Week 3 Preview: Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) at Dallas Cowboys (1-1)

Eagles-Cowboys. Monday Night Football. In the overrated, oversized Death Star looking thing they call a stadium in Dallas. If this game doesn’t get you fired up as an Eagles fan, you should find another team to root for.

 

There is no team more hated in the Delaware Valley than the team with the stupid star and the out-of-touch “America’s Team” label. America’s Team? In Dallas? What a kick to the balls of the Founding Fathers.

 

The Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, the state of Texas holds a vote every year on whether or not they want to secede from the Union. How can you be America’s Team while playing out one year contracts in the U.S. of A? Absolute bogus.

 

The Eagles are coming off of a deflating 17-11 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The Birds missed out on a ton of key opportunities that could have led to a different result. Still, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the young Eagles. All of the mistakes that were made on Sunday can be easily corrected. Let’s not forget, it was Sirianni’s second career game as a head coach. They will get it fixed.

 

As for Dallas, they are coming off of a thrilling, yet ugly 20-17 win against the LA Chargers. In a game filled with penalties and missed chances, the Cowboys eked out the win on a last-second field goal from Greg Zuerlein. The game on Monday night will be the Cowboys’ home opener after two tough road games. Expect Dallas to come out with their best foot forward.

 

Eagles Offense vs. Cowboys Defense

 

I anticipate the Eagles offense will be putting up more than 11 points on Monday night. This Cowboys defense is weak, and it got even weaker with the loss of their best pass rusher, Demarcus Lawrence. There isn’t a single unit of this Dallas defense that is remotely close to elite. The Eagles should be able to put up their fair share of points.

 

Jalen Hurts & Co. vs. Dallas’ Weak Secondary

While Jalen Hurts didn’t have the same jaw-dropping statistical stat line he did in week one, he did some nice things in week two. The deep ball to Quez Watkins was perfect, and the deep touchdown to Jalen Reagor that was called back might have been even better. The fact that Devonta Smith only had two receptions, though, is an issue. As the most talented receiver on the roster, he needs to be more involved.

 

In fact, Hurts completed just six passes to his receivers last Sunday. It doesn’t matter how young the receivers are or what the game plan is. If an NFL team is only completing six passes to their receiving corps, they aren’t winning. Expect all three of those aforementioned receivers to get open fairly consistently against a bad Dallas secondary, leading to more receptions.

 

After testing positive for COVID-19 on Monday, tight end Zach Ertz has been cleared to play against Dallas. Ertz, who is vaccinated, had two negative tests at least 24 hours apart and had 48 hours without symptoms. He, along with Dallas Goedert, should be able to create some separation against Dallas’ linebackers in the pass game due to their inability to cover, well, anyone.

 

The best defensive back on the Cowboys roster is second-year vet Trevon Diggs. Diggs, the younger brother to Bills star wideout Stefon Diggs, has an interception in each of the first two games of the season. He’s an aggressive, ball-hawking corner and tackles well. Diggs has the potential to be a special player, but he’s not someone the Eagles should necessarily fear in the passing game.

 

 

As for the rest of the Cowboys secondary, let’s just say they can be taken advantage of. Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis, Donovan Wilson, and Damontae Kazee make up the rest of the defensive backs, and I wouldn’t blame you if you’ve never heard of them. You’d have no reason to. None of them are special players and can be beaten.

 

The Cowboys have allowed the third most passing yards in the league so far, having allowed 692 pass yards in two games. Granted, they played Tom Brady and Justin Herbert. With that being said, those quarterbacks didn’t face much resistance in the passing game. Hurts should have a stat line much more similar to week one than week two.

 

In passing situations, Dallas has typically taken linebackers Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith out of the game for more athletic players, Micah Parsons and Keanu Neal. Parsons, the rookie out of Penn State, likely won’t come off the field much in this game. With Demarcus Lawrence out, Parsons might be the best player on the Cowboys defense even though he’s only played two NFL games.

 

However, Dallas will be at yet another disadvantage defensively. The aforementioned Keanu Neal tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss Monday’s game. He is unvaccinated.

 

The Run Game & A Surprise Scratch

The Eagles leading rusher a week ago was Jalen Hurts. Yes, Hurts is a more than capable runner who always seems to gain yardage in chunks. However, the Birds need to find a way to get lead back Miles Sanders and youngster Kenneth Gainwell into open space.

 

The Eagles offensive line struggled to create holes against an elite 49ers front seven. Unfortunately, the task won’t become any easier as the Cowboys rank just inside the top ten in rush defense to start the season. On the flip side of that, the Cowboys have played two teams that pass the ball considerably more than they run it.

 

This is proven by the fact that Dallas ranks 21st in rush yards allowed per attempt through two games, despite being ninth in total rush yards allowed. With the Eagles boasting a veteran offensive line to go along with three capable runners in Sanders, Gainwell, and Hurts, expect Sirianni to have more success with his run calls this week.

 

The Eagles run game could be at a disadvantage, however, because starting left tackle Jordan Mailata will miss Monday’s game with a sprained knee. It’s unclear when the injury was sustained, but former first round pick Andre Dillard will start in his place. Dillard, who lost the training camp battle for starting left tackle by a fairly wide margin, will make his first regular season start since week 11 of 2019.

