DALLAS — It’s an important week for the Dallas Cowboys, who are finally matching up with their biggest current rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, with bragging rights in the division on the line. The teams are adversaries on the field, but perhaps the bigger hatred comes from the fan bases jawing at each other on social media. These are two franchises who love to go at each other.
The squabbles mean little when the game kicks off on Sunday, where the outcome will be determined by what happens on the field. It’s expected to be a tough test for the Cowboys as they are again asked to prove that they belong among the upper echelon of the conference, a test that they failed in San Francisco just four weeks ago.
This is more than just a game to kick off November, however, as Dallas can pull to within a half game of the Eagles in the division with a win that could gain them an advantage by starting 2-0 in the division. A loss could put the Cowboys further behind in their quest to win the NFC East.
We’re also finally getting the matchup between the top quarterbacks in the division, which didn’t happen last year. Here are the keys to beating the Eagles in Week 9:
Put Jalen Hurts in the hot seat
The Cowboys have a top four passing defense and are going up against an Eagles passing offense that ranks seventh in the league. Hurts is coming off his best performance of the season, throwing for 319 yards and four scores in a 38-31 win over the Washington Commanders in Week 8.
However, Hurts is throwing the ball more often due to an injured knee that has seen him need the use of a brace. That has limited Hurts’ dual-threat ability and has forced the Eagles to utilize his arm more. Hurts only attempted four runs last Sunday, a season low.
If Hurts is going to be a more one-dimensional quarterback, the Cowboys need to put the pressure on to force him into being uncomfortable, to make him take the hits in the pocket, or to harry him into bad decisions. Hurts is tied for second in the league in interceptions this year with eight, so he’s prone to making some mistakes throwing the ball.
Keep A.J. Brown grounded
The hottest player in the NFL right now is Eagles wideout A.J. Brown. The veteran wide receiver has an NFL record six straight games with 125-plus receiving yards and is coming off an eight catch, 130-yard, two-touchdown game.
Brown is second in the league in receiving yards, first down catches, and yards per game, as well as fourth in overall receptions. He’s also making contested catches, so even if he’s covered, he’s been coming down with the ball.
The Hurts to Brown connection has been successful on close to 73% of their targeted attempts, so it’s been a tough duo to stop. Dallas has a good secondary, led by veteran corner Stephon Gilmore and pick-six machine DaRon Bland. They’ll need to be at their best to slow Brown.
Make Eagles work for ground yards
After beginning the year rushing for 100-plus yards in four of their first five games, the Eagles haven’t hit the century mark in the last three weeks. Despite that, their offense remains seventh in the league in rushing, gaining over 132 yards per game on the ground.
Some of their rushing attack has been compromised by Hurts’ injury, but the Eagles also haven’t attempted as many runs in the last few weeks after being successful early in the season. Their starting running back D’Andre Swift is fifth in the league in rushing and is averaging almost five yards per carry.
However, Swift hasn’t gotten over 17 carries or crossed the 70-yard threshold in the last three weeks. It’s been a curious strategy recently for the Eagles since their offensive line is a great run blocking unit and they were moving the ball with ease with their rushing attack earlier this year.
Expect the Eagles to try and get back on track with their rushing attack against a Dallas defense that’s had their issues stopping the run. If the Cowboys can slow down the Eagles when they try to run the ball, they’ll be in a better position to walk away victorious.
Attack their secondary
The Eagles have one of the deepest, best defensive lines in the league, but their secondary is vulnerable. Last week against Sam Howell, the Eagles allowed 397 yards passing and four touchdowns, it was their third time allowing a 300-yard passer this season.
Their secondary has also allowed 16 passing scores, despite playing against struggling quarterbacks such as Baker Mayfield, Mac Jones, and Zach Wilson.
Conversely, the Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott are coming off their best passing game of the season and should be able to challenge Philadelphia’s secondary. The Eagles rank 26th against the pass, but do have the NFL’s best rushing defense, so attacking them through the air makes sense.
The issue with throwing the ball is it gives the Eagles’ monster defensive line the opportunity to come after Prescott behind an offensive line struggling to find consistency. Yet being aggressive in the passing game is Dallas’ best opportunity.
If the offensive line can hold up, the Cowboys’ offense should be able to have success throwing the ball.
Do you think the Cowboys will walk out of the Linc with a victory over Philadelphia and their sights set on the NFC East? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.
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