Game Preview – PHI at DAL

Posted: November 10th, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Game Preview – PHI at DAL

The Eagles and Cowboys normally play in big games. Meaningful games. They have been the two best teams in the NFC East over the past decade. That’s what makes today’s game so odd. The Eagles are 6-2 and in the middle of a good season. Dallas is 3-5 and on the brink of falling apart. The Eagles are a touchdown favorite in this game. Most people feel this is a slam dunk win.

Dallas is in a weird place, having struggled this season and now finding out Dak Prescott is likely done for the season. Cooper Rush takes over at QB with the hope that he can can somehow keep the team competitive and help them sneak into the playoffs. The Cowboys would likely need to go 6-3, which doesn’t seem likely when they face the Eagles twice, the Commanders twice, the Bengals and the Texans. I’m really curious to see how the team responds.

Rush went 4-1 as a starter in 2022. I’m sure Jerry Jones is hoping some of that magic can be replicated, but the circumstances are very different. Dallas didn’t score more than 25 points in any of those wins. They didn’t allow more than 17 points in any of those games. The defense was good, the offense was good enough. The OL was among the best in the league. Dallas was +5 in turnover ratio in the 4 wins. They had a potent rushing attack back then.

The 2024 Cowboys are different. The defense is bad. The OL is struggling due to a lot of changes and playing young guys. Dallas is -7 in turnover ratio this season. And that run game is anything but potent. Dallas averages 82 rushing yards a game. There will be a lot more pressure on Cooper Rush this time out. All he had to do was be a game manager in 2022. I don’t think that will be enough this season.

Rush will face an Eagles defense that is now one of the best in the league.

The Eagles defense has been even better since the bye. They haven’t allowed more than 280 yards in a game. They haven’t given up more than 17 points. Fangio has figured out how to use these plays. The players have certainly improved as the season has gone along. And Cooper DeJean taking over in the slot has had a serious impact on the unit.

Dallas likes to play CeeDee Lamb in the slot. It will be fun to watch Lamb go against DeJean. Lamb is so good that he’ll win his share of battles, but DeJean is good himself and has made a play (or two) in each of his starts.

I would think the Cowboys will try to play small-ball. Have Rush get the ball out quickly and focus on getting first downs instead of chunk plays. Tampa did this well in their win. The Bengals did this well on their opening drive against the Eagles. It is tough to do for an entire game, especially with the middle of the Eagles defense playing much improved football. Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean are making plays. Attack them if you want, but they can burn you.

Think how impressive that was. Dean did his tape study during the week and knew what the Jags liked to do. He was waiting for them to test him. They tried it at the end of the game and he burned them with a crucial INT.

Dallas has enough weapons that they should have some offensive success, but I don’t see them scoring a bunch without some fluke plays or D/ST help.

The Cowboys defense was built to protect leads. That worked well in recent years, but not so much this season. The team hasn’t had many leads so teams have been able to do what they want on offense and force Dallas to play on their heels. The Cowboys have allowed 184 or more rushing yards in four games this season. I would expect the Eagles to attack them on the ground quite a bit.

Dallas does get Micah Parsons back. He leads the team in QB pressures despite missing several games. Their pass rush has really struggled this year. Parsons and Lane Johnson have had some good battles over the years. Dallas would be smart to have him go against Fred Johnson. Parsons ability to get low could give Fred problems. Parsons could also rush up the middle. He could be a problem for Mekhi Becton, another tall, long OL.

I would think we’ll see play-action passes to try to burn the Dallas defense if they get over-aggressive against the run.

Kellen Moore is mixing up looks and formations so it challenges the defense. The old days of a static offense running 11 personnel over and over are gone. The Eagles get Dallas Goedert back today, which will boost the offense. Having Goedert and Jack Stoll as blockers will make the run game even tougher. Grant Calcaterra is a good athlete, but he’s not a good blocker.

Saquon Barkley has been getting a lot of touches recently. It would be good if the offense clicked and Kenny Gainwell and Will Shipley could be mixed in more to take some of the load off of him.

It is easy to expect a blowout when the Eagles are clearly better on offense and defense. You just never know if the backup QB will provide a spark to the team. Micah Parsons is the kind of special talent who can make one or two huge plays that change a game. Dallas also has the edge on special teams. The Eagles are the better team, but Dallas isn’t hopeless.

Philadelphia hasn’t won in Dallas since 2017. JerryWorld has been a highly frustrating place since then. This seems to be the year to end streaks. The Eagles got their first ever win in Cincinnati. They got their first win in New Orleans in decades. They got their first ever win in Brazil. Okay, that last one is a bit of a reach.

If Jalen Hurts protects the ball and the Eagles defense continues to play well, the Eagles should end their winless streak in Dallas.

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