Monday Night Football is coming to WFAA! Watch special coverage of the Cowboys vs. the Eagles throughout the day, including a sports special at 6:30 p.m. before kickoff and a 1-on-1 interview with Dak after the game.
The Dallas Cowboys will be in a familiar place in the limelight on Monday Night Football as they make their home debut looking to go 2-1 in Week 3.
Their opponent will be the Philadelphia Eagles, a squad set to give Dallas their first opportunity to test themselves within the division.
Philadelphia comes to Arlington at 1-1 with second year quarterback Jalen Hurts under center. The Eagles sport a new coaching staff after a disappointing 2020 season, so fresh faces will be baptized by fire in the first matchup of the season between the bitter combatants.
With that in mind, here are 100 facts and stats as the Cowboys and Eagles renew their rivalry for a 61st year in a contest that will set the tone in the NFC East.
SERIES FACTS (8)
- Since 1990, 53.9% (174 of 323) of teams that started 2-1 made the playoffs compared to 24.8% (80 of 323) of teams that started 1-2.
- This is the 28th time in club history that the Cowboys have started 1-1. 12 of 27 of those previous 1-1 teams made the playoffs.
- The Eagles are 1-1 for the 47th time in team history. 16 of 46 of those previous teams made the playoffs with nine of those teams having won the division.
- The Cowboys are 40-24 against the Eagles at home, including playoffs. Here is a breakdown by venue:
- Cotton Bowl: 7-4
- Texas Stadium: 26-14
- AT&T Stadium: 7-6
- The Cowboys’ 7-6 record against the Eagles, including the playoffs, at AT&T Stadium is their worst against any divisional opponent:
- Washington: 8-4
- New York: 7-5
- Philadelphia: 7-6
- The Cowboys are 10-6 against the Eagles in September with a 5-3 record at home.
- The Cowboys are 14-12 in primetime games against the Eagles with a 7-7 record at home.
- The Cowboys have played the Eagles in primetime every season going back to 2004, making it the longest-running active division rivalry in primetime and the longest-running division rivalry overall (18 games through 2021).
DAK PRESCOTT FACTS (11)
- Prescott has the third-highest completion percentage in the NFL at 76.5%.
- Prescott is tied for the seventh-highest interceptions thrown in 2021 with two.
- Prescott is tied with Derek Carr for the fourth-most first downs by pass with 34.
- Prescott’s 9.8 yards per completion are the seventh-lowest in the league.
- Prescott’s 320.0 passing yards per game are the sixth-highest in the league.
- Prescott’s 9.5 yards per attempt on third down are the sixth-highest among starting quarterbacks.
- Prescott is tied with Tyrod Taylor for the third-most third down conversions by pass with 11.
- Prescott and Lamar Jackson are tied for the most passes out of the run-pass option with 14. Jackson has more passing yards: 195 to 91.
- Prescott is the most-blitzed quarterback with 38 blitzes called.
- The Cowboys are putting the ball in Prescott’s hands on first down 34 times through two games, tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars for ninth-most in the league.
- Prescott is one of 12 quarterbacks this season who has engineered a game-winning drive.
JALEN HURTS FACTS (9)
- Hurts, a former Channelview Falcon, is making his second start in AT&T Stadium. Here is how other former Texas High School Football quarterbacks have fared in AT&T Stadium:
- 2010 — Vince Young: 1-0
- 2010-18 — Drew Brees: 2-2
- 2011-18 — Matthew Stafford: 1-3
- 2012-13 — Nick Foles: 1-1
- 2012-13 — Robert Griffin: 1-2
- 2013 — Christian Ponder: 0-1
- 2013 — Matt Flynn: 1-0
- 2014 — Andrew Luck: 0-1
- 2014-18 — Colt McCoy: 1-1
- 2016-20 — Andy Dalton: 2-3*
- 2020 — Baker Mayfield: 1-0
- 2020 — Garrett Gilbert: 0-1*
- 2020 — Jalen Hurts: 0-1
*includes total as a Cowboys starter
- Jalen Hurts already has three games with at least 250 yards passing and 50 yards rushing, the fourth-most such games in Eagles history:
- Randall Cunningham: 9
- Michael Vick: 7
- Donovan McNabb: 5
- Jalen Hurts: 3
- Hurts is one of seven quarterbacks this year to have thrown at least 50 passes without an interception.
