to Dallas this Sunday looking to make it five straight wins. Kickoff is Sunday at 4:25 p.m.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
