Game Overview ::
By MIKE JOHNSON >>
- The Eagles have scored 28+ points in three straight weeks after doing so only once in their first six games.
- Dallas lost QB Dak Prescott to a hamstring injury last week, likely landing him on IR, and will be starting Cooper Rush for the foreseeable future.
- The Philadelphia secondary has been extremely limiting to opposing wide receivers in recent weeks.
- The statuses of star receivers A.J. Brown (Eagles) and CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys) will need to be monitored closely as the week moves on. Both are centerpieces of their respective offenses.
- The Cowboys have a 3-5 record and their next three games are against teams that are currently playoff teams (PHI, HOU, WAS).
HOW PHILADELPHIA WILL TRY TO WIN ::
The Eagles are on a four-game winning streak since their Week 5 bye and the offense is averaging 28 points per game during that stretch. As the NFL season progresses and we start to see things take shape, there are clearly teams that start to fade from relevance and those that will be in the thick of things late into the season. The Eagles started the 2023 season 10-1 before falling apart, losing six of seven to end the year, and promptly being run off the field by the Bucs in their opening round playoff game. This year’s team appears more solid on both sides of the ball and are playing solid football while still not “peaking” yet. This team is 5-0 in games that Brown plays in, and the presence of him, Jalen Hurts, and Saquon Barkley makes this such a dynamic group that they are in a strong position to keep things going this year if they can stay healthy. They will also welcome back tight end Dallas Goedert this week, further strengthening their offensive core.
Despite their elite skill group and the famous “Tush Push” that has been so hard for opponents to stop, the Eagles rank only 15th in the league in red-zone TD percentage. They rank 13th in the NFL for the season in offensive DVOA (17th in passing, fourth in rushing), but have been much better than those numbers indicate since returning to near full health after their bye. They have averaged 390 yards per game during that stretch, along with the aforementioned 28 points. This week, they face a Dallas defense that has had significant struggles all season, ranking 29th in DVOA against the pass and the run. The biggest issue for Dallas has been their tackling and run defense, which has been bludgeoned on several occasions. The struggles there force them to dedicate more resources to that area and in turn makes them more vulnerable through the air. This is the perfect opponent for a team like the Eagles, whose offense is built around the ability of Barkley and Hurts running the football and then taking calculated deep shots to Brown and DeVonta Smith. Obviously, there is more nuance than that and the short and intermediate passing game plays a part as well, but if you boil things down for the Eagles, that is the nuts and bolts of what they do. The Eagles have one of the better offensive lines in the league (once again, their season-long stats don’t do proper justice as they had some key players miss some time) and Hurts and Barkley are both dynamic and powerful runners. Since their Week 5 bye, the Eagles are last in the NFL in pass rate over expectation (PROE), as they have thrown the ball on only 41% of their offensive plays, a rate that is 13.6% below what would be expected for their game situations. Philadelphia should have plenty of success moving the ball in this matchup that perfectly suits their style and preferred game plan.
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