THREE THINGS THAT MUST BE DONE BY THE COWBOYS TO HAVE A WIN AGANIST PHILADELPHIA Eagles.

They say the most recent game of the season is the most important.

That is true for the Dallas Cowboys this week, but it has a little more significance as they travel to Philadelphia.

Dak Prescott and the Boys will face their toughest test of the season when they travel to Lincoln Financial Field to face Jalen Hurts and the 7-1 Eagles.

 

The Eagles have the best record in the NFL right now, just ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs, who dropped to 6-2 after a loss in Denver.

Only San Francisco has presented the Cowboys with more difficult challenges.

We all know how that ended, and we’d like to forget the 42-10 loss in Week 5 as soon as possible.

With the 49ers losing three straight and the Cowboys sandwiching two wins around a bye week, it seems like a lifetime ago.

So, how does Dallas avoid repeating what happened in San Francisco in Philadelphia?

That is what we will be discussing today. Keys to victory that, while not guaranteed, increase the Cowboys’ chances of victory exponentially.

MAINTAIN PRESCOTT CLEAN
In a previous article, I mentioned that Dak Prescott being fired was becoming an alarming statistic.

Prescott has been sacked 17 times in seven games, including multiple times in five of those seven.

 

Philadelphia has one of the league’s most potent pass rushes, led by Haason Reddick, who leads the Eagles with 6.5 sacks.

 

Josh Sweat, the defensive end on the other side, is not far behind him with 5.5 sacks.

The Eagles’ front line also generates pressure up the middle, as evidenced by six sacks between defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.

Dallas is expected to have all of its starting offensive linemen available for Sunday’s game, and they will have to be at their best.

 

This year, Philadelphia has been vulnerable to the pass, ranking near the bottom of several statistical categories.

 

Prescott needs time to scan the defense in order to take advantage of Darius Slay’s and James Bradberry’s diminishing coverage skills.

 

Dak is more than capable of exploiting the Eagles’ secondary’s flaws, and his near-NFL-best snap to release time will help mitigate the pass rush.

The Eagles’ front line also generates pressure up the middle, as evidenced by six sacks between defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.

Dallas is expected to have all of its starting offensive linemen available for Sunday’s game, and they will have to be at their best.

 

This year, Philadelphia has been vulnerable to the pass, ranking near the bottom of several statistical categories.

 

Prescott needs time to scan the defense in order to take advantage of Darius Slay’s and James Bradberry’s diminishing coverage skills.

 

Dak is more than capable of exploiting the Eagles’ secondary’s flaws, and his near-NFL-best snap to release time will help mitigate the pass rush.

The Eagles’ front line also generates pressure up the middle, as evidenced by six sacks between defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.

Dallas is expected to have all of its starting offensive linemen available for Sunday’s game, and they will have to be at their best.

 

This year, Philadelphia has been vulnerable to the pass, ranking near the bottom of several statistical categories.

 

Prescott needs time to scan the defense in order to take advantage of Darius Slay’s and James Bradberry’s diminishing coverage skills.

 

Dak is more than capable of exploiting the Eagles’ secondary’s flaws, and his near-NFL-best snap to release time will help mitigate the pass rush.

TAKE AWAY HURTS’ FIRST READ

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts improved dramatically from year one to year two of his starting career.

Hurts’ huge leap in 2022 catapulted him into the MVP conversation and, eventually, the Super Bowl, where he helped the Eagles offense score 35 points in a loss.

 

He appears to have descended from the stratosphere, however, as he has seen a decrease in efficiency in several quarterback metrics.

 

He has also had an increase in turnovers this season, throwing eight interceptions and losing three fumbles in only eight games.

In comparison, Hurts had only eight total turnovers in 2022 and is on pace for more than 20 this season.

Can anyone guess what the Dallas defense has been good at over the last few seasons?

 

You guessed correctly. Taking away the ball.

 

The Cowboys are tied for fifth in the NFL with 13 turnovers, having led the league in that category the previous two seasons.

 

Teams that have been successful in removing Hurts’ first read on passing plays have forced him into turnovers.

 

Hurts is forced to make mistakes if his first read is not available and he is forced to scan the rest of the field.

Hurts has an arsenal of weapons at his disposal, as well as a pair of wide receivers who excel at getting off the line of scrimmage with little defensive resistance.

When it comes to wide receiver tandems, AJ Brown and Devonta Smith are among the best in the league and a difficult task for any defense.

 

To eliminate Hurts’ first read, DaRand Bland and Stephon Gilmore must be physical at the line of scrimmage to disrupt the route timing.

 

Forcing Hurts to keep the ball in his pocket for that split second will give the Dallas defense time to close the gap.

Dallas ranks second in the NFL in terms of the time it takes to generate pressure on the quarterback from the snap.

WIN ON THE THIRD DOWN
I believe that winning the money down on both sides of the ball will ultimately determine who wins this game.

As unbeatable as the Eagles appear to be, there appears to be a chink in their armor that the Cowboys are well-equipped to exploit.

On third down, both offenses are a force to be reckoned with.

Philadelphia leads the NFL with an absurd 50% third-down conversion rate, while the Dallas offense comes in third at 47.8%.

The Dallas defense will have its hands full, but they are no slouches on third down.

The Dallas defense will have its hands full, but they are no slouches on third down.

Dan Quinn’s defense allows opposing offenses to convert only 34.5% of third-down attempts, ranking seventh in the NFL.

The Cowboys have the advantage on offense, and Prescott can exploit a weakness in the Philadelphia defense.

The Eagles’ defense ranks 25th in the NFL, allowing opponents to convert 43% of third-down attempts.

Dallas will be in position to win if Prescott and the offense can convert on third down and Micah Parsons and the defense can do the same on the other side of the ball.

PREDICTION
If you’re one of my regular readers, you know that I’m not the type of writer/analyst/fan who picks the Cowboys to win every week.

I understand my team’s weaknesses and how a 7-1 defending conference champion can expose those weaknesses.

Based on my keys to victory, I believe Dallas needs to do all three of those things to win, and I don’t see that happening.

Don’t misunderstand me. This will be a close, hard-fought game in which the winner will be determined by who can make the most plays in the fourth quarter.

This time around, I believe the Eagles will be the home team.

Throughout the game, the two division rivals will trade blows.

Ultimately, Prescott will be sacked far too frequently for our liking, and the Eagles’ power run game will ice the game with a late touchdown drive similar to last year’s 26-17 win in Philadelphia.

Cowboys 30, Eagles 20.