The NFC East is wide open, and "Monday Night Football" brings another chapter of drama as the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys square off in a pivotal Week 7 showdown.
Both teams enter the matchup with plenty to prove after inconsistent starts, and a win tonight could provide much-needed momentum in a race that remains anyone's for the taking.
Philadelphia's season has taken a bizarre and concerning turn with the news that Jalen Hurts is out indefinitely due to blood clots. The situation is as unexpected as it is unsettling, leaving Nick Sirianni's team to navigate a critical stretch without its Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
Tanner McKee is set to make his second start for the Birds, and the young signal-caller will be under pressure to keep
the Eagles afloat. Philadelphia's challenges don't stop there, either. DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley have both been battling injuries, adding more uncertainty to an offense that needs consistency at the worst possible time.
Dallas, meanwhile, is desperate to stop the bleeding after two embarrassing primetime performances. The Cowboys suffered a stunning Week 5 defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels before an offensive disappearance against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night in Week 6.
Pressure is mounting, and another loss would only intensify questions about this team, head coach Brian Schottenheimer and the direction. A victory tonight, however, could serve as a much-needed reset, especially with three of Dallas' next four games coming against the struggling Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals.
As always, throw the records and expectations out the window when these NFC East rivals meet. There's no shortage of storylines; both teams have big questions to answer, and the stakes are already rising even though the season is far from over.
Can Dallas finally get its offense and defense working in sync, or will Philadelphia pull off a surprise behind McKee?
USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights, key stats and all the biggest moments as the Cowboys and Eagles wrap up Week 7 on "Monday Night Football." All times are Eastern:
Where to watch NFL game tonight? Eagles vs Cowboys on 'Monday Night Football'
- Start time: 8:15 p.m. ET | 7:15 p.m. CT
- TV channel: ESPN
- Live stream: Fubo | ESPN Unlimited
The Week 7 "MNF" matchup between the Eagles and Cowboys will air on ESPN at 8:15 p.m. ET, the customary start time for Monday night games.
Streamers looking to watch "MNF" can turn to Fubo, which offers a free trial.
Watch "Monday Night Football" with a Fubo subscription
Eagles vs Cowboys live updates, highlights
Eagles inactives vs Cowboys
06:48 PM ET, October 26 2026, Tom VieraPhiladelphia will be without No. 1 wide receiver DeVonta Smith and No. 2 receiver Dontayvion Wicks.
- OLB Nolan Smith
- WR DeVonta Smith
- WR Dontayvion Wicks
- DB Michael Carter II
- OL Jake Majors
- QB Cole Payton (emergency third QB)
Tonight's Inactives#DALvsPHI pic.twitter.com/FiJDXxahsN
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 26, 2026
Cowboys inactives vs Eagles
06:46 PM ET, October 26 2026, Tom VieraNo surprise inactives for the Cowboys, though they will be without speedy return man KaVontae Turpin tonight.
- WR KaVontae Turpin
- RB Emari Demercado
- LB Dee Winters
- OLB Tyrus Wheat
- OL Drew Shelton
NFL MVP odds
06:23 PM ET, October 26 2026, Tom VieraHere's a look at the latest NFL MVP odds as Week 7 comes to a close:
What time does the Cowboys game start today?
