Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Game Preview – DAL at PHI

Posted October 26th, 2026 | No Comments »

Weird things can happen in rivalry games. The Panthers were coming off a pair of impressive wins when they hosted the struggling Bucs. So naturally Tampa won 43-13 and amazingly only threw 11 passes in the game. The winless Dolphins went on the road to battle a hungry Jets team. Miami pulled off the upset and got their first W of the year. Why do I bring this up?

On paper, Dallas should win. They are much healthier and have the more talented team right now. But wierd things can happen in rivalry games. On Halloween in 1993, Dallas went to The Vet with Troy, Emmitt, Michael, and Jay Novacek. The Eagles had Ken O’Brien, Herschel Walker, James Lofton, and Maurice Johnson. Somehow the Eagles only trailed 13-10 in the fourth quarter. Dallas got a late TD run from Emmitt to break the game open. The Cowboys were defending SB champs and would go on to win that year as well. But an old, beaten up Eagles team hung right with them for 50 minutes.

Will a young, beaten up Eagles team hang with Dallas tonight? Can they win? We’ll see. I sure wouldn’t bet much money on it, but I also wouldn’t have bet on Miami or Tampa on Sunday and both won.

The Eagles offense must play better than last week. The line must block better. The receivers must make plays. Tanner McKee must play better. Of course it would help if he had all his weapons. DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks are out. That opens the door for Makai Lemon, Darius Cooper, Hollywood Brown, and Elijah Moore to show what they can do. Maybe they surprise us. Or maybe we are reminded why Smitty and Wicks are the key receivers.

Dallas has a vulnerable secondary. Daron Bland is really struggling this year. You can go attack him. Their DBs have had quite a few blown coverages overall. Opposing QBs have a copletion percentage of 68.5 and a passer rating of 110.2. Dallas is ranked 30th in both categories. They can be got. “Can” being the key word. The Eagles have played other vunerable defenses and struggled. You keep thinking they’ll figure things out one of these weeks. Dallas gives them a golden opportunity.

The book on the Eagles is to blitz, blitz, and blitz some more. DBs don’t have to cover long if the QB is running for his life. The Eagles OL is expected to have Drew Kendall back at center and Landon Dickerson returning to left guard. Can Dickerson play like his old self or are we going to see the guy who struggled in 2025 and Week 1? I would assume if he struggles the coaches would put Willie Lampkin back on the field. He was solid the last couple of weeks.

The Eagles will be faster at TE. Both Stowers and Calcaterra can run. But can either one of them actually block? We haven’t seen that from either before this so don’t get your hopes too high. We’ll see if the coaches can take advantage of their athleticism.

It will help to have Saquon Barkley back on the field. Defenses will have to plan for him. And hopefully his presence will encourage the coaches to call more runs. Dameon Pierce is fine when there is a clearly defined hole, but he lacks vision, cutback ability, and top burst. He could be more effective as the #2 RB.

It will be interesting to see how Sean Mannion calls this game. McKee played better last week out of the shotgun. Will the Eagles focus on that or continue to mix in under center plays?

Vic Fangio’s defense held the Cowboys to 20 and 24 points last season. They will need to keep the score in that range for the Eagles to have a chance in this game. McKee and the offense aren’t going to win a shootout without some fluky things happening. It sounds like Jalyx Hunt will play, but Jonathan Greenard could miss the game. Nolan Smith is still in concussion protocol. Getting pressure won’t be easy.

Last week Fangio embraced the blitz and it was effective most of the time. Dallas has a pair of top WRs so blitzing them does have a bit of extra risk. But that’s why you have Quinyon Mitchell and Riq Woolen. Make those guys earn their money. Take some chances and play them in man coverage. The Dallas offense struggled the past two games (somehow scoring less than the Eagles). It won’t shock me for them figure things out this week. It feels like the Eagles have bad luck with teams solving problems right before they play.

This would be a great time for Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Moro Ojomo to come up big. If they can be disruptive inside, it will help the edge rushers to be more effective from the outside.

It will be interesting to see what the Eagles do when CeeDee Lamb is in the slot. He could be a tough matchup for Cooper DeJean because of his speed. Kenny Moore and Drew Mukuba will have their hands full trying to cover the deep middle to limit big plays from Lamb and George Pickens.

The Eagles caught one big break. Kevontae Turpin is out. His ability as a KOR scared me with the Eagles leaky kick coverage.

The Eagles competed over the past three weeks, but ultimately lost those games due to big mistakes at crucial times. They can win tonight if they make plays instead of mistakes. They haven’t done nearly enough of that this year so it is easier said than done. Find a way to win and the team stays right in the middle of the NFC East race. Lose and you’re a step closer to thinking about the future.

Whatcha gonna do, Eagles?

_