Eagles at Cowboys Preview: Schematics and Storylines | Week 14

Sunday | 8:20 ET

The Eagles (10-2) and Cowboys (9-3) will face off on Sunday Night Football in a game with massive NFC East implications which will shape the NFC playoff picture. With the Eagles big loss to the 49ers in Week 12, Dallas is now only one game behind them in the division. Philadelphia won the first matchup in Week 7, despite a 191 receiving yard game from Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has put himself into the MVP conversation and has the Cowboys offense looking the best it has in years. Over his last seven games, he has a phenomenal touchdown-interception ratio of 21-2. Dallas has scored the most total points in the NFL this season and have put up at least 40 points in four of its last six games.

The left side of the offensive line is elite which has allowed Dak to benefit from a low team sack percentage. This will be important against the Eagles defensive line that is lined with stars such as Hassan Reddick, Josh Sweat, and Jalen Carter. This group hasn’t put up an insane amount of sacks this year, but they rank first in the NFL in QB pressures. Putting pressure on Prescott could be the way to disrupt his impressive run. In fact, the Eagles are in trouble if they aren’t able to do so.

Philadelphia has given up the third most passing yards and second most passing touchdowns in the NFL this year. CeeDee Lamb had a field day against this defense in Week 7, and I see no reason why he doesn’t do the same this week. If the Cowboys offense is allowed ample time for deep routes to develop, it could be well on its way to another 30 point game.

The good news for the Eagles defense is that it does have the upper hand in the rushing game. Cowboys running back has struggled to get going this year and the Eagles are solid against the run. Dak will have to shoulder the load.

Switching sides, the Jalen Hurts and the Eagles will face a tough challenge in the Cowboys defense. Dallas gives up the fourth least yards per play, and is especially strong against the pass. Cornerback Daron Bland, despite a rough performance against DK Metcalf on Thursday Night Football this past week, has been fantastic this year. Things won’t get any easier this week, however, as Bland will see a lot of WRs AJ Brown and Devonta Smith.

The pass rush is another terrifying aspect of the Dallas defense. The defense ranks seventh in sacks and is headlined by Micah Parsons off of the edge and Dexter Lawrence up the middle. The Eagles offensive line is strong. Each player in unit is ranked at least 19th in PFF grade for their respective position, three of which are top-ten. However, they oddly give up a lot of sacks. They’ve given up the 12th-most sacks in the NFL this season, along with the 12th-highest sack percentage.

If the Cowboys secondary looks to be back on track early in this game, or the pass rush is getting home, I would expect the Eagles to rely on RB D’Andre Swift and Jalen Hurts in the rushing game. The Cowboys are only a bit above average against the run and can’t pressure the quarterback on running plays. Still, I worry about how the Eagles rushing attack might look when trailing.

In all, I see the Cowboys evening out the season series and handing the Eagles their second straight loss. Dak and CeeDee are playing at such a high level right now, and the Eagles are the most vulnerable in the passing game. I also think that the Cowboys pass rush will be an issue and the Eagles will not be able to run while trailing. This will cause them to force the ball into the teeth of the Cowboys defense, its secondary.

Score Prediction: Cowboys 31 Eagles 21