DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys are looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17 -- and they'll be doing so on a surprising day of the week.
On Monday, the NFL announced that the Cowboys' end-of-season matchup against their NFC East rivals the Philadelphia Eagles will take place on Saturday, January 8, at 7:15 pm. The game will be broadcast on WFAA/ABC, as well as ESPN.
But before it gets started, we're going on all in on playoff talk throughout our digital platforms! WFAA will begin its live Saturday pregame coverage of the Cowboys-Eagles matchup at 6 p.m. on WFAA.com, on the WFAA YouTube channel, on the WFAA mobile app and on WFAA's Roku and Amazon Fire TV apps.
Main WFAA sports anchor Joe Trahan will be helming the coverage alongside Glenn "Stretch" Smith from our own studios, and WFAA's own Mike Leslie will be along for the ride, live from Philadelphia. Beyond their expert analysis, though, we're going to want to hear from Cowboys fans as well! And we expect to hear plenty of emotion as from you all as we field your calls at 214-977-6740.
(We want to see submitted photos of you decked out in your Cowboys gear, too!)
Why? Well, because even though Cowboys have already clinched a spot in the playoffs, Sunday's loss to the Cardinals has left some fans wondering how deep of a run they can really make.
The offense came into last Sunday's game as healthy as it had been all season long, but still struggled to gain any traction for much of the game. Dak Prescott finished 24 of 38 for 226 yards, but also lost a fumble at a crucial point in the fourth quarter.
Just as important, Cowboys receiver Michael Gallup tore his ACL catching a 21-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. Owner Jerry Jones confirmed to reporters after the game that the free-agent-to-be Gallup would be out for the rest of the season.
The Cowboys need to right the ship, and they will get a little help from the depleted Eagles, who will be without a dozen players in Week 18.
The Eagles announced on Monday that LB Genard Avery, DT Fletcher Cox, S Marcus Epps, TE Dallas Goedert, G Nate Herbig, RB Jordan Howard, C Jason Kelce, CB Avonte Maddox, S Rodney McLeod, RB Boston Scott, LB Alex Singleton, TE Jack Stoll have all been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. All of these players, if not starters, have earned significant playing time for Philadelphia this season.
The Cowboys aren't out of the woods with their own COVID issues, with linebacker Micah Parsons, offensive tackle Tyron Smith and cornerback Anthony Brown all currently in COVID protocols themselves.
The stakes of Saturday’s game might not be super high since both teams have already secured a place in the post-season, but the Cowboys simply cannot afford to limp through this game against the Eagles.
They’ll need every bit of momentum they can muster going into the playoffs -- a place where they have historically faltered in recent years.