The Dallas Cowboys were unable to maintain their grip on the NFC East as they traveled to Washington in Week 7 and suffered a miserable defeat at the hands of the Football Team. With the loss, the Cowboys dropped from their perch atop the division to third place in the East.
Now a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles looms on Sunday, and the Cowboys will be turning to seventh-round rookie Ben DiNucci in their quest to break a losing streak.
With that in mind, here are 100 facts and stats as Dallas aims to reverse course against one of their top rivals:
SERIES FACTS (12)
-This is the fifth time in franchise history the Cowboys are 2-5. None of those previous teams made the playoffs.
-Since 1990, when playoff formats were last tinkered with, 15/169 teams that started 3-5 made the playoffs.
-Since 1990, 0/112 teams that started 2-6 made the playoffs and none finished with winning records.
-This is the fourth time in franchise history the Eagles are 2-4-1. None of those previous teams made the playoffs.
-Since 1990, there have been six teams that started 3-4-1. Only one of those teams made the playoffs: the 2014 Carolina Panthers, who finished 7-8-1.
-Since 1990, there has been just one team that started 2-5-1: the 2018 Cleveland Browns. They finished 7-8-1 and failed to make the playoffs.
-This is the 17th-straight season a game from the Dallas-Philadelphia series will be in prime time, making it the longest prime time streak in current NFL rivalries.
-This is the 27th prime time game the Cowboys will play against the Eagles, playoffs or otherwise. It is tied for the most against a divisional opponent in Dallas history (NY Giants) but the most against any divisional opponent in Philadelphia history.
-The Cowboys have only ever opened up their series against the Eagles with a win 33/60 times. Eighteen of 32 of those initial wins came in Philadelphia.
-Dallas is 19-15 against the Eagles in October with a 6-12 record on the road.
-The Dallas Cowboys are 30-28 against the Philadelphia Eagles on the road. Here is the breakdown by venue:
● Franklin Field: 4-6
● Veterans Stadium: 16-15
● Lincoln Financial Field: 10-7
-The Cowboys’ 10-7 record at Lincoln Financial Field is the best among NFC East opponents:
● Dallas: 10-7
● New York: 5-13
● Washington: 7-10
BEN DINUCCI FACTS (10)
-DiNucci is set to become the 42nd different starting quarterback in Cowboys history.
-A win Sunday would make DiNucci the third rookie quarterback in Cowboys history to beat the Eagles:
● 1987 – Kevin Sweeney – PHI, 41-22 – W
● 2016 – Dak Prescott – PHI, 29-23 – W-OT
-DiNucci is set to become the 11th-youngest Cowboys quarterback to earn his first career start.
-DiNucci will be the first former James Madison quarterback to start in the NFL.
-DiNucci is the 11th quarterback from the Colonial Athletic Association, whether from a full member or associate member school, to throw a pass in the NFL.
-DiNucci will become the third quarterback from the 2020 NFL Draft class to make a start this year, and the latest pick to do so (231st overall).
-DiNucci is the first seventh-round rookie quarterback to make a start since Ryan Fitzpatrick with the St. Louis Rams on Dec. 18, 2005, against the Philadelphia Eagles.
-DiNucci will be the first Cowboys quarterback to make his first NFL start on NBC Sunday Night Football since Tony Romo on Oct. 29, 2006.
-DiNucci will be the fifth Cowboys quarterback to make his debut on Sunday Night Football and seventh to do so in prime time. Here is how the other Dallas quarterbacks fared:
● Week 1 (Monday Night Football), 1984 – Gary Hogeboom – @RAM, 20-13 – W
● Week 2 (Sunday Night Football), 2000 – Randall Cunningham – @CRD, 31-32 – L
● Week 16 (Sunday Night Football), 2000 – Anthony Wright – NYG, 13-17 – L
● Week 8 (Sunday Night Football), 2006 – Tony Romo – @CAR, 35-14 – W
● Week 17 (Sunday Night Football), 2013 – Kyle Orton – PHI, 22-24 – L
● Week 6 (Monday Night Football), 2020 – Andy Dalton – CRD, 10-38 – L
-DiNucci was born on Nov. 24, 1996, the same day the Cowboys lost 20-6 at the New York Giants.
