The Philadelphia Eagles are 5-0. The first time they’ve reached that mark since 2004. Philly started that season 7-0 and ended up playing the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 39. This week presents another challenge. The Dallas Cowboys come to South Philly at a surprising 4-1 since Dak Prescott went down in week 1. Can the Eagles overcome the stingy Dallas defense?
The Dallas Defense
The Cowboys have played some impressive defense allowing 17 or fewer points during their 4-game win streak. Micah Parsons has taken the Dallas defense to the next level. He had 2 sacks and a forced fumble against the Los Angles Rams. He is only 1 of 3 players with six games of 2 plus sacks since 2021. The other two are Nick Bosa and T.J. Watt. Parsons really steps his game on Sunday night football. He has 3 sacks and 7 tackles for loss in his 3 career SNF games.
Trevon Diggs had a pick-six in the last meeting. Diggs has 4 interceptions, and 8 pass breakups in 3 career games verse the Eagles. Defensive End Demarcus Lawrence had his 7th-career fumble recovery last week and tackle for loss in 7 of his past 8 on SNF.
Two QB or to QB One?
Cooper Rush has done well filling in for the injured Prescot. His numbers are not staggering, but he has kept this team in the win column. Rush became the 5th undrafted QB to win each of his 1st 5 career starts in the Super Bowl era. He has 6 TDs vs. 1 INT & 95.8 rating in 5 career starts. This has been enough for the Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, to use the term quarterback controversy.
Now the rumbling of Dak Prescott possibly returning continue to swirl. Prescott has a 90+ rating in 4 of his past 5 starts on SNF. Completed 21 of 27 attempts. That is 77.8% completion for 295 yards & career-high 5 TDs for 0 INTs for a 151.8 QB rating in the last
meeting with the Eagles. Dak has a 100+ rating in 5 of his past 6 starts versus Philly. If he is healthy, I believe the Cowboys will go with Prescott over Rush,
Does Pollard Become the Bell Cow
Ezekiel Elliot aims for his 4th game in a row with 75+ scrimmage yards. Zeke has 1,317 scrimmage yards (131.7 per game) & 5 TDs (4 rush, 1 rec.) in 10 career games versus the Eagles. Since 2016, Elliot has led the NFL in rush yards (7,691) & ranks tied-2nd in rush TDs (57). The problem this year has been a decline in Dallas’s lead back. The 27-year-old only has 305 yards on 81 attempts averaging only 3.8 yards an attempt with only 1 touchdown.
Tony Pollard rushed for 86 yards & had a 10th-career rushing TD last week against the LA Rams. Pollard’s numbers have been much more impressive, with 248 yards on 44 attempts averaging 5.6 yards an attempt with 2 touchdowns. Will McCarthy give Pollard the lion’s share of the carries this Sunday night?
Offensive Weapons
The Eagles have had some major plays on offense. Miles Sanders has had a resurgence this contract year. In 2022 he has compiled 414 yards on 87 attempts averaging 4.8 yards an attempt with 3 touchdowns in five games.
Newcomer wide receiver A.J. Brown has 5+ catches & 65+ rec. yards in 4 of his 1st 5 games this season. In Arizona, he was a nonfactor later in the game. Brown ranks 5th in NFL with 436 reception yards in 2022. Devonte Smith had a career-high 10 receptions & 87 rec. yards in Week 5. Smith has 7 or more catches in 3 of his past 4 games. Dallas Goedert had 8 catches for a team-high 95 yards in Arizona. Goedert has 5+ catches in 4 of his past 5 home games. He leads NFC tight ends with 335 receiving yards in 2022.
Jalen Hurts continues to prove his doubters wrong this season. Hurts had 300 yards (239 passing, 61 rushing) & 2 rushing TDs in Week 5 against the Cardinal. Jalen has 7 career games with 2+ rush TDs, tied for 2nd-most in QBs all-time. He has tallied 19 rush TDs in 24 starts, the most by a QB in his first 25 career starts all-time. He has 12 TDs (8 rush, 4 pass) in his past 5 home starts. We will need Jalen to be on top of his game If he and the Eagles want to overcome the Dallas defense.
The Eagles’ Second Half Offense
The Eagles have dominated many games and had a few close calls. The one blemish on the Philly offense is the ability to score points in the second half. In five games, they have scored 29 points in the second half compared to 106 first-half points. That’s 21.2 points per game average first-half points versus 5.8 second-half points per game. The question is can Philly survive the Dallas defense by keeping up with this trend? Can the Eagles overcome the Dallas defense, especially in the second half?
Al is one of the two co-creators of Edge of Philly Sports. Al started radio and podcasting in 2012 and covering sports in 2015. A lifelong Philly sports fan since watching the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, and Flyers with his grandfathers at age 7. Al always looks at the other side of the hot topics and gives his different outlook on those topics. Web and Graphic Design.
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