It’s incredible how many things can change after two and a half months of football. The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles feel like different teams entering Week 12 than the ones we saw take the field
on opening night in Philadelphia.
Both teams were active during the trade deadline to make a push for the playoffs, and the Philadelphia Eagles feel like their locker room is on the brink of another meltdown, headlined by A.J. Brown. All remaining games for the Cowboys are considered “must-win,” but if they aim to contend for the NFC East title, they need to pull off a convincing win over Philadelphia at AT&T Stadium.
Here are five things that are different around both teams heading into Sunday’s divisional matchup.
First point: You can’t spell Eagles without D-R-A-M-A
People forget that the drama around A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts started in Week 1 when the Cowboys’ secondary held him to just one catch in the game. Matt Eberflus’ game plan to run a lot of zone defense kept Brown in unfavorable matchups the entire night. It was only Week 1 and teams were still figuring things out, but this is Philly’s No. 1 wide receiver. For him to just get one target made no sense.
Fast forward 11 weeks, and Brown has been vocal for a while now about how unhappy he is and the role he has on offense. Despite winning eight games, we’ve seen this story play out before. In 2023, Philadelphia was 10-1 heading into Week 12. Then the team fell apart like a Jenga tower, and the Eagles went on to lose five of their remaining six games that season, placing them second in the division.
By mid-November that year, the Cowboys had a much better record, and the Philadelphia defense was not performing as well as they are now. However, if Dallas can maximize their game plan—such as building an early ten-point lead, forcing the Eagles’ offense into several three-and-out drives, and neutralizing Brown—it could ignite something in Brown on the sidelines that could not only impact the game on Sunday night but also have lasting effects on the Eagles for the remainder of the season.
All it takes is one spark, and it feels like Brown is looking for a reason to storm off the field.
Second point: Dallas has stabilized their defensive woes
After Week 1, the discourse around the Cowboys was positive despite being 0-1 because their offense looked great under first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer, and the defense allowed just three points to the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles in the second half. It was your stereotypical “moral victory” like it was for Dallas in 2021, where they went toe-to-toe with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
However, unlike 2021, the moral victory this year didn’t propel Dallas on a six-game winning streak. Instead, they’ve sputtered into Sunday’s game with a 4-5-1 record, looking up at the Eagles in the division. The defense was historically bad for most of the season, but then the Gambler (Jerry Jones) made a few moves at the trade deadline, and a few players returned healthy to put on their best performance last week against the Las Vegas Raiders.
On Sunday, the Dallas defense will feature Jadeveon Clowney, DeMarvion Overshown, Logan Wilson, Quinnen Williams, and Shavon Revel Jr., all players who were not on the field for opening night in Philadelphia. If Dallas has any chance of stopping the Eagles’ offense, all five of the players mentioned will have a prominent role.
The success Dallas has on defense will begin and end with how their defensive tackle unit plays. A rotation of Williams, Osa Odighizuwa, Kenny Clark, Solomon Thomas, and possibly Perrion Winfrey, should give Dallas its best defensive tackle unit during a single game of the past three decades. Williams, Odighizuwa, and Clark had a combined three sacks and 13 pressures of the 26 total pressures in Week 11.
Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson is out of the game with a foot injury, so Dallas will need to maximize their matchups against their backup in Fred Johnson and could create some unique five-man fronts where all three defensive tackles are on the field for Dallas.
Third point: It’s Jaelan and Jalen
The NFL season kicked off with one of its rising stars being ejected from the game just after the first play of the year. Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was caught spitting at Dak Prescott while Philadelphia’s training staff was tending to a down player after the kickoff. The league is trying to crack down on personal foul penalties, and in their mind, Carter crossed a line that warranted an ejection.
Barring a second incident, Carter should be on the field Sunday, along with Jaelan Phillips, whom the Eagles acquired at the trade deadline. The moment he landed in Philadelphia, Phillips has been the team’s best pass rusher and one of the better edge players over the last two weeks. Since Week 10, the Eagles’ defensive end has had a total of 12 pressures. That’s tied for the third most at his position per Pro Football Focus.
Carter has had a down year statistically, but remains one of the most disruptive defensive tackles in the league. He has just one recorded sack, but 29 pressures, which is 15th among all defensive tackles. The Cowboys’ offensive line had the second-best outing of the season in pressure rate allowed, according to NFL Pro, against the Las Vegas Raiders, but Maxx Crosby and Co. don’t pose the same problems as the Eagles’ defensive front.
How Jaelan and Jalen play on Sunday will likely determine the outcome of the game.
Fourth point: No longer curious about George
In Week 1, George Pickens was targeted four times and hauled in three receptions for 30 yards. Not the outing fans were hoping to see on opening night from their new star wide receiver. Since then, Pickens has not only been the team’s most productive wide out but one of the NFL’s most dynamic playmakers.
Pickens is second in receiving yards (908), tied for third in touchdown receptions (7), and third in average receiving yards per game (90.8). CeeDee Lamb did miss four games with a high ankle sprain, opening up the door for Pickens to step into the No. 1 wide receiver role. He’s passed with flying colors.
When Dallas traded for the former Pittsburgh Steeler, they were hoping he could be a complement to Lamb’s skill set, but now there’s a debate about whether he’s the best receiver on the team. A great problem for Jerry Jones to have on his plate. There’s no question that Dallas is better with both players in the lineup.
The Eagles have one of the better secondaries, headlined by second-year corner Quinyon Mitchell. If Dallas wants to attack the Eagles’ defense through the air, they will need Lamb and Pickens to have big games. In an article he penned for The Players’ Tribune, Pickens said he “was born for showtime.” These are the matchups and moments where he can show the world he’s worthy of a massive payday at the end of the season.
Fifth point: Location, location, location
Of course, one of the more apparent differences in this game will be that it’s at AT&T Stadium instead of Lincoln Financial Field. However, for Dallas, playing a divisional matchup on their home turf is something of a good-luck charm, and they could use all the help they can get.
Quarterback Dak Prescott has been the big brother of the NFC East, holding a substantial winning percentage against teams in his division. Since his rookie season, Prescott has a 35-9 record against the NFC East. During that time, the Cowboys quarterback is 21-2 playing divisional opponents at home. The last time he lost a divisional game at home was in 2017.
It’s not foolproof, but it’s good to have history on your side in a must-win matchup like this. If the Cowboys rolled in with the defense they had on the field in Denver against the Broncos, all the history in the world couldn’t save Dallas in this one. Now that they have a remolded defense with at least one week under its belt, there is a chance the Cowboys can pull off the upset.
If nothing else, it’s nice not having to worry about eggs being hurled at the team bus from opposing fans as they drive into the stadium. Playing November football in Texas sounds a lot better than Philadelphia right now.
