8:20 PM EST, NBC – Line: Eagles -5, Over/Under: 42
Bitter adversaries renew hostilities in the City of Brotherly Love, as the surging Philadelphia Eagles look to remain undefeated following this meeting with the surprising Dallas Cowboys, who could continue to outplay expectations without the services of their starting Quarterback, Dak Prescott. Indeed, when the Cowboys (4-1, 2nd in NFC East) departed the field of play following their loss to the Buccaneers in the season opener, there was a feeling that their campaign could be over as quickly as it began. Dallas looked rudderless on the offensive side of the football against Tampa, while (Pro-Bowl Quarterback) Dak Prescott broke his right thumb on the crown of a defender’s helmet, with the ensuing prognosis projecting him to miss up to eight weeks of action. Of course, it wouldn’t take long for (Owner) Jerry Jones to publicly state that Prescott could realistically be back in six weeks, with some in Northern Texas suggesting it could as early as Week Five. Well, here we are in Week Six, and the 29-year-old is still on the proverbial shelf, with all reports hinting that he’ll be out of action for just a little while longer, though if we’re being honest, (Head Coach) Mike McCarthy can afford to give him all the time he needs given the play of his troops, particularly his replacement, Cooper Rush. Now in his fifth season with the franchise that tabbed him as an undrafted free agent out of Central Michigan, the 28-year-old has made the most of this opportunity, demonstrating a solid grasp of the playbook with the ability to execute it at a higher level than most expected; Rush has completed 61.0% of his passes for an average of 167.8 yards per game on 6.32 net yards per attempt, with four touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a pair of game-winning drives. While absolutely NOBODY expects there to be a Quarterback controversy in Dallas, this guy has raised his profile in the eyes of many around the NFL. With that said, he’s certainly benefitted from a friendly gameplan courtesy of McCarthy and his coaching staff, who have ditched their initial pass-heavy approach in favor of that tried-and-true ground game that used to be the foundation of their attack; the Cowboys rushed for seventy-one yards on eighteen carries in the opener but have since averaged 127.0 yards on 30.0 attempts over the last four games, with the tandem of (Tailbacks) Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard accounting for 110.6 yards on 4.4 yards per rush. With that said, the biggest proponent for this team’s success has been the play of their Defense, which has picked up where they left off a year ago under (Defensive Coordinator) Dan Quinn, who in his first year at the helm spurred them on to a league-best THIRTY-FOUR takeaways. Five weeks into this season, and they’ve already compiled seven turnovers (13th Overall), including five in the last two outings alone. Furthermore, they’ve yielded the third-fewest points in the league (14.4), while also ranking second in red zone defense (33.3%), and a whopping TWENTY sacks, which is one off the NFL lead. Reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year, Micah Parsons (pictured below) has played like a man possessed, totaling SIX sacks along with a dozen QB hits and sixteen pressures in just five games. Basically, this is the ideal way to play with a backup at Quarterback, which begs the question how much they’ll shift their approach once Prescott returns to the gridiron…
When we last saw the Cowboys, they enjoyed their fourth consecutive victory as they manhandled the (reigning Super Bowl Champion) Rams in a 22-10 drubbing in the City of Angels. This one wasn’t as close as that final score would lead you to believe, as Dallas dominated the second half of play, shutting them out 6-0 over the final thirty minutes. Though they only amassed 239 total yards and ten first downs, McCarthy’s troops feasted upon their opponent’s mistakes, of which there were many; LA’s first two drives ended with a lost fumble and a blocked punt, while suffering a missed field goal, an interception, and another lost fumble to end the afternoon. In the end, Rush didn’t have to do much, completing 10-of-16 passes for just 102 yards, while the duo of Elliott and Pollard combining for 164 yards on thirty carries, with the latter taking one rush fifty-seven yards into the end zone shortly before halftime. Defensively, this was arguably their finest performance of the campaign thus far, for if not for a 75-yard strike courtesy of Matthew Stafford to Cooper Kupp, then the former would have completed just 27-of-41 attempts for 233 yards and an interception, while suffering FIVE sacks and a pair of lost fumbles. This is where Parsons showed out, folks; the versatile edge-rusher totaled five tackles and two sacks, hitting Stafford on three occasions and forcing one of those fumbles. Fellow Defensive Lineman, Dorance Armstrong, added his fourth sack of the season, while also stripping Stafford of the football, with (veteran safety) Malik Hooker intercepting him on their penultimate possession of the affair. Looking to tonight’s showdown in Philadelphia, the Cowboys have won seven of their last nine meetings straight-up, while covering the spread in all but two of those encounters. Furthermore, they’ve been nigh-perfect when they’ve hit the road, covering NINE of their last ten outings away from Jerry World, while also enjoying life as an underdog with an 8-2 record in their last ten against the spread. Though they’ve rarely received anything close to a warm welcome at Lincoln Financial Field, Dallas has handled themselves well in a hostile environment, posting a 7-3 record both straight-up and against the spread in their last ten trips to Eastern Pennsylvania, while owning a 6-4 mark against the spread in their last ten meetings as an underdog. On the injury front, we already touched upon Prescott’s status, but (veteran Left Tackle) Jason Peters, whom the club signed to replace the injured Tyron Smith, is listed as questionable with a chest malady, while (Tight End) Dalton Shultz is also questionable with a sore knee two weeks after returning to action.
