Oh boy, here we go again! Seven weeks after the first meeting between these two teams, and they meet yet again….practically in identical positions. The Birds will walk into AT&T Stadium on Sunday Night, with a 3-4 record. They will once again wage war, with the 2-5 Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles are coming off of a bye week, in which they had to reflect on a demoralizing loss to the Carolina Panthers. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are riding a two game losing streak, having dropped games to the Seahawks and Giants.
This game couldn’t be more pivotal for either team, as it will essentially eliminate one of these teams from the NFC East divisional race. The ‘Boys have dropped four of their last five games against the Eagles in Arlington, and are current owners of a five-game losing streak. The Eagles fourteenth-ranked defense will look to take advantage of the Tony Romo-less Cowboys, and make it six-straight losses for Dallas.
Injury Report:
Philadelphia Eagles-
DeMeco Ryans (Hamstring)- Questionable
Jason Peters (Back)- Questionable
Ryan Mathews (Groin)- Questionable
Nelson Agholor (Ankle)- Questionable
Bryan Braman (Shoulder)- Probable
Brandon Bair (Groin)- Probable
Kiko Alonso (Knee)- Probable
Dallas Cowboys-
Dez Bryant (Foot)- Probable
DeMarcus Lawrence (Back)- Probable
Matt Cassel (Knee)- Probable
James Hanna (Ankle)- Probable
Brice Butler (Hamstring)- Questionable
Barry Church (Ankle)- Questionable
Game Preview:
This is a make or break game for both squads. Each side is coming off of a loss, the Eagles dropping to 3-4, while the Cowboys dropped two straight, falling to 2-5. Last week against the Seahawks, wide receiver Dez Bryant made his return to the team, but was hardly effective, catching two passes for twelve yards. The Cowboys as a team didn’t even tally 100 yards passing, and that has been their main issue since the week 2 injury to Tony Romo. Since that play, the ‘Boys have dropped five straight games, and continue to fall further out of the divisional race. Even with Dez back on offense, the team is in such disarray.
With Joseph Randle no longer in the fold, following his release, Dallas is relying on Darren McFadden and Christine Michael. On the outside, there’s not really much for Dallas to boast about as their receiving corps is extremely inconsistent. The key to Dallas’ success relies solely on Matt Cassel’s ability to find open receivers. On the flip side, the Birds secondary (ranked 3rd in the NFL by Pro Football Focus) will look to continue its ball-hawking ways and make Cassel’s night a living hell.
Looking at the opposite matchups, the Eagles offense will have it’s work cut out for them on Sunday. As painful as it is for me to admit, the Cowboys defense has been surprisingly effective this year. Currently boasting the 8th best defense (Before the Seattle game), the ‘Boy had allowed just over 230 yards passing, and 100 yards rushing per game, while surrendering over 24 points per game. It seems that the Birds key to success offensively is to run the ball successfully with the three-headed monster of Murray, Mathews, and Sproles. Something that they failed miserably at back in week 2. With a more cohesive unit up front, there’s reason to believe that Dallas will be in for a more significant challenge in the trenches than during the game in Philly.
Simply put, the team that wins the battle in the trenches will walk out victorious.
Staff Predictions:
Ryan Waterman: This game is a must-win for the Eagles and they have won four out of the last five in Arlington. Something tells me that in his return to Dallas you will see DeMarco Murray return to 2014 form, rushing for over 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns, in route to an Eagles win. Defensively, Fletcher Cox will once again come up huge, driving Matt Cassel to the turf 3 times….one of which knocks him out of the game. Things will get chippy early, and you’ll see an ugly, more physical side of the Eagles come out and dominate this outing.
Eagles 34, Cowboys 17
Robert Waterman: To say that the season is on the line this week, is a massive understatement. The Eagles go into Dallas, with the memory of the Week 2 thrashing on their minds, as they try to salvage the season. And with a depleted Dallas team, this may be the opportunity to do so. Sam Bradford will do just enough through the air, while Demarco Murray will show Cowboy fans why the team shouldn’t have let him leave, as the Eagles defense frustrates Matt Cassel throughout the game en route to evening up their record at 4-4(2-2 in NFC East).
Eagles 21 Cowboys 14
Chris Leomporra: Eagles 27, Cowboys 17
Kyle Lutz: Eagles 24, Cowboys 13
Tags: Christine Michael, cowboys, Darren McFadden, Darren Sproles, DeMarco Murray, Dez Bryant, Eagles, Eagles Game Predictions, Eagles Sunday Night Football, Eagles vs Cowboys, Fletcher Cox, Keys to the Game, Matt Cassel, Philly Sports News, Ryan Mathews, Ryan Waterman, TalkSportsPhilly, tony romo
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