Blogging The Boys
It’s “Dallas week” for the Philadelphia Eagles, but who are we kidding? It’s Eagles week for the Cowboys! Let’s face it, the lack of success of the New York Giants and Washington Whatevers over the last 20 years has made the NFC East really about the Cowboys and Eagles. Over the last dozen years, the division has been won 10 times by either the Cowboys or the Eagles, with each of them winning it five times. Washington has done it twice, while the New York football Giants have a good ol’ goose egg.
The Eagles and Cowboys are sitting first and second in the division, with one team trying to win its second-straight Super Bowl while the other team is just looking to win its second-straight game. The gap in the standings between these two teams may have taken a little of the luster off this otherwise huge NFC East matchup, but there are still plenty of things to play for. Despite their respective records, both teams have a lot to prove. Here are five things to watch when these two teams battle it out on Sunday.
Stopping the run will always be a big topic whenever you have Saquon Barkley in the backfield or if you’re going against the Cowboys’ defense. The opportunity for a huge day running the ball exists. The last time these teams squared off, the Cowboys’ defense did a good job keeping Barkley in check as he finished the game with only 60 yards rushing on 18 carries.
The trade for Quinnen Williams has added strength in the interior of the Cowboys’ defensive line, so space between the tackles may not be as readily available as they were before, but that doesn’t mean the Eagles can’t find some space to get up the field. Look for the Eagles to push outside by hitting Barkley out of the flat or quick passes to wide receivers. And as always, quarterback Jalen Hurts is always a threat to take off running. The Cowboys may have added some muscle on their defense, but the speed of their back seven will be equally important in keeping the Eagles from running up and down the field.
The Eagles will take the easy stuff all day long if the Cowboys let them. If the defense does a good job of filling gaps and wrapping up, it will force Philadelphia to look upfield more. Hurts is a good football player, but he’s not the most accurate passer. He has a 76% on-target passing percentage, ranking outside the top half of the league, which isn’t atrocious, but shows he has a tendency to misfire at times. Often, his throws are a tad off, making it difficult for the receivers to catch the ball. Being on the “same page” as the receivers has been a bit of a bugaboo for Hurts in recent games.
Not only do the Cowboys want Hurts throwing the ball...
