Fresh off a big win over the Las Vegas Raiders, the Dallas Cowboys face a short week as they prepare to host the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon. If the Cowboys want to keep their bleak postseason hopes alive, they absolutely must come out with a win on Sunday.
With that thought in mind, here are three players Dallas will need to step up to defeat the Eagles.
1) OL Cooper Beebe and Tyler Booker
When the Cowboys and Eagles faced off back in Week 1, Dallas got a bit lucky. Defensive
tackle Jalen Carter, arguably Philadelphia’s best defender, got ejected before Dallas’ first offensive play for attempting to spit on Dak Prescott.
The Cowboys had no problem moving the ball against the Carter-less Eagles defense, putting up 300+ yards of total offense. This week, Dallas won’t be that lucky, as the Pro Bowl defensive tackle will be on the field attempting to wreak havoc on Dallas’ offense.
If Dallas wants any shot of winning this game, their top priority has to be slowing down Carter and the interior of Philadelphia’s defensive line. For that to happen, the Cowboys will need two of their young interior offensive linemen, Cooper Beebe and Tyler Booker, to step up in a big way.
Since returning from injury in Week 9 against the Cardinals, Beebe has not missed a beat. The second-year center has not allowed a single pressure since his return, and has a Pro Football Focus offensive grade over 70 in both matchups. Booker has also been coming into his own, posting a 73 pass-block grade and 71 run-block grade over Dallas’ last four games.
The Cowboys will desperately need both Beebe and Booker to continue their upward trajectory this week if they want to have a shot in this game.
2) LB DeMarvion Overshown
In the Cowboys and Eagles’ first matchup, one thing Dallas really struggled with on defense was containing quarterback Jalen Hurts. The Super Bowl champion signal-caller ran the ball 14 times for 62 yards and two touchdowns, consistently breaking contain and gashing Dallas’ defense on the ground.
Hurts’ success on the ground directly correlates with the Eagles’ winning games. Since 2024, the Eagles are 7-2 in games that Hurts records 40 or more rushing yards and 12-3 when he scores one or more rushing touchdowns.
With Hurts and the Eagles struggling to complete passes down the field, the Cowboys will need to focus on containing his rushing ability. To do that, they’ll need their linebackers to be at their best, in particular DeMarvion Overshown.
The young linebacker made his season debut on Monday against the Raiders, playing a very limited snap count. It’s pretty remarkable that Overshwon is even on the field at this point, but the Cowboys will need him to get up to speed quickly and flash his immense potential if they want to slow down Hurts and win Sunday’s matchup.
It’s the perfect time for the Cowboys to unleash Overshown, and the 25-year-old has a chance to be the true X-Factor for Dallas’ defense on Sunday.
