Blogging The Boys
Ladies and gentlemen, we made it. Real, meaningful football will be played tonight, as the Eagles will unveil their Super Bowl banner and then host America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys, against whom they are a meager 57-71 all time.
Of course, recent developments have resulted in the Eagles being a heavy favorite. Blowing out the Chiefs in the Super Bowl will do that, as will the Cowboys trading away Micah Parsons right before the season starts. As it stands right now, Dallas is an 8.5-point underdog, the largest spread of any game in Week 1.
Is that justified, though? Our writers aren’t so sure. Let’s take a look at what they think will happen when the NFL kicks off its 106th season.
Find out what Kenny Clark is worth
Lost in all the chaos of the Micah Parsons trade is the fact that Dallas made perhaps its most legitimate investment in shoring up their run defense in two decades. Kenny Clark may not be in his prime anymore at 29 years of age, but he’s still a capable and savvy run defender. He may even be the Cowboys’ best nose tackle since the Jay Ratliff days.
The question on everyone’s minds is if it will actually matter. The Eagles are a run-heavy team, what with their elite offensive line and Saquon Barkley and the dual threat ability of Jalen Hurts. Stopping the run is Plan A, B, and C to disrupting the Eagles on offense, and Clark is a big piece of the puzzle in trying to accomplish that.
Remind everyone what Dak Prescott is capable of
It’s been a while since Dak Prescott suited up for the Cowboys, and many people have forgotten what he’s capable of. He’s been nails against the NFC East, and is 9-4 against this franchise in particular. You have to go back to 2019 to find the last time he didn’t throw multiple touchdowns against the Eagles, and you have to one more year back from there to find the last time he threw multiple interceptions.
Now, he’s got an upgraded receiving corps, with George Pickens providing a verifiable deep threat that should open things up underneath for CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson. He’s also facing an Eagles defense that has the youngest secondary in the league and lost two of its top three pass rushers from a year ago. Brian Schottenheimer has spoken about fielding a strong run game, but he may want to start off with a vintage Dak Attack for this game.
Now onto the predictions from your BTB writers…
Tom Ryle:
It is hard to look at the Cowboys and the Eagles without seeing that Philadelphia has the stronger, deeper roster. The only way I think Dallas can win is to just outscore their opponents, which is not outside the realm of possibility if Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens are what we think they are....