CARSON WENTZ FACTS (10)
-The Eagles quarterback has the lowest completion percentage among quarterbacks who have started every game at 58.6%.
-Wentz is tied with Kirk Cousins for the most interceptions in the league.
-Wentz has the fourth-lowest yards per pass attempt at 6.3.
-Wentz has the second-lowest passer rating among quarterbacks who have started every game at 74.3.
-Wentz is tied with Joe Burrow for the most sacks in the NFL with 28.
-Wentz has been pressured 84 times, the most in the league.
-Wentz is tied with Ryan Tannehill for the most fourth quarter comebacks in the league with three. Wentz is also tied with eight other quarterbacks for the second-most game-winning drives with two.
-Wentz has the highest intended air yards in the league with 2,526.
-Wentz has the seventh-highest completed air yards with 1,097 yards.
-16 of Wentz’s passes have been dropped, tied with Matt Ryan and Josh Allen for the second-most in the league.
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT FACTS (6)
-Elliott’s 1.8 yards before contact is tied for the eighth-lowest in the NFL.
-Elliott’s 249 yards after contact are the eighth-most in the league.
-Elliott is tied with Dalvin Cook and James Robinson for the eighth-most broken tackles with 10.
-Elliott is tied with Josh Jacobs, Cam Newton, Kyler Murray, and Carson Wentz for the fifth-most red zone rushing touchdowns with five.
-Elliott is tied with Kareem Hunt for the fifth-most rush attempts on third down with 69.
-Among running backs, Elliott is tied with Cook, Derrick Henry, Gus Edwards, Malcolm Brown, David Johnson, and Miles Sanders for the second-most third down conversions on the ground with six.
MIKE MCCARTHY FACTS (9)
-This is the first time in McCarthy’s career that his team has begun the season 2-5.
-McCarthy is 5-2 against the Eagles with a 3-1 record on the road.
-McCarthy is 14-10 against the NFC East with a 7-7 record on the road
-McCarthy is 54-24-2 in division games with a 25-15 record on the road.
-McCarthy is 25-30-1 in November with a 12-19 record on the road.
-McCarthy is 17-18 against Super Bowl-winning coaches with a 5-13 record on the road.
-McCarthy is 6-13-1 with backup quarterbacks with a 4-6 record on the road.
-McCarthy is 15 for 27 at snapping a losing streak.
-McCarthy is 47 for 94 on challenges for his career with an 0 for 1 record in 2020.
DOUG PEDERSON FACTS (9)
-Pederson has won the opening contest of a division series 8 of 14 times since becoming Eagles head coach with 5 of 8 of those wins coming at home.
-Pederson is 17-9 against the NFC East with a 15-5 record on the road.
-Pederson is 16-24 against playoff-winning head coaches with a 12-11 record at home.
-Pederson is 14-6 in prime time games with a 7-2 record at home.
-Pederson is 3-5 against the Cowboys. Here is how he compares to other Eagles head coaches:
● Andy Reid: 17-12
● Buddy Ryan: 8-2
● Nick Skorich: 4-2
● Buck Shaw: 1-0
● Joe Kuharich: 5-5
● Chip Kelly: 3-3
● Doug Pederson: 3-5
● Mike McCormack: 2-4
● Rich Kotite: 2-7
● Ray Rhodes: 3-6
● Dick Vermeil: 4-10
● Marion Campbell: 1-5
● Ed Khayat: 0-3
● Jerry Williams: 0-5
-Pederson is 1 of 4 Eagles head coaches who previously played for the team. The other three are Jerry Williams, Ed Khayat, and Marion Campbell.