- Hurts’ 108.0 passer rating is the 10th-highest in the league.
- Among starting quarterbacks this season, Hurts’ 4.5 completed air yards per completion are the sixth-lowest in the NFL.
- Hurts benefits from 7.1 yards after the catch per completion, the fifth-highest in the NFL.
- Hurts is tied with Daniel Jones as being the eighth-most blitzed quarterback with 24 blitzes.
- Hurts and Carson Wentz are tied for the most scrambles with eight.
- Hurts’ 11.6 yards per scramble is the fifth-highest in the league.
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT FACTS (8)
- Elliott has yet to break a tackle this season.
- Elliott’s 1.6 yards after contact are the eighth-lowest among rushers with at least 25 attempts.
- Elliott is tied for the eighth-most first downs via rushing on first down with three.
- Elliott is tied for the most third-down rushes this season with five.
- Elliott is tied for the second-most third down conversions on the ground with three.
- Elliott has averaged 98.6 rushing yards per game against the Eagles, his most against any NFC East team.
- Elliott’s 4.67 yards per carry against the Eagles is his highest against any NFC East team.
- Elliott has caught 43 passes for 322 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles. The catches and receiving yards are the most against any NFC East team.
MIKE MCCARTHY FACTS (7)
- Including the postseason, McCarthy is 32-35 in prime time games with a 22-9 record at home.
- McCarthy is 31-18-1 in September with a 19-5-1 record at home.
- McCarthy is 6-3 against the Eagles with a 3-1 record at home.
- McCarthy is 55-27-2 in division games with a 30-10-2 record at home.
- McCarthy is 15-13 against the NFC East with a 2-1 record at home.
- McCarthy is 23-11 against rookie coaches with a 13-6 record at home.
- McCarthy is 48 for 95 on challenges for his career and he went 1 for 2 last season.
NICK SIRIANNI FACTS (3)
- Sirianni is facing Dallas for the first time. Only 6 of 14 Eagles head coaches have defeated Dallas in their inaugural try: Buck Shaw, Nick Skorich, Joe Kuharich, Mike McCormack, Rich Kotite, and Andy Reid.
- With a win in Week 1, Sirianni joined Bert Bell, Bo McMillan, Jim Trimble, Nick Skorich, Joe Kuharich, Marion Campbell, Rich Kotite, Chip Kelly, and Doug Pederson as the only Eagles coaches to win their first games with the team.
- If the Eagles win, Sirianni would join Doug Pederson, Ray Rhodes and Chip Kelly as the only Eagles coaches to have won the first prime time game of their careers.
BROADCAST FACTS (16)
- WFAA will simulcast the game in Dallas-Fort Worth, and are the fifth Metroplex station to do so since 1987. Here is a list of stations that have simulcast Cowboys cable games and the Cowboys’ records:
- KXAS (1987-90): 1-2
- KTXA (1991-12): 13-15
- KTXD (2013): 0-1
- WFAA (2014): 0-1
- KTVT (2014): 1-0
- WFAA (2015): 1-0
- KTVT (2015): 0-1
- WFAA (2016) 1-0
- WFAA (2017) 1-0
- WFAA (2018) 0-1
- WFAA (2019) 1-0
- WFAA (2020) 0-1
- The Cowboys are 49-37 on WFAA, including simulcast games.
- The Nov. 13, 1988, ESPN Sunday Night Football game between Minnesota and Dallas was blacked out in Dallas-Fort Worth, and probably for good reason. The Vikings handed the Cowboys their largest margin of defeat on ESPN with a 43-3 beat down.
- The only quarterback the Cowboys faced on both of ESPN’s telecasts (Sunday Night & Monday Night Football) is Eli Manning, who went 3-0 against the Cowboys and faced them in three different venues (2004: Giants Stadium; 2006: Texas Stadium; 2010: AT&T Stadium).
- Going back to 2000, the Cowboys have had six rushers go over 100 yards in an ESPN telecast: Troy Hambrick (2001), Julius Jones (2004), Felix Jones (2011), DeMarco Murray (2014), and Ezekiel Elliott (2016, 2019).
- Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence has recorded the most sacks in an ESPN game with three in 2017 on the road against the Cardinals. DeMarcus Ware’s 7.5 sacks is the most for a Cowboys player in their career on ESPN.
- Bill Parcells holds the distinction as being the only NFL coach to have coached on ESPN Sunday Night Football and ESPN Monday Night Football in the same calendar year (Jan. 1, 2006, and Oct. 23, 2006).
- The Cowboys are 8-14 in their white jerseys on ESPN compared to 2-5 in their blues.
- ESPN only aired Sunday night games during the second half of the season from 1987-97. From 1990-97, TNT carried the first half of the season’s Sunday night contests. The Cowboys actually had a better record of 3-1 on TNT than their 2-12 record on ESPN Sunday Night Football.
- Dallas has played on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday on ESPN.
- For ESPN telecasts since 1987, September is the most-played month for the Cowboys, who hold a 4-3 record. Here is the Cowboys’ record in the other months in which they have played on ESPN:
- September: 4-3
- October: 1-6
- November: 2-5
- December: 3-4
- January: 0-2
- The Cowboys have been on both sides of one-point contests on ESPN. The first was a 32-31 loss to the Cardinals on Sept. 10, 2000, while their victory was a 25-24 thriller in Buffalo on Oct. 8, 2007.
- Andy Reid and Tom Coughlin are the only two coaches to have faced the Cowboys on both of ESPN’s NFL packages. However, Coughlin is the only coach to have defeated the Cowboys on both packages.
- Steve Levy, Brian Griese, and Louis Riddick are the play-by-play team for ESPN. Here is the Cowboys’ record for all talent that participated in ESPN’s coverage of Dallas Cowboys football since 1987:
- Mike Patrick: 2-12
- Roy Firestone: 0-1
- Joe Theismann: 2-12
- Paul Maguire: 1-9
- Solomon Wilcots: 1-4
- Suzy Kolber: 4-8
- Mike Tirico: 5-5
- Tony Kornheiser: 2-1
- Michele Tafoya: 3-2
- Jon Gruden: 5-4
- Ron Jaworski: 4-1
- Ed Werder (2011, Cowboys sideline): 1-0
- Lisa Salters: 3-4
- Sean McDonough: 2-0
- Joe Tessitore: 1-1
- Anthony McFarland: 1-1
- Jason Witten: 0-1
- Steve Levy: 0-1
- Brian Griese: 0-1
- Louis Riddick: 0-1
- Lisa Salters is former running back Tony Dorsett’s cousin.
- Another quoted statistic going into this game is that the Cowboys have the second-most Monday Night Football appearances with 82. The Dolphins have 85. The reality behind that statistic is in 2006 the NFL moved its marquee network television game from Monday Night Football to Sunday Night Football. The truth is the Dolphins have had 14 MNF appearances since 2006 versus the Cowboys’ 15. However, since 2006, the Cowboys have had 51 SNF appearances versus the Dolphins’ two. So, actually, the correct way to look at this statistic is the Cowboys lead the league with 165 marquee game appearances versus the Dolphins’ 128.
BRAD ROGERS FACTS (12)
-The Cowboys are 1-2 when Rogers referees their games:
- 2018 – @NYJ, 22-24 – L
- 2019 – @CHI, 24-31 – L
- 2020 – ATL, 40-39 – W
-The Cowboys have had fewer penalties than the opposition 2 of 3 times with Rogers:
- 2018 – NYJ: 8/105; DAL: 9/68
- 2019 – CHI: 4/30; DAL: 6/52
- 2020 – ATL: 8/51; DAL: 7/75
-In 2020, Rogers had the seventh-lowest (.417) home team winning percentage.
-In 2020, Rogers was tied for the second-lowest percentage (.333) of home teams having fewer penalties.
-The Eagles are 0-1 with Rogers officiating. Their lone game was Sept. 13, 2020, when they lost 27-17 at Washington. Philadelphia had fewer penalties: 3/20 to 7/55.
-Rogers’ games were tied for the sixth-highest number of sacks per game (4.8) in 2020.
-Rogers’ crew averaged the second-fewest offensive holding calls per game (1.0) last season.