 

Joining Dillard in the starting lineup for the first time will be rookie Landon Dickerson. The second round pick will start at right guard in place of Brandon Brooks, who was placed on injured reserve this week with a pec strain. Dickerson has extremely high potential, but his draft stock took a bit of a hit because of a torn ACL he suffered in the National Championship game at Alabama to go along with other injury concerns. Don’t be surprised if he struggles in his first NFL start.

 

Eagles Defense vs. Cowboys Offense

 

The Birds defense has been outstanding through two games. Last week, they knew the key to slowing down San Francisco’s offense was to stop the run. They did just that, as they allowed just 3.1 yards per carry to one of the best rushing attacks in all of football. This week, though, their challenge will be much greater than their first two opponents combined.

 

Cowboys Air Raid vs. Eagles Pass Defense

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott leads one of the most lethal aerial attacks in football. Prescott, coming off of a horrific ankle injury a year ago, as well as a nagging shoulder injury in camp, has looked like himself through two games. Prescott entered the week sixth in the league in passing yards through two games. He has also been extremely efficient with the football despite his two interceptions, as he is third in the league in completion percentage.

Some of that might have to do with the myriad of weapons he has to throw to. CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper make up one of the more threatening wide receiver duos the NFL has to offer. Cooper, who has tortured the Eagles in the past, is an elite route runner and is great at creating separation. Lamb, the second year vet, is starting to blossom into one of the best young receivers in the league. He just seems to always be open, and even when he’s not, he still catches everything thrown his way. This duo will be a thorn in the Eagles side for years to come.

 

Dallas has even gotten superb pass protection from all levels. The offensive line is unsurprisingly back to being one of the best in the league with the return of guard Zack Martin. Even running back Ezekiel Elliott has found himself contributing quite a bit to pass protection, and he’s impressed. The Cowboys have allowed just three sacks on the year to two teams who boast above average defensive lines.

 

So, how do the Eagles try to stop this unstoppable attack? So far, the Eagles have played a lot of zone coverage, and it has worked well. However, the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers don’t possess the same threatening pass attack that the Cowboys do. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon will need to be more creative in his defensive schemes in order to keep Dallas’ pass offense in check.

 

Another thing the Eagles will need to do well is rush the passer. The Eagles front four will have their work cut out for them against the aforementioned tough Dallas offensive line. While the Eagles have created a ton of pressure just with their defensive line historically and through the first two weeks, they likely won’t be able to do that this week.

 

This is especially true considering Brandon Graham’s season-ending achilles injury. Newly extended defensive end Josh Sweat and former first round pick Derek Barnett will have some big holes to fill. Sweat, by all accounts, has double digit sack potential. Barnett, on the other hand, has been disappointing to say the least since his rookie season. Obviously, Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave have been fantastic thus far. Still, I wouldn’t be opposed to Gannon mixing in a few blitz packages to test Prescott and the Cowboys offensive line.

 

 

Cowboys Surprising Dual Threat Rushing Attack

Despite being in the middle of a six year, $90 million contract, Ezekiel Elliott has seen his workload decrease. While that may send his fantasy owners into a panic, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has been pretty vocal since the beginning of training camp in saying he wants to keep Elliott fresh later in the season.

 

 

It just so happens that McCarthy has the luxury to do that because Dallas has another capable running back on their roster. Third year back Tony Pollard has seen his touches increase dramatically so far this season, and he’s made the most of it. Last week against the Chargers, Pollard racked up 109 rush yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries. Pollard is a different style runner than Elliott is, as he’s less of a bruiser and more of a finesse guy who shines brightest in open space.

 

Objectively, many folks would say the Eagles rush defense would have a lot to worry about. I say nay nay. If last week’s performance against the Niners is any indication, the Birds will continue to shine against the run, the same way they have for years.

 

Yes, the absence of Brandon Graham will be notable in rush defense. Yes, I am still extremely worried about the Eagles poor tackling ability at linebacker. Yet, even despite that, the Birds remained stout against one of the best rush teams in the league a week ago. My guess is that Dallas will throw the ball a lot more than they’ll run it on Monday night.

 

My Prediction

 

This game is going to be fun. This game is going to feature a lot of offense. It will almost certainly include a lot of yelling at your television and cursing Jerry Jones’ smug face.

 

This will be a back-and-forth shootout. The Cowboys will air it out a ton against an Eagles secondary that quite frankly has not been tested through two games. The Eagles will use a fairly balanced rushing and passing attack to keep up with the high flying Dallas offense. While the game will be fun to watch and close throughout, it will not end the way Eagles fans want.

 

Cowboys win, 30-27, as the Eagles drop their fourth straight game in Dallas. The Eagles just aren’t there yet. They aren’t ready to win these type of close games yet. While they lose this game, Eagles fans will be able to walk away from this game and realize that they have a legitimate core on this team they can be excited about going forward.

 

If I Were A Betting Man:

Over 51.5 total points scored. Would very hesitantly take Eagles +3.5, but would more advise the over.

 

Broadcast Information

Time: 8:15 P.M. EDT

TV: ESPN (Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Louis Riddick, Lisa Salters), ESPN 2 (Peyton & Eli Manning)

Radio: 94.1 WIP

Stream: NFL Game Pass/Watch ESPN

 

 

By Matt Szczypiorski | September 27, 2021
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