Game Preview – Headin’ to Big D

No matter what else happens this weekend, let’s beat Dallas.  We haven’t swept the Cowboys since 2006.  While this season has been disappointing, a sweep of the Boys would make life just a little bit sweeter.  There is no greater holiday joy than seeing Jerry Jones sad face in the owners booth as he contemplates why he ever let Jimmy Johnson leave.

Beat the Boys.

Last time out we won 34-7 and the game wasn’t that close.  We had 31 1st downs to just 12 for them.  We outgained them 495 to 267.  We didn’t have any turnovers and only had 33 yards in penalties.  We played a flawless game.

That won’t happen again.  We can still win and even win big, but we won’t have a perfect game.  I think the real key to that game was that Marty & Andy feared Rob Ryan’s blitz attack.  They built a gameplan based on moving the ball rather than going for explosive downfield plays.  And we played small ball really well.

If we have the same type of gameplan, I think we will be able to move the ball very well.  We’ve got such dynamic pieces that if you get them the ball quickly, the guys can make things happen. We run into problems when going for the long TDs.  That requires longer blocking, a more perfect pass, and the receiver getting open and then making the catch.

We dominated the LOS on both sides of the ball in the first game.  We can do that again, but I don’t want to count on it.  I’m sure Rob will have his guys really fired up.  Still, the only pass rusher to fear is DeMarcus Ware.  The other members of the front seven have talent, but can be blocked.

As for the other side, our DL can definitely win the battle up front.  Patt and CuJo played well in the first game and controlled the middle.  Cole and Babin got plenty of pressure and were just regularly disruptive.  The backups all had good moments as well.

Once Dallas got far enough behind, they gave up on the run game.  I’m sure Jason Garrett will stick with the run as long as he can this time out.  He knows we’re built to play the pass, not the run.

DeMarco Murray is gone.  Felix Jones is hurt and hasn’t practiced, but will play.  Jones is a talented RB who is capable of having big games.  The guys must tackle well.  Jones has the speed to break long runs.  I’m not sure how the injury will affect him.

We focused on Jason Witten in the first game and held him to 4-28.  He was targeted 12 times.  We used a variety of guys to cover him.  Coverage for that game was outstanding.  Kurt Coleman bit on a fake and gave up a long TD.  Aside from that play, the longest completion was for just 13 yards.  The DBs, LB, and DL worked really well in unison.  Good pressure and coverage.

I would once again focus on Witten.  He is Romo’s go-to guy.  Take him away and Romo gets uncomfortable.  Luckily, we’ve got some guys who match up well with Witten.  Asomugha played him at times and was good.  Even Kurt Coleman and Jamar Chaney had some success.  We’ve now got Casey Matthews and Keenan Clayton in the Nickel.  Those guys have the potential to do a good job on Witten.

I think Dallas will have more offensive success in this game.  Tony Romo is on a big time hot streak.  Laurent Robinson is more a part of the offense now.  Miles Austin is healthy.  Dez Bryant remains very inconsistent, but has a TD in 3 straight games.

Trying to get a read on the intangibles and misc factors in this game is like trying to eat soup with a fork.  Dallas is 5-2 at home.  Looks good, but their wins are vs STL, SEA, WAS, BUF, and MIA.  Dallas got the Seahawks and Bills when they were struggling.  In the last 2 home games Dallas barely beat Miami and lost to the Giants.  The Eagles are 4-3 on the road, but the wins aren’t all that impressive.

Dallas is famous for struggling late in the year, but did beat us twice late in ’09 and beat us late last year, but that game featured our backups.

We’re known as a team that excels in December, but currently own a 6-8 record so it’s hard to buy into the fact that this team can build on a 2-game winning streak.

Prior to blowing out Tampa, Dallas had played in 4 straight games decided by a TD or less.  2 of the games went to OT.  The Eagles have played played in 4 straight blowouts, 2 losses with Vince Young followed by 2 wins with Michael Vick.

It is hard to get a read on this game.  Will Dallas melt under the playoff heat?  Can we really win a 3rd game in a row?  If you break the game down to simple matchups, I think we’re better.  Asante Samuel will miss the game, but DRC is playing his best football of the year.  He’ll step in at LCB.  The only way this hurts us is that Brandon Hughes or Curtis Marsh will have to play RCB if we want Nnamdi to cover Witten in some sets.  It will be interesting to see who the coaches choose.  Marsh is bigger and more gifted, but Hughes started vs Dallas last December and played pretty well in that game.

LeSean McCoy has killed Dallas in the last 2 games.  We’ve played well vs 3-4 defenses.  Vick played well in his 2 starts vs Dallas and if you remember the crappy ’09 games it was Vick who brought some life to the team in those games.  The huge thing is not to turn the ball over.  Vick played a clean game back in October and we killed the Cowboys.

I think the Eagles have a very good chance to go down and win in Dallas.  If our good friends the NY Jets help us out, we might be looking at a real meaningful win.

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Mike Patterson won the Ed Block Courage Award for the Eagles this year.  I don’t say enough good things about Mike.  He’s not a spectacular player, but is reliable.  You know he’s going to do whatever it takes to get the job done.  He’ll gladly do the dirty work.  All he asks for is the occasional sack or hit on the QB.  We all got a bit scared back in the summer when he had the seizure and then found out he had some medical issues.  Thankfully, Mike has stayed healthy this year.  He still gets to play the game he loves (and make a few bucks).  We get a good DT so that’s a win-win for everybody.  In the spirit of Christmas, go sit on Romo and make him beg for mercy.