The Philadelphia Eagles suffered two losses against the Washington Commanders last week. Not only did the Eagles literally drop their chance at a win in Week 16, Philadelphia also lost starting QB Jalen Hurts after he suffered a concussion.
Now the Eagles will host the suddenly hot Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, as Philadelphia will attempt to clinch the NFC East title and the No. 2 overall seed in the NFC playoffs with a win. Here are three storylines to watch for when the Eagles play the Cowboys in Week 17.
Can Kenny Pickett actually lead the Eagles to victory?
Pickett was thrust into action last week against the Commanders and ultimately fell short. While the offense certainly struggled with Pickett leading the way, the Eagles would have still won the game if DeVonta Smith didn’t drop Pickett’s final pass.
In Week 17, Pickett will have a full week of practice to prepare as Philadelphia’s starting QB. After watching the Eagles continue to utilize zone read plays with Pickett in the game last week, it was clear that Philadelphia never properly adapted to him replacing Hurts.
It will be interesting to see how Philadelphia’s offense operates with Pickett as the starting QB. Especially against a Cowboys defense that gave Jalen Hurts issues earlier in the regular season. Pickett must be ready to make plays while under pressure.
In Week 10, Hurts was under pressure on 53.6% of his snaps against the Cowboys, the highest pressure rate that he faced all season long. Dallas will surely be looking to replicate that plan against Pickett in Week 17.
The Cowboys have also forced at least one interception in seven consecutive games. Pickett will need to get rid of the football quickly and efficiently to lead the Eagles to victory over the Cowboys on Sunday.
Cooper Rush vs. Philadelphia’s defense in the middle of the field
Although the Cowboys lost starting QB Dak Prescott earlier in the regular season, they have now won four of their last five games with Cooper Rush running the show. Rush developed a strong connection with star WR CeeDee Lamb, who will be out for the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury.
Prior to Lamb’s injury, Rush loved to target the middle third of the field. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Rush targeted the middle of the field on 34.6% of his total passes, which is the fourth-highest rate in the NFL this season.
Yet Philadelphia’s defense is elite at defending the middle third of the field in 2024. Philadelphia’s defense has allowed league-lows in completion percentage (58.0%), passing yards per attempt (5.8) and explosive pass rate (9.2%) on passes that targeted the middle third of the field this season.
It’ll be interesting to see how Dallas’ passing offense operates without Lamb. The star WR accounted for 45.6% of the Cowboys’ passing offense over their last three games.
Who will handle kickoff duty for the Eagles?
Eagles punter Braden Mann has handled kickoff duty this season in Philadelphia. While Mann has done an admirable job as the team’s kickoff specialist, he struggled mightily against the Commanders last week.
Washington consistently fielded kickoffs at the 15-yard line and were able to start their drives well past the 30-yard line on multiple possessions. Mann’s struggles have called into question if the Eagles should have Jake Elliott handle kickoffs once again.
Elliott has previously handled kickoff duty in six consecutive seasons, yet he was replaced by Mann in 2024. Coincidentally, Elliott has also struggled with field goals of 50+ yards this season.
Therefore, some believe Elliott’s struggles with long distance field goals is related to his lack of reps as the team’s kickoff specialist. Without handing the team’s kickoff duty, Elliott isn’t able to get a great feel for the wind and how longer kicks might travel.
Philadelphia will be forced with slowing down Cowboys return specialist KaVontae Turpin in Week 17, who is one of the best returners in the NFL. With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Eagles are running out of time to make a change with their kickoff unit.
Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
