Week 7 Preview: Dallas Cowboys face heated rival Philadelphia Eagles
Previewing the Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles have fared no better than the Cowboys in recent weeks. They themselves have lost two of their last three games by simply being outmatched thanks largely to injuries and a porous defense. After being a dark-horse favorite to contend for the NFC championship this preseason, injuries, key mistakes in big moments, and a lack of execution have caused their season to get off to a rough start.
The defense has been pretty bad so far this season, ranked 23rd in points given up per game, and 14th overall in yards given up per game. The secondary, however, has been the true concern thus far for the Eagles. They’re giving up 280 yards a game through the air on average, which is 29th in the league.
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Where the Eagles defense does excel is against the run. Philadelphia boasts the second-best run defense in the league, lead by a tough defensive line led by players like defensive end Derek Barnett and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox.
It will be very tough for the Cowboys offensive line, which has badly struggled without offensive tackles Tyron Smith and La’el Collins, to give quarterback Dak Prescott time to throw, or lanes for running back Ezekiel Elliott to run through.
Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has had a decent season for Philadelphia so far. Wentz is completing 61 percent of his passes so far this season, with a respectable 12-3 TD-INT ratio.
Put quite simply, his receiving core has let him down a lot this season. The Eagles lead the league in passes dropped with twelve. That cannot happen through just six weeks of the season.
The key to winning this game for Philadelphia will be enforcing their dominance in the trenches when Dallas has the ball. The Cowboys offensive line, long the strength of their team, is a huge weakness if Smith and Collins aren’t able to play. An already dominant Eagles defensive front could make life a nightmare for Prescott and the Cowboys offense.
On offense, establishing the run would open up a struggling Cowboys defense which could allow Wentz to have a huge day through the air, something the Eagles will absolutely need to help a defense that likely will struggle against Prescott. Good news for the Eagles defense is that, according to several sources, the Cowboys are preparing to be without Amari Cooper for the game, which would be a huge advantage.