Dallas Cowboys vs Philadelphia Eagles: Know Thy Enemy

As the Dallas Cowboys head into an NFC East showdown with arguably the best team in the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles, they are left wondering who will start at quarterback for their opponent this weekend.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has come out trying to play head games with the Cowboys, but finally admitted on Thursday that it’ll be backup Gardner Minshew in on Saturday. Both QBs have the ability to give the Cowboys fits with their mobility, but Hurts is the bigger threat of the two.

It’s not going to be easy, but the Cowboys have ways they can attack this Eagles team on both offense and defense. So let’s dive into this week’s “Know Thy Enemy”.

Cowboys vs. Eagles: Week 16 Know Thy Enemy

Philadelphia Eagles at a Glance

Overall record vs. Cowboys: 54-69

2022 Record: 13-1

2022 Offensive Ranking: 2nd out of 32 teams

2022 Defensive Ranking: 6th out of 32 teams

Current Injury List: QB Jalen Hurts (shoulder), S K’Von Wallace (hip), WR Zach Pascal (concussion), TE Tyree Jackson (knee), S Reed Blankenship (knee)

Most Notable Offensive Players: QB Jalen Hurts, WR A.J. Brown, RB Miles Sanders, TE Dallas Goedert, WR DeVonta Smith

Most Notable Defensive Players: DT Javon Hargrave, DT Fletcher Cox, DE Brandon Graham, CB Darius Slay, LB Haason Reddick, CB James Bradberry

What We’ve Seen from Eagles and Possible Offensive Game Plan Against Cowboys

Points Per Game: 29.4

Passing Yards Per Game: 250.4

Rushing Yards Per Game: 158.6

Total Yards Per Game: 409.0

Third Down Conversion Percentage: 47.3%

Red Zone Conversion Percentage: 73.5%

Eagles Offensive Strategy vs Cowboys

The last time the Cowboys and Eagles faced off, Dallas had Cooper Rush under center, who did an admirable job keeping his team in the game. However, he ultimately handicapped the Cowboys’ offense with his lack of mobility and inaccurate throws, which led to three interceptions in Week 6.

This time around, the Eagles will be facing off with Dak Prescott under center, which means they will keep their foot on the gas pedal in order to jump out to an early lead.

You can expect the Eagles to continue with the quick-hitting passes, on which Hurts was averaging 3.1 yards through the air, no matter who’s under center. They’ll repeat their strategy from Week 6 to scheme A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith open in space and get yards after the catch, while also negating the Cowboys’ pass rush that got to Hurts four times.

That, along with the rushing attack led by Miles Sanders, means the Cowboys’ defense is going to have to play ten times better than they showed last week in their loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, where they surrendered 311 yards through the air and 192 yards on the ground.

If they can stymie the Eagles’ running game early, they will force Philly to have their quarterback drop back, giving Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence more time to get to whichever QB is under center.

Cowboys Defensive Strategy vs Eagles

It’s amazing how much injuries can hamper a defense, and the Cowboys are experiencing that right now with the injuries to Leighton Vander Esch and Johnathan Hankins, as well as the season-ending injury to Anthony Brown.

Last week against the Jaguars, the Cowboys weren’t able to slow the running game, with Vander Esch leaving the game with a neck injury and Hankins missing in the middle of that defensive line. They also had to deal with the Jaguars targeting second-year cornerback Kelvin Joseph, who started in place of Brown.

If the Cowboys want to right the ship, then it’s going to have to start with slowing the Eagles’ running game. Quinton Bohanna needs help, and the Cowboys need to see what newly-signed 350-pound defensive tackle Anthony Rush can give them in that department.

Do that, and also think about putting Micah Parsons and Sam Williams on the same side of the field to rush the passer and let them use their athletic ability and speed to force the offensive linemen to make quick decisions on who to take. That split-second decision should give the Cowboys the ability to get back to racking up sacks.

What We’ve Seen from Eagles and Possible Defensive Game Plan Against Cowboys

Opponents’ Points Per Game: 19.1

Opponents’ Passing Yards Per Game: 200.3

Opponents’ Rushing Yards Per Game: 121.1

Opponents’ Total Yards Per Game: 321.4

Opponents’ Third Down Conversion Percentage: 37.6%

Opponents’ Red Zone Conversion Percentage: 53.3%

Eagles Defensive Strategy vs Cowboys

This Eagles defense is very good in the passing game at locking down receivers, with Darius Slay and James Bradberry on the outside. The loss of safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson dealt a blow to the defense, but his backup Reed Blankenship has done a great job filling in.

The Eagles will try to repeat their strategies that limited Rush to only181 passing yards and three interceptions. This time, they will have to factor in the mobility of Dak Prescott, who looks to extend plays in order to push the ball downfield.

The one area where the Eagles know they are vulnerable is in the running game, where they are giving up 4.7 yards per carry. Last game without Prescott, the Cowboys had 134 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Eagles, and with No. 4 on the field, that number should rise. Philly will look to keep the Cowboys in third and long situations, which have been a sore subject for the Dallas offense at times this season.

Cowboys Offensive Strategy vs Eagles

The Cowboys, on the other hand, will need to have their running game start fast in order to manage down and distance in the game and take the pressure off Prescott (who, right now, has shade being thrown at him left and right).

Hopefully, the Cowboys decide to suit up T.Y. Hilton and give themselves another threat in the passing game, which will help Prescott and take some pressure off CeeDee Lamb, who has been playing very well this season. The Cowboys can’t afford to go three and out in a game like this, because if they do, the Eagles’ offense will surely figure out a way to take advantage.

The Cowboys also can’t have miscommunications between Prescott and his receivers, or along the offensive line in pass blocking. Otherwise, it’s going to be a long day for the Cowboys and their fans, as they look to show the NFL that last week’s loss to the Jaguars was a bump in the road on their way to the postseason.

5 game-changing moments that led to the Cowboys loss against the Eagles

The Cowboys had several frustrating moments in their loss against the Eagles. These five plays shifted the momentum in Philly's favor.