NFL
By: Greg Rector
Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys got the split from their first two road games after beating the Los Angeles Chargers 20 to 17 in week two. Now next Monday the games that Cowboys fans look forward to the most begin when they open their home games with a visit from the Philadelphia Eagles. Yes if the referees had called a [penalty against Tampa’s Lavonte David for removing his helmet, maybe just maybe they would be 2-0. It didn’t happen and you can’t cry over spilled milk. Let’s look ahead to week three.
Eagles Offense vs Dallas defense
The Eagles will come to Dallas after a loss to San Francisco. What worked for them against the Falcons in week one didn’t quite go as well versus the Niners as they fell 17 to 11. The Eagles’ offense had their moments in week two but were stymied by a very tough Niners defense. The Cowboys will need to focus on containing Jalen Hurts 10 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown, from using his mobility along with containing his passing attack. Yes, I said Hurts and a passing attack. He has weapons now in both Davonta Smith and Quez Watkins. In week one Hurts and Smith hooked up for some nice plays, in week two he may have only found Watkins twice but it was for 117 yards, yes that’s 58.5 yards a catch. What I am more worried about is Miles Sanders having a breakout game in the running attack. The Dallas defense will need to plan for the home run plays to not happen. The Cowboys have been better against the run compared to last year, however, after two weeks they rank 28th against the pass. This worries me as the Eagles have plenty of speed at wide receiver plus a better than an average tight end in Dallas Goedert.
What the Eagles will see on film though is a much faster defense than in 2020. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was masterful in switching up his schemes against the Chargers. If you remember my season preview article I talked about the importance of the players being versatile, and coachable enough to do what Quinn asks of them. Minus Lawrence and Gregory, Quinn employed several exotic schemes that this group played very well in. One thing they did against the Chargers was use Cover 4 (Quarters to some) 3 down linemen, 1 Linebacker, and 7 DB formation on about 20% of the defensive snaps. With Gregory returning from Covid protocol this week, expect less of Micah Parsons being used as a DE this week. Parsons was outstanding against the Chargers, however. 4 QB hits 1 sack, and 8 pressures. Here’s the scary part, the Cowboys only used Parsons on 39 of 71 defensive snaps 54%. Quinn kept everyone fresh and engaged. This will need to happen again in order to keep the young Eagles quarterback confused. The Cowboys, yes the Dallas Cowboys have the best plus/minus for takeaways in the league right now. Can’t count on that in every game and that’s where the defense must improve on other things like breaking up passes along with getting “Ball Extraction Opportunities,” maybe one of the worst expressions in the history of “coach speak,” thanks to Mike McCarthy…smh A repeat performance of putting heat on another 2nd-year quarterback in Hurts is exactly what the Cowboys defense needs to do. Unlike the first two opponents, Hurts isn’t anywhere near the elite arm of a Brady or Herbert.
Cowboys Offense vs Eagles Defense
The Cowboys’ offense didn’t fire on all cylinders against the Chargers without a doubt. They did however do something many fans have called for, Tony Pollard absolutely had himself a great game. 13 carries for 109 yards 8.4 average, while Ezekiel Elliott had 16 carries for 71 yards. Pollard is the more explosive back and needs his fair share of carries. I repeat it wasn’t me that overpaid Elliott, the folks out there though saying he’s washed are simply wrong. Elliott is as good a blocking running back in the passing game as you will find. That’s just one thing he does well. He is still a capable back but after his three rushing titles and frankly, over usage the toll that took is evident. So let’s not kill off Elliott as of yet okay folks? Chubb/Hunt, Swift/Williams, and other duos or even full committees are now in fashion. The Cowboys will be able to establish the run against the Eagles, which then opens up the passing game for Dak and company. There was no more welcome sight than RG Zach Martin absolutely dominating Chargers defenders and opening holes in the ground game.
The streak of 400-yard passing games ended for Prescott against the Chargers. Sadly for the Eagles, they lost their best pass rusher for the season, as Brandon Graham tore his Achilles against the Niners. The surprise to many Cowboys fans (Myself included) was the performance of Terence Steele at RT last week, which has to be maintained until La’el Collins can return. So far the Eagles defense has played decently. On Monday night though they are going to have to pick their poison. For those Elliott haters out there in his 8 games against Philadelphia, he has 789 yards and 3 TDs. I believe the Cowboys line will be primed to run block and establish their dominance. Pollard and Elliott should again combine to make life miserable for the Eagles’ defense. You can be certain Prescott, Cooper, and Lamb want to have a better game than they all had against the Chargers. Add in the fact this is the home opener and I expect the passing game to be better this week.
Intangibles
All division games matter. If you watched the seesaw battle put on by WFT and the Giants that is rather obvious. This rivalry between the Eagles and the Cowboys has generally been the deciding factor as to who wins the division the last several seasons. Getting the jump on a rival this early in the season could be a deciding factor late in the season. The Cowboys won’t see Philadelphia again until Week 18. With the 0-2 Giants up next for Dallas they can help themselves by stringing together victories. The schedule is very favorable to Dallas as they face non-playoff teams up until week 11 against the Chiefs. Here’s where I always get worried though when it comes to the Cowboys. Their tendency has been to play down to an opponent, they also have a very bad habit of starting slowly at home. This must end and with the intensity and effort shown in the first two games, I really hope this won’t be the case on Monday night. Micah Parsons dream of being a Dallas Cowboy and playing at AT&T Stadium comes true on Monday night. Relish the moment, but get the job done. Give the home crowd a complete effort, that’s all I ever ask for.
Dallas Cowboys 27 Philadelphia Eagles 17