Meanwhile, the lone remaining unbeaten in the NFL are the Eagles (5-0, 1st in NFC East), who have leveled up considerably from where they left off a year ago. After getting embarrassed in a 31-15 loss to the Buccaneers on Wild Card Weekend, (Head Coach) Nick Sirianni and (General Manager) Howie Roseman rolled their sleeves up and went about bolstering both sides of the football, exhausting every outlet at their disposal along the way. Offensively, they engineered a draft day trade with the Titans for (Pro-Bowl Receiver) A.J. Brown, adding a physical, athletic playmaker to a budding Receiver Corps. Defensively, they added (emerging Linebacker) Kyzir White, (native Edge-Rusher) Haason Reddick, (young Safety) Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, and (veteran Cornerback) James Bradberry in free agency, while acquiring further reinforcements in the draft, including a pair of Georgia Bulldogs in the form of (mammoth Defensive Tackle) Jordan Davis and (rangy Linebacker) Nakobe Dean. As a result, Philadelphia has been really damn good in both regards; they’ve averaged 27.0 points per game (5th Overall) on 431.8 total yards (2nd Overall), including 271.8 yards through the air (7th Overall) on a healthy 7.6 net yards per attempt (1st Overall), along with another 160.0 yards via the run (4th Overall) on 4.3 yards per carry (17th Overall). Furthermore, they’ve converted 43.8% of their third downs (6th Overall) and scored a touchdown on 61.9% of their trips into the red zone (8th Overall). On Defense, these birds have been fierce, relinquishing just 17.6 points (7th Overall) on 294.4 total yards (4th Overall), including 189.4 yards against the pass on a league-low 4.6 net yards per attempt (1st Overall), aided by the most takeaways in the NFL (11). At the heart of their success has been (third-year Quarterback) Jalen Hurts, who appears to have made a sizeable developmental leap, putting that dismal performance in the playoffs behind him; the 24-year-old has shown a wealth of growth across the board, posting career-highs in completion percentage (67.9%), yards per attempt (8.5), net yards per attempt (7.64), yards per game (271.8), and passer rating (97.4) to name but a few. Though he’s improved greatly as a passer, where Hurts (pictured below) is truly dangerous is with his legs, rushing for 266 yards and an NFL-best SIX touchdowns already. So much of Sirianni’s gameplan is built around the mobility of his Quarterback, who is as effective on designed runs as he is keeping plays alive when they break down. Tonight’s encounter with the Cowboys and their opportunistic Defense should provide us all with a good idea as just how far he has come; simply put, Hurts has struggled against Dallas, marshalling a 1-2 record in three meetings, completing 59.4% of his passes for an average of 225.7 yards on 8.07 net yards per attempt, with three touchdowns and four interceptions, while rushing for another 104 yards on eighteen carries with a pair of fumbles, one of which was lost.
When we last saw the Eagles, they managed to remain undefeated but dodged one helluva of a bullet in doing so, narrowly escaping the Cardinals in a 20-17 win. Amidst predictions that this trip to desert would prove perilous based on previous ventures west, Philadelphia nearly fell victim to the memories of past stumbles, allowing Arizona to stay in the game until the very end. Sirianni’s troops started strong enough, taking their first possession of the afternoon sixty-four yards downfield in eleven plays, with Hurts punching it into the end zone with ease. After a punt, the visitors made it 14-0 with another lengthy drive (16 plays, 87 yards), ending in identical fashion with another Hurts touchdown run from one yard out. However, that would be about it for Philly, who could muster only a pair of field goals the rest of the way. As they have throughout the early goings of the campaign, the hosts rallied back in the second half, drawing even midway through the fourth quarter with an opportunity to match their opponent’s go-ahead field goal and send it to overtime. Unfortunately, (Kicker) Matt Amendola’s 43-yard attempt was pushed wide of the uprights, ending the affair. When it was all said and done, the Eagles amassed 357 total yards on twenty-four first downs, rushing for 139 yards on thirty-three carries and possessing the football for a commanding 34:39 of game time. Hurts completed 26-of-36 passes for 239 yards, while rushing for another sixty-one yards and that pair of scores on fifteen carries. Though the aforementioned Brown was quiet (3 catches, 32 yards), (fellow Wideout) DeVonta Smith and (Tight End) Dallas Goedert picked up the slack with a combined eighteen receptions on twenty targets for 182 yards. Defensively, it wasn’t the strongest performance from Philadelphia, who managed to contain (Cardinals Quarterback) Kyler Murray to modest levels of production (28-of-42, 250 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception), but capitulated more than (Defensive Coordinator) Jonathan Gannon would have liked in the second half. Gardner-Johnson had a busy day in the Secondary, logging an interception midway through the first quarter and finishing the day with a team-high ten tackles. Looking to tonight’s showdown with the Cowboys, Siranni & Co are 9-1 straight-up in their last ten games as a favorite, though a middling 5-4 against the spread. We touched upon their struggles against the Cowboys of late, which includes their last two meetings, a 41-21 drubbing at AT&T Stadium on a Monday night last September, followed by an embarrassing 51-26 defeat at home in the finale. In those two encounters, they relinquished a combined NINETY-TWO points and 855 total yards, with Prescott touching them up for a staggering EIGHT passing touchdowns. On the injury front, (Offensive Linemen) Jordan Mailota and Landon Dickerson are both listed as questionable with various maladies, while (Cornerback) Avonte Maddox carries that same designation with a sprained ankle. Furthermore, they managed to survive any potential kicking woes without (young Kicker) Jake Elliott, who missed last weekend’s contest with an ailing ankle of his own, which has him also listed as questionable for this primetime affair.