Dallas City News

It’s the game we’ve all waited for! Okay, maybe that was the case when the schedules came out, but now midway through the season, things have changed. The Dallas Cowboys find themselves in a bit of a rut losing three straight, while the Philadelphia Eagles are riding a four-game winning streak. With these teams heading in opposite directions, what should we expect on Sunday? Here are five things to watch when these two divisional foes meet up.

1. KELLEN’S REVENGE

In three of his four seasons as the Cowboys offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore’s squad finished top six in points, with the only exception being the 2020 season when they lost Dak Prescott for most of the year. Twice as OC, the Cowboys were the absolute best in offensive yards. Love him or hate him, his record in Dallas was quite impressive.

Moore is now leading the Eagles offense who is inside the top 10 in net passing and rushing yards per attempt. Moore likes to confuse defenses and is notorious for using a lot of motion. The Eagle’s motion rate of 58.6% is their highest since 2018 (courtesy of NextGenStats). Don’t be surprised if the former Cowboys’ coach has a few wrinkles up his sleeve as he’ll have his guys zagging when you expect them to zig.

2. DON’T RUSH TO JUDGEMENT

Everyone knows Cooper Rush is 5-1 as a starter over his seven years in the league. Of course, much of that success also came with the assistance of the before-mentioned Kellen Moore. It’s also a little coinkydink that his only loss as a starter came against the Eagles, who, like Moore, are now the adversary on Sunday.

There’s no denying that the Cowboys offense is weaker without Dak Prescott, but Rush is a solid performer. He gets rid of the ball quickly and sticks to the script. It won’t be impressive, but it can be efficient at times. It’s tough to guess what we’ll see from Rush in this game, but how he plays could be a big clue in determining how much of the offensive struggles come from play-calling, and how much comes from Prescott’s play. If it’s the latter, the Cowboys have a shot at pulling off their best offensive performance in two months.

3. STOPPING SAQUON

The Eagles love having a talented runner in the backfield. They’ve had D’Andre Swift and Miles Sanders in recent years and both have produced 1,000-yard seasons. This year, they went for an upgrade by signing Saquon Barkley to a three-year, $37.5 million deal. The move created mixed feelings as the upside of having the second overall pick from 2018 had appeal, but his production has faded in recent years.

Barkley hasn’t had much success against the Cowboys in recent years as he’s averaged just 46.3 yards over his last seven games. He never eclipsed 81 yards in any one of those contests. But that was on an anemic New York Giants offense. Things are quite different in Philadelphia. In fact, you might say signing with the Eagles has revitalized his career.

It’s no secret that the Cowboys run defense has struggled this season. They allow 147.8 yards per game, the third-worst in the league. Keeping Barkley from running wild will be much harder this time around.

4. FOURTH-ROUND RETURNS

The injury to Prescott not only means Rush becomes the starter, but also that Trey Lance will be active for the first time ever as a member of the Cowboys. It won’t take injuries to two players to call him into action. In fact, it might not even take an injury at all. If Rush struggles or the game gets out of hand, we could see Lance behind center. They might even draw up some plays specifically for him. This will be the situation for this game and every game forward while Dak is out. Considering the Cowboys used a fourth-round pick to acquire him, it would be nice to give him one last shot to prove himself before hitting free agency this offseason.

Speaking of fourth-round picks, we should also get our first look at the recently acquired Jonathan Mingo. It’s unclear how much he’ll be utilized and expectations are certainly tempered, but inquiring minds want to get a taste of what the Cowboys are getting from this trade deadline trade.

5. SLOW DOWN BROWN

While Barkley is the meat of the Eagles offense, wide receiver A.J. Brown is the potatoes. Every game he’s played this season, the Eagles have won, while they are 1-2 without him. The offense is just better with Brown on the field as Jalen Hurts is considerably more productive as a passer (data courtesy of NextGenStats)

• With Brown, yards per attempt = 7.0
• Without Brown, yards per attempt = 4.5

Brown is also a big play waiting to happen as Hurts has an explosive play rate of 23.6% with Brown compared to just 14.7% without him.

The cornerback situation for the Cowboys has been in flux with so many injuries this year, and it’s unclear who will draw the assignment of covering Brown. Whether it’s an ailing Trevon Diggs, or the rookie Caelen Carson (his second game back since returning from his injury), the Cowboys’ ability to slow down Brown could be an issue.