If the Dallas Cowboys want to win this week, they could use a boost from their offensive line. With Tyler Smith back and healthy, there is no excuse for this line to not start taking over games.
Here is how they match up with the Eagles defensvie front.
Trench Dashboard
Here are the Cowboys offensive line metrics for the 2026 season so far.
Pass Block Win Rate – 50% (17th)
Run Block Win Rate – 69% (31st)
Pressure rate allowed – 27% (10th)
Sacks allowed – 6 (2nd)
Last three week trend: Allowing too much pressure is pass
pro, run game struggling
The Pressure Point
Every opponent will look at the Cowboys offensive line and ask, where can we break it? Here’s what to watch for.
PRESSURE POINT: Dallas cannot let Philadelphia’s interior take away the running game
The Eagles’ biggest strength up front is not rushing the passer, it’s stopping the run.
Philadelphia rank fifth in Run Stop Win Rate at 32%, and Jordan Davis has been one of the biggest reasons why. Davis owns a 83.2 run-defense grade on PFF, fifth among qualifying interior defensive linemen. He has also registered 14 defensive stops making him one of the most effective at his position.
At 336 pounds, Davis is extremely difficult to move when Dallas wants to run directly between the tackles. That’s concerning because the Cowboys are already struggling badly there. Dallas rank 31st in Run Block Win Rate and then produced only 48 rushing yards against Green Bay. Javonte Williams only managed 41 yards on 11 carries and failed to reach the endzone.
The return of Tyler Smith has not immediately fixed everything. Smith, Cooper Beebe and Tyler Booker give Dallas plenty of talent inside, but this is a week where communication and double teams have to be cleaner. If Davis is allowed to control the middle by himself, Philadelphia can keep its linebackers free to attack Williams.
If Dallas needs two blockers just to stop Davis moving into the backfield, the Eagles are already gaining an advantage because another defender is now free to attack the runner.
PRESSURE POINT: Jalen Carter is still the player who can wreck a passing play
The season statistics have not been vintage Jalen Carter. He has produced 10 pressures and one sack, while his 60.0 pass-rush grade was well below the standard he established earlier in his career. Dallas should not mistake that for Carter suddenly becoming an easy matchup and interior pressure is especially dangerous for Prescott.
An edge rusher normally forces a quarterback to step forward. A defensive tackle winning directly through the middle removes that escape route altogether. Dallas saw what pressure did to its offense against Green Bay. Prescott was hurried into uncomfortable throws, Dallas turned the football over twice through interceptions, and the offense spent too much of the night reacting to the defense rather than dictating the game.
The Eagles only have eight sacks this season, but Dallas cannot allow Carter to become the player who suddenly wakes their pass rush up.
Where To Attack
Every defensive line has a weakness, here are the Packers soft spots and where the Cowboys offensive line should attack.
GREEN LIGHT: Make Philadelphia’s edge defenders stop the run
Do not repeatedly run directly at Jordan Davis, make the Eagles move sideways instead. Jalyx Hunt has a 53.0 PFF run-defense grade, 88th among qualifying edge defenders. Nolan Smith has been better against the run, but he is now in the concussion protocol after leaving Sunday’s loss to Carolina. Hunt is also dealing with ankle and knee issues.
That makes the outside of Philadelphia’s defensive front much more interesting than the middle. Dallas can use outside-zone runs, counters and pulling guards to move the point of attack away from Davis, and this plays into Booker’s strengths. Instead of asking him to repeatedly move a 336-pound defensive tackle straight backwards, Dallas can pull Booker into space and let him attack a linebacker or edge defender.
Carolina offered evidence that Philadelphia can be worn down this way. Chuba Hubbard carried 28 times for 120 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s win at Lincoln Financial Field. Dallas needs that same patience.
GREEN LIGHT: Trust the tackles against a struggling pass rush
This is the matchup Dallas should be willing to test. Philadelphia is ranked only 25th in Pass Rush Win Rate at 44%, and generating pressure on only 37% of opposing dropbacks, with that falling to 29% when they don’t bother to blitz.
And now Nolan Smith’s availability is uncertain. Smith recorded his third sack of the year before suffering a concussion against Carolina. Hunt is also carrying an injury. That should give Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele an opportunity to recover from Green Bay.
Guyton had been one of Dallas’ best run blockers, carrying a 90.0 PFF run-blocking grade, fourth among qualifying tackles. He had also allowed 12 pressures but no sacks entering the game. Steele remains the shakier side. His 54.4 pass-blocking grade ranked 63rd among 72 qualifying tackles, although he has surrendered only one sack.
Philadelphia should not force Dallas to constantly keep a tight end or running back in protection. If the Eagles rush four, Dallas needs to trust its five offensive linemen.
That allows Jake Ferguson, Williams and the other eligible receivers to get into routes and gives Prescott more places to go with the football.
The Chaos Report
Here’s the Philadelphia Eagles defensive trends for this season at the defensive line.
Sack Total – 8 (31st)
Pass Rush Win Rate – 44% (25th)
Run Stop Win Rate – 32% (5th)
QB Pressure Rate – 37% (5th)
Last three week trend: Strong run defense, poor pass rush
Matchup of the week
Cooper Beebe vs. Jordan Davis
This matchup gets directly to Dallas’ biggest offensive-line problem. Can the Cowboys finally run the football?
Beebe gets one of the NFL’s better run-defending defensive tackles in Davis’ and his sheer size makes him extremely difficult for a center to handle alone. Beebe will get help from Smith and Booker on plenty of snaps, but Dallas cannot dedicate two blockers to Davis forever.
If Beebe can hold his ground long enough for one of the guards to move onto the second level, Williams suddenly has space. If Davis pushes Beebe backwards, the play can be over before Williams even reaches the line of scrimmage.
Best route to success:
The Eagles are strong inside against the run but have struggled to create consistent pass pressure, Dallas needs to use that information.
Force the edge defenders to tackle Williams, use screens and quick passes if Philadelphia becomes aggressive, and when the Eagles rush four, let the offensive line prove it can protect Prescott without extra help.
Philadelphia’s front has talent, but the numbers show areas Dallas can attack.
Injury Updates:
Dallas currently has no new injury concerns among its five starting offensive linemen.
The major Philadelphia injury to monitor is Nolan Smith, who suffered a concussion against Carolina and will have to clear the league’s concussion protocol before playing. Jordan Davis suffered an ankle injury on Sunday but practiced in full on Thursday, while Jalyx Hunt is also dealing with ankle issues.
