Beat Dallas

The Eagles are 7-7. They are on a two-game winning streak and tied for first place. Life isn’t great, but things certainly have improved.

The big question now is whether the Eagles can beat Dallas on Sunday.

The Cowboys definitely have more talent, but they are also 7-7. They haven’t suffered nearly as many injuries as the Eagles. Most will tell you that the biggest difference is that the Eagles have the better coaching staff.

We’ll have to wait and see if the Eagles get back Jordan Howard, Nelson Aghholor or Lane Johnson for this game. With the way the offense has played the last few games, I think they can have success with the guys they have been playing.

Fran Duffy’s breakdown this week was outstanding. Doug Pederson and Mike Groh put together a great gameplan. Pederson did a fantastic job with his play-calling. The players executed really well and made the X’s and O’s come to life.

Carson Wentz hit Greg Ward in the back corner of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. It was a great throw and catch … but it wasn't the first time the #Eagles ran that play, in that part of the field, for a touchdown in this game #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/cyAgpoBYQO

— Fran Duffy (@fduffy3) December 16, 2019

Carson Wentz was 13-of-13 when targeting RBs out of the backfield in the passing game on Sunday. Checkdowns, misdirections, designer plays, etc. Everything was on the table to get Miles Sanders and Boston Scott involved in the passing game #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/lYhpQ1tLS7

— Fran Duffy (@fduffy3) December 16, 2019

Obviously the RBs are a big part of the screen game as well. The #Eagles called 9 screens against Washington on Sunday, with a handful of different targets on the other end. It's going to continue to be a big part of what they do offensively #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/cLRyqYM9bI

— Fran Duffy (@fduffy3) December 16, 2019

Offense is about timing and execution. If you don’t have elite talent, you can still succeed if you have the right schemes for the right guys. The Eagles have figured some things out in the last couple of weeks. It also helps that Carson Wentz is a special QB. He can make a few plays a game that are the difference between winning and losing. Just think about the TD pass to Miles Sanders. Not many QBs make that play.

I think the Eagles will move the ball and score points on Sunday. I can’t promise they’ll put up 31, but I feel good about the offense right now.

The defense is another story.

The Eagles have basically played two good quarters in the last three games (the second half vs the Giants). That’s not ideal.

Dallas has given the Eagles fits in the last three meetings, scoring 27, 29 and 37 points. To be fair, the Eagles did not have a healthy secondary for those games.

We have seen the Eagles defense rise to the occasion at times this year. There are times when they are locked in and look really good. Jim Schwartz needs his unit to come up big this Sunday.

It will be interesting to see what he does. He could try the aggressive approach and blitz a lot. He could play man. He could play more Cover 2 than usual. The focus will be on shutting down Ezekiel Elliott, but passing downs is where things will get interesting.

The Dallas offense was great on Sunday, but erratic the previous three weeks. You can’t exactly pencil them in for 35 points.

The Eagles don’t have to turn into the ’85 Bears. They don’t have to be Gang Green, Pt. II. They just need to make a handful of plays on Sunday. Beating Dallas 44-6 would be great, but winning that game 27-23 or 17-13 would work just as well.

One advantage the Eagles have is coming off a bunch of close games. The Eagles have won two in a row, but the previous games were very close as well. The Eagles are mentally tough. They aren’t going to panic if they get down a TD or even 10 points. They’ll just keep plugging along and claw their way back into the game.

I wonder about the Cowboys mindset after Sunday. Did that blowout give them a shot in the arm or a false sense of confidence?

Pederson was asked about Dallas Week today and talked about focusing on “today”. Forget the game. Go win today, whether that’s a meeting or workout or practice. Do the same tomorrow. Focus on what is right in front of you and what you control.

I think that is absolutely the right mindset.

We’ll see if it works on Sunday.

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