-The Cowboys are 1 for 2 challenging Rogers. Opponents are 0 for 1 with that lone opponent being Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn in 2020 when he was the coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
-The Eagles nor their opponents have had to challenge one of Rogers’ calls.
-Rogers was tied for the eighth-highest challenge overturn rate (.500, 4 of 8) last season.
-Rogers teaches at both Lubbock Christian and Texas Tech in Lubbock, where he resides.
-Rogers has officiating experience in the SEC and Conference USA.
MISCELLANEOUS FACTS (26)
- Dallas receiver CeeDee Lamb has the ninth-most receiving yards with 185.
- Lamb is tied with teammate Amari Cooper, the Chargers’ Mike Williams, and the Giants’ Sterling Shepard for the ninth-most first down receptions in the league with 10.
- Cooper is tied with Shepard, the Rams’ Cooper Kupp, and Detroit’s T.J. Hockenson for the most receptions per game at 8.0.
- Technically Eagles receiver Quez Watkins has the highest yards per reception in the league at 28.0 but on just five catches.
- The Cowboys are tied with the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears for the seventh-fewest pressures with 14.
- Dallas has given up 311 yards after the catch, the third-most in the league.
- Dallas has generated six tackles for loss, tied with the Indianapolis Colts and the Bears for the seventh-lowest overall.
- The Cowboys are tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans for the second-most interceptions overall with four.
- Dallas is tied with the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns for the seventh-most missed tackles this season with 16.
- The Cowboys give up 73.5 rushing yards per game, the eighth-lowest in the NFL.
- Dallas is tied with the Giants, Washington, and the Texans for the third-most red zone trips against with nine.
- The Eagles are tied with the New England Patriots for the fourth-fewest red zone trips against with four.
- Philadelphia’s defense has the best average starting field position as opponents are starting drives at their own 19.0-yard line on average.
- The Eagles defense has had 26.3 of their drives end in touchdowns, the fifth-lowest in the league.
- The Eagles have called just five blitzes this year, the second-fewest in the NFL.
- The average depth of target against the Philadelphia defense is 5.1 yards, the sixth-lowest in the NFL.
- Philadelphia’s defense has given up just one passing touchdown, tied for the lowest in the league.
- Opposing quarterbacks have compiled an 85.0 passer rating against the Eagles defense, the seventh-lowest in the league.
- The Cowboys are tied with the Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, and Carolina Panthers for the most accepted defensive penalties this season with 23.
- The Eagles and the Jacksonville Jaguars are the only two defenses left in the NFL without a takeaway.
- The Cowboys lead the NFL with six takeaways.
- The Cowboys are technically tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the fourth-worst defense in the NFL at 6.7 yards per play surrendered.
- The Cowboys are 3-3 on Sept. 27. Here are the results:
- 1964 – @PIT, 17-23 – L
- 1970 – NYG, 28-10 – W
- 1981 – NYG, 18-10 – W
- 1998 – RAI, 12-13 – L
- 2004 – @WAS, 21-18 – W
- 2015 – ATL, 28-39 – L
- The Eagles are 3-9-1 on Sept. 27. Here are the results:
- 1936 — CHI, 0-17 — L
- 1941 — Brooklyn Dodgers, 13-24 — L
- 1942 — Brooklyn Dodgers, 14-35 — L
- 1953 — @SF, 21-31 — L
- 1958 — @SF, 14-24 — L
- 1964 — CLE, 20-28 — L
- 1970 — @CHI, 16-20 — L
- 1976 — WAS, 17-20 — L-OT
- 1981 — WAS, 36-13 — W
- 1998 — KC, 21-24 — L
- 2009 — KC, 34-14 — W
- 2015 — @NYJ, 24-17 — W
- 2020 — CIN, 23-23 — T
- The Cowboys have two birthdays to celebrate:
- 1988 — Andre Smith, TE, 2013
- 1992 — Byron Jones, S, 2015-19
- The Cowboys have a death to remember this week. On Sept. 26, 2014, Jim Boeke passed away. He was born Sept. 11, 1938 and played tackle for the Cowboys from 1964-67, starting 29 of his 52 games with Dallas.
Do you think the Cowboys will be able to come away with their 71st win against the Eagles? Share your favorite facts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.