Dallas Cowboys vs. Eagles: Three players to watch
The Dallas Cowboys will face off against their divisional rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Here are five Cowboys to watch.
In their final game of the regular season, the Dallas Cowboys are set to play in the freezing City of Brotherly Love, against their NFC East rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. Although both teams have little to gain in this one, each club appears to be set to play their starters in an effort to win.
If you are going to watch this final matchup, here are three players we believe you should focus on throughout the Week 17 contest.
Ezekiel Elliott, Running Back
Despite playing in only nine games this season, Ezekiel Elliott has managed to rack up 880 rushing yards on the year. Although the playoffs are out of reach, don’t think that Elliott doesn’t want to post his second 1,000-yard season in a row. Those milestones are important to running backs and Zeke is no different. Expect him to do everything he can to gain those 120 yards on the ground against an Eagles defense that’s ranked first against the run this season.
Jaylon Smith, Linebacker
With starters Sean Lee and Anthony Hitchens nursing injuries, I expect a lot of opportunities for linebacker Jaylon Smith in this chilly Week 17 matchup. Coming back from a devastating knee injury he suffered in college, Smith has excelled in what is essentially his rookie season in Dallas.
With Hitchens scheduled to become a free agent this offseason, Jaylon has one last chance to prove he can be the player the Cowboys need him to be in order to feel comfortable enough to allow a player like “Hitch” to leave via free agency.
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Dan Bailey, Kicker
In last week’s matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey missed two of his six field goal attempts. Since returning from a groin injury, one of the most consistent kickers in NFL history has missed a whopping four of his 12 field goal attempts. And he even missed the first extra point try in his seven-year professional career. If Bailey is truly healthy, then his misses could be a sign of a lack of confidence, which has ruined careers in the past. Ending 2017 on a positive note could be career-saving for Bailey.