The Dallas Cowboys are very much alive in the NFC playoff race following the Eagles' loss to the Chargers on Monday night. The most likely path for Dallas to make it is winning the NFC East. They're going to need some massive help from Maxx Crosby, one of the best pass rushers in the league, and he has a great opportunity to make noise.
Eagles' star right tackle Lane Johnson hasn't played in three straight games thanks to a Lisfranc sprain, and as you guessed, the Eagles have lost three straight without him in the lineup. This isn't a recurring issue either, as the Eagles are 15-27 without Johnson in the lineup throughout his career.
Crosby has a chance to feast against an offensive line that's banged up. The Eagles' problems up front go beyond Johnson's absence, so Crosby should be able to wreak some havoc to give the Raiders at least a shot to pull off what would be a huge upset.
Maxx Crosby must take advantage of Eagles' offensive woes to help Cowboys' playoff hopes
Johnson is one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL, regardless of position, but his absence is only a slice of the Eagles’ offensive mess. Landon Dickerson briefly exited the Chargers game with a calf injury before returning, and Jalen Hurts hasn’t looked good at all. His five turnovers have become a national punchline and a glaring part of Philadelphia’s recent meltdown.
According to Warren Sharp, the Eagles were terrible in the shotgun. On 29 plays in the shotgun formation, the Eagles averaged 3.2 yards per play, 2.9 yards on the ground, and 3.4 yards through the air. While Hurts was under center, the numbers fared much better, but that was only judged based on eight plays compared to 29. The Eagles can't afford to become too predictable for any team.
Hurts has been under relentless pressure (figuratively, not literally) these past few weeks, and it’s led to some brutal decision-making with the ball in his hands. That trend might continue, too. Maxx Crosby should force him to get flushed out of the pocket and into more mistakes.
Even though the Raiders are one of the NFL's bottom-feeders, they still have opportunities to capitalize against the Eagles, who are collapsing as we speak.
Recent history has seen the Eagles collapse before. Just like in 2023, when it seemed like all was going well for them, they ended up losing six of their last seven games.
It would take a lot for another historic collapse to happen, but as long as the Cowboys do their part the next two weeks, it's still possible to get some help from guys like Crosby, who's no stranger to flipping a game on its head.