NFC Game Of The Week
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Cowboys: The other day, I was asked about their Quarterback situation. The question was should they put Dak Prescott back in when he’s healthy enough to play? Or do you stick with Cooper Rush until he begins to struggle? I’ve always been a firm believer in sticking with the hand that’s hot at that moment and they’ve yet to lose a game this year with Cooper starting at Quarterback. I also responded to that question by saying this situation reminds me so much of 2016 when Tony Romo got hurt, Dak becomes the starter, and the rest is history from there. Their formula is as simple as it gets. A little bit of Cooper, run the football and a ton of defense. That’s consistently working for them, and they’ve won their last 4 games. The Cowboys have my favorite defense in the league, and they can beat you in so many ways. It all starts with that front 4 that has been getting after Quarterbacks left and right. Look what they did against Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams in week 5. They consistently attacked that offensive line and never let up. That is exactly why I picked them to win that game. Micah Parsons said it best after the game on Sunday. Hard work beats adversity and that’s what’s been taking place with this Cowboys team. After everyone doubted them when Dak went down, the entire team stepped it up in all 3 phases of the game. This Sunday night, they’ll take on a rival.
Eagles: They’re the lone undefeated team in the NFL. When I did my division previews during the Summer, I had them winning the NFC East, but I didn’t think they would get off to this great of a start. Their formula these last few seasons has been running the football and playing stingy defense, they succeed at both. What’s put their offense over the top has been the passing attack. Do any of you remember when Jalen Hurts was a weakness of this team? There were so many doubters. I’d love to know what they think of him now because he’s a completely different Quarterback now than what we saw back in 2020 and 2021. What’s also helped the Eagles has been the addition of A.J. Brown, the Wide Receiver they acquired from the Tennessee Titans on draft night. He brings depth and a toughness to this passing game because he’s such a difficult guy to bring down once he has the football in his hands. Both sides of the football are functioning well. Prior to their week 5 game against the Arizona Cardinals, I said on both “The Prime” and “The NerdZone” that this was a trap game for the Eagles, and I explained how teams can overlook an opponent because they’re circling in on who’s next on their schedule and not focusing on who’s in front of them. You tend to see this more in college than you do in the NFL. They’re back home for a huge divisional showdown on Sunday night.
Cowboys X-Factor: Michael Gallup– It’s good to see him back on the field. He’s a familiar target within the offense and knows his role. Michael is that sneaky receiver as I like to say because he can get his way behind the coverage and get up the field, then the ball is in his hands. This is the Cowboys 3rd down target, and he usually converts the chains each time. He’s that reliable target over the middle when you need him.
Eagles X-Factor: Haason Reddick– He’s very underrated. 23.5 sacks in the last 2 seasons and people still don’t give him his props. Haason is a very athletic guy that gets to the football with tremendously long strides. The first step off the snap of the football is electric. Because of the speed he possesses, Haason is a very tough guy to block. He plays with violent hands, a good leverage and beats guys with pure speed.
Final Thoughts: What a game this should be. This is 1 of the best rivalries in the game today. I think of so many of the legendary moments between these franchises and I’m sure we’ll be adding to those. If I’m being realistic here, this will be the best defense that both Quarterbacks in this game will have seen on the year. I expect Micah Parsons to be used as a spy in the middle of the field to help contain and keep Hurts in the pocket. His mobility can keep a defense honest. The Eagles will look to turn this game into a shootout and as I said last week when they played the Rams, force Rush to press if they must play from behind. I expect the Cowboys defense to be up and ready for this game. They’ve played some elite offenses already (Tampa Bay, Cincinnati and Los Angeles) and I expect them to pressure Jalen throughout this game with just 4 guys. It won’t be easy for the Eagles to move the ball on this Dallas defense. The Cowboys have yet to surrender 20 points to any of their opponents this year. Dallas must make this game as ugly as possible. I’m talking slugfest ugly, while the Eagles as I said must make this a shootout.
Prediction: Cowboys 22, Eagles 20