06:15 PM ET, October 26 2026, Tom Viera- Start time: 8:15 p.m. ET
The Dallas Cowboys game starts at 8:15 p.m. ET. The game will be played at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Who plays in NFL game tonight? 'Monday Night Football' schedule
05:45 PM ET, October 26 2026, Tom VieraThe Dallas Cowboys play on the road tonight against the Philadelphia Eagles on "Monday Night Football" in Week 7. Here's the full schedule for Monday night's this NFL season:
- Week 1 (Sept. 14): Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC
- Week 2 (Sept. 21): Los Angeles Rams vs. New York Giants, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC
- Week 3 (Sept. 28): Chicago Bears vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC
- Week 4 (Oct. 5): New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
- Week 5 (Oct. 12): Los Angeles Rams vs. Buffalo Bills, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC
- Week 6 (Oct. 19): San Francisco 49ers vs. Washington Commanders, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC
- Week 7 (Oct. 26): Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC
- Week 8 (Nov. 2): Seattle Seahawks vs. Chicago Bears, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
- Week 9 (Nov. 9): Minnesota Vikings vs. Buffalo Bills, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC
- Week 10 (Nov. 16): Baltimore Ravens vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
- Week 11 (Nov. 23): Washington Commanders vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
- Week 12 (Nov. 30): Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
- Week 13 (Dec. 7): Seattle Seahawks vs. Dallas Cowboys, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC
- Week 14 (Dec. 14): Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
- Week 15 (Dec. 21): Kansas City Chiefs vs. New England Patriots, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC
- Week 16 (Dec. 28): Detroit Lions vs. New York Giants, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
- Week 17 (Jan. 4): Green Bay Packers vs. Houston Texans, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
- Week 18 (Jan. 9):
- TBD vs. TBD, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
- TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
- Wild Card Round (Jan. 16, 17 or 18): TBD vs. TBD, ESPN/ABC
- Divisional Round (Jan. 23 or 24): TBD vs. TBD, Time TBD, ESPN/ABC
- Super Bowl 61 (Feb. 14): TBD vs. TBD, 6:30 p.m., ESPN/ABC
Cowboys vs Eagles prediction
05:10 PM ET, October 26 2026, Tom VieraHere's how the USA TODAY Sports staff thinks the NFL game on Monday night will go:
- Jarrett Bell: Cowboys, 27-20
- Nick Brinkerhoff: Eagles, 23-17
- Chris Bumbaca: Eagles, 24-21
- Nate Davis: Cowboys, 24-20
- Adam Kaufman: Cowboys, 24-20
- Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz: Cowboys, 20-17
Cowboys vs Eagles odds, moneyline
05:00 PM ET, October 26 2026, Tom VieraThe Cowboys are favored to beat the Eagles in tonight's NFL game, according to the latest NFL odds at DraftKings.
- Spread: Cowboys -4.5 (-112) | Eagles +4.5 (-108)
- Moneyline: Cowboys (-220); Eagles (+180)
- Total: OVER 44.5 (-110) | UNDER 44.5 (-110)
Cowboys-Eagles live stream
04:50 PM ET, October 26 2026, Tom Viera- Live stream:Fubo (free trial)
For cord-cutters looking to stream the game, Fubo carries ESPN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the NFL Network, meaning you can catch NFL action all season long. Fubo also offers a free trial.
Watch "Monday Night Football" with Fubo (free trial)
Eagles-Cowboys prediction by A.I.
04:31 PM ET, October 26 2026, Jacob CamenkerDallas Cowboys 27, Philadelphia Eagles 20
AI's take: Copilot is backing the Cowboys in this matchup because they have "looked like the more complete team" to open the 2026 season. It expects Dallas to potentially "jump ahead early" and force the Tanner McKee-led Eagles to play from behind.
Our take: The Cowboys haven't looked good at all the last two weeks, so it's hard to back them with confidence. Meanwhile, the Eagles are significantly undermanned without Jalen Hurts and may not be positioned to take full advantage of Dallas' leaky defense. That said, if Saquon Barkley can return, the Eagles may have a chance to pull out a win and heat up Brian Schottenheimer's seat even more.
Cowboys vs Eagles TV channel
04:10 PM ET, October 26 2026, Tom Viera- TV channel: ESPN | ABC | ESPN2
Tonight's game will air on ESPN and ABC. Joe Buck will be on the call alongside Troy Aikman, with Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge on the sidelines. There will be a ManningCast broadcast on ESPN2 tonight.
What time does the NFL game start tonight?
04:00 PM ET, October 26 2026, Tom Viera- Date: Monday, October 26, 2026
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
The Cowboys and Eagles game will wrap up Week 7 of the 2026 NFL season with "Monday Night Football" at 8:15 p.m. ET.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Monday Night Football live updates, inactives, TV channel as Dak Prescott, Cowboys face Eagles
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