-Pederson’s first ever career win was against the Dallas Cowboys, a 13-10 win on Oct. 10, 1999 at Veterans Stadium, which was Andy Reid’s first career win and also Michael Irvin’s last game.
-The Cowboys are 1 of 3 teams that Pederson defeated as an NFL quarterback. The other two were the Chicago Bears and the New England Patriots, which he has also beaten as a coach.
-Pederson is 16 for 31 on challenges in his career with a 2 for 2 ledger in 2020.
BROADCAST FACTS (13)
-This is the 12th-straight year that the Cowboys and Eagles have played each other on Sunday Night Football, the longest streak between two opponents in the package.
-This is the 44th NFC East game on Sunday Night Football since 2006.
-Dallas is 27-23 on NBC Sunday Night Football, including playoff games and NFL Specials.
-The Eagles are 20-21 on NBC Sunday Night Football, including playoff games and NFL Specials.
-This will be Al Michaels’ 23rd game in the series, second-most to Pat Summerall’s 24.
-The Cowboys are 54-39 when Michaels calls their games.
-The Eagles are 39-38 when Michaels does play-by-play of their games.
-This will be the 14th game in the series Cris Collinsworth will call. The most in the series is John Madden with 20.
-The Cowboys are 28-24 when Collinsworth does color commentary for their games.
-The Eagles are 30-24 when Collinsworth calls their games.
-The Eagles have played on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday on NBC.
-On KXAS, the NBC affiliate for Dallas-Fort Worth, the Cowboys are an all-time 53-38, including simulcast cable games from 1987-90.
-The first regular season match-up between the Eagles and Cowboys on Sept. 30, 1960 – a Friday night – was not televised.
JEROME BOGER FACTS (11)
-This week’s referee is Jerome Boger. The Cowboys have an 8-5 record with Boger. Here are the results:
● 2006 — @OTI, 45-14 – W
● 2006 — @ATL, 38-28 – W
● 2008 — @NYG, 14-35 – L
● 2009 — SEA, 38-17 – W
● 2010 — NO, 27-30 – L
● 2011 — BUF, 44-7 – W
● 2013 — @KC, 16-17 – L
● 2013 — @NO, 17-49 – L
● 2014 — NYG, 31-21 – W
● 2014 — @WAS, 44-17 – W
● 2016 — PHI, 29-23 – W-OT
● 2017 — SDG, 6-28 – L
● 2019 — PHI, 37-10 – W
-The Cowboys have had fewer penalties than the opposition in 6 of 13 games with Boger:
● 2006 — OTI: 5/55; DAL: 5/61
● 2006 — ATL: 8/68; DAL: 4/32
● 2008 — NYG: 8/65; DAL: 9/55
● 2009 — SEA: 6/53; DAL: 5/43
● 2010 — NO: 4/30; DAL: 4/19
● 2011 — BUF: 3/12; DAL: 8/74
● 2013 — KC: 10/45; DAL: 5/27
● 2013 — NO: 6/44; DAL: 11/82
● 2014 — NYG: 6/40; DAL: 6/46
● 2014 — WAS: 9/101; DAL: 7/48
● 2016 — PHI: 5/40; DAL: 11/84
● 2017 — SDG: 5/56; DAL: 7/60
● 2019 — PHI: 5/40; DAL: 6/65
-Boger is tied for the eighth-lowest home team winning percentage at .500.
-Boger is tied for the fourth-highest percentage of home teams having fewer penalties at .667.
