Philadelphia, PA
- On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles welcome the dreaded Dallas Cowboys to a Sunday night spectacular at Lincoln Financial Field. This is just the second game inside the NFC East for the Eagles, and with eight games left to play, this is a critical stretch for the birds.
Week 10: Philadelphia Eagles Vs Dallas Cowboys
They enter at 4-4, coming off a good win against the Jaguars in London. They had two weeks to prepare for this battle, while the Cowboys are limping into Philly. Dallas isn’t limping from injury though. In fact, they’re actually a very healthy team. Instead, they’re limping from their lack of confidence. The Tennessee Titans handled Dallas on the road, harassing Dak Prescott and corralling Ezekiel Elliott. Prescott has heard some of the worst criticism in his life, dealing with concerns about his development, critiques on his pocket presence (or lack thereof), and distaste for the entire offense. Head coach Jason Garrett and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan rest on the hot seat after a miserable performance. For the coaches and the players, it’s a must-win for the 3-5 Cowboys.
While 4-4 is far from how the Eagles wanted to start their Super Bowl defense, they’re still in good shape with a pair of dates against the division-leading Redskins, and three games total against the hapless Giants and Cowboys. Carson Wentz is playing at arguably a higher level than he did during his near-MVP campaign of last year, and he has a new toy to play with. Golden Tate, a wide receiver that likely doesn’t miss Detroit very much, is expected to start with Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor. Expect Tate to make several catches on screen plays, allowing him to utilize his quick and agile feet. Even if Tate struggles to get involved, he’ll divert attention away from Jeffrey and the other Eagles wideouts.
Defensively, the Eagles need to watch out for the running game. Ezekiel Elliott is a very good running back, and the Eagles have been susceptible on the ground. Expect plenty of him too, as Dak has seen ghosts in the pocket and may be wary to throw against the Eagles vaunted pass rush. Amari Cooper represents a tough challenge on the outside and may garner double teams from the Eagles secondary, which could free up the reliable Cole Beasley or perhaps a tight end. That being said, I think the Cowboys aren’t very strong this year and are going to flop in Philadelphia. It’ll be a bit of a raucous atmosphere because if one thing’s true about Eagles fans, it’s that they hate the Cowboys.
Final Score: Eagles, 35, Cowboys, 17