-The Eagles are 4-6 when Boger referees their games. Here are the results:
● 2007 – MIA, 17-7 – W
● 2008 – ATL, 27-14 – W
● 2008 – @WAS, 3-10 – L
● 2009 – @SD, 23-31 – L
● 2011 – NE, 20-38 – L
● 2014 – Titans, 43-24 – W
● 2015 – @WAS, 23-20 – L
● 2016 – @DAL, 23-29 – L
● 2017 – NYG, 27-24 – W
● 2019 – @DAL, 10-37 – L
-Philadelphia has had fewer penalties than the opposition in 5 of 10 games refereed by Boger:
● PHI: 4/40; MIA: 3/15
● PHI: 7/70; ATL: 6/51
● PHI: 3/20; WAS: 3/25
● PHI: 9/70; SD: 3/31
● PHI: 10/60; NE: 3/20
● PHI: 9/69; Titans: 7/56
● PHI: 8/72; WAS: 10/110
● PHI: 5/40; DAL: 11/84
● PHI: 9/103; NYG: 10/137
● PHI: 5/40; DAL: 6/65
-Boger’s games feature the seventh-most sacks per game with 5.2 per.
-Boger calls the eighth-fewest offensive holding calls per game at 1.5 per.
-Dallas has yet to lose a challenge when Boger goes under the hood (6 for 6). Additionally, opponents are 0 for 3 on challenges, and Replay Assistant is 1 for 2 with just one of those verdicts benefiting the Cowboys.
-The Eagles are 1 for 2 when challenging Boger’s calls with opponents going 2 for 2. Replay Assistant is 0 for 5, with three of those calls favoring Philadelphia.
-Boger is tied for the third-lowest challenge overturn rate at .500 (4 of 8).
MISCELLANEOUS FACTS (20)
-Opposing quarterbacks have tallied a 106.7 passer rating against the Cowboys defense, the seventh-highest in the league.
-Opposing quarterbacks have compiled a 102.0 passer rating against Philadelphia’s defense, the eighth-highest in the NFL.
-The Eagles defense has generated 24 sacks, tied with the Los Angeles Rams for the third-most in the league.
-Philadelphia defensive end Brandon Graham is tied for the third-most sacks with 6.0.
-Graham has the third-most tackles for loss with nine.
-Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat is tied for the sixth-most forced fumbles with two.
-The Eagles give up the ninth-most yards after the catch with 857.
-Philadelphia’s defense has the fifth-lowest average depth of target at 7.3 yards.
-Philadelphia’s defense has the second-most tackles for loss with 42.
-Dallas’ defense gives up 178.3 rushing yards per game, the most in the league.
-The Cowboys defense gives up 5.2 yards per carry, tied with the Houston Texans for the most in the NFL.
-The Cowboys and Eagles defenses have given up 11 rushing touchdowns apiece, tied for second-most in the NFL.
-The Cowboys defense has the sixth-most missed tackles in the NFL with 57.
-Cowboys defensive end Aldon Smith is tied for the eighth-most missed tackles with eight.
-Dallas linebacker Jaylon Smith has given up the sixth-most yards after the catch with 195.
-The Cowboys defense has the fourth-worst average starting field position at the offense’s 32.5-yard line.
-The Eagles defense has committed the most penalties in the NFL with 55.
-The Cowboys are 5-1 on Nov. 1. Here are the results:
● 1964 – @CHI, 24-10 – W
● 1970 – PHI, 21-17 – W
● 1981 – @PHI, 17-14 – W
● 1992 – PHI, 20-10 – W
● 2009 – SEA, 38-17 – W
● 2015 – SEA, 13-12 – L
-The Eagles are 4-5 on Nov. 1. Here are the results:
● 1942 – @WAS, 27-30 – L
● 1953 – @PIT, 35-7 – W
● 1959 – WAS, 30-23 – W
● 1964 – WAS, 10-21 – L
● 1970 – @DAL, 17-21 – L
● 1981 – DAL, 14-17 – L
● 1987 – @CRD, 28-23 – W
● 1992 – DAL, 10-20 – L
● 2009 – NYG, 40-17 – W
-The Cowboys have two birthdays to celebrate on Nov. 1:
● 1953 – Burton Lawless, OG, 1975-79
● 1969 – Barron Wortham, LB, 2000
Did you know that from Dec 1967 to Dec 1978, the Dallas Cowboys went 21-2 against the Philadelphia Eagles? Share your favorite rivalry facts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.
