Reverse roles: Eagles were chasing Cowboys in 2016, now it’s the opposite

A year ago, the Dallas Cowboys were the clear front-runner in the NFC East.

Today, the Philadelphia Eagles are in that role.

The Eagles, who had a bye last week, have the NFL’s best record (8-1) and have won seven consecutive games. This is the fifth time in franchise history the Eagles have started a season 8-1 or better (1949, 1960, 1980 and 2004) and the team advanced to the NFL Championship/Super Bowl in each of the previous four instances.

Dallas is 5-4 and coming off an awkward 27-7 loss at Atlanta. It was their first game without suspended running back Ezekiel Elliott and injured left tackle Tyron Smith and it showed.

The rivalry is still very much intact and will be with young quarterbacks such as Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz leading their respective teams.

“Anytime you’re playing a division rival it just seems like there is more riding on it, just because the division title is the No. 1 goal,” Wentz said.

The injury bug has hit the Cowboys of late with linebacker Sean Lee (hamstring) and safety Jeff Heath (concussion) out.

Here are five things to watch in Sunday night’s game at AT&T Stadium:

Pocket time for Dak?

Chaz Green had a terrible game, and Byron Bell didn’t fare much better in filling in for All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith last week. If Smith can’t play again this week, Bell is projected to start. The Cowboys have to give Bell more help than they did Green if they want to have more offensive success. Quarterback Dak Prescott had little time to get the ball away against the Falcons, and the Eagles front seven is arguably more dangerous.

Running matters

Ezekiel Elliott has given up his legal fight and will miss the next five games. The Cowboys need to establish the run better than they did in the first game without Elliott. Alfred Morris got the bulk of the carries, but didn’t get going until the second half. Rod Smith got the most snaps, and flashed some promise when the ball was in his hands. Darren McFadden appears to be an afterthought after getting only one carry. But the Cowboys have to find the right formula to fill the void left by Elliott.

Record watch

Dez Bryant has gone three games without a touchdown, meaning he’s yet to pass Bob Hayes for most touchdown catches in franchise history. Maybe the Eagles game is what he needs to get over the hump. Bryant has caught more touchdowns against the Eagles (nine) than any opponent in his career.

Missing Lee

The defense has struggled whenever its best player, Lee, has been out with a hamstring injury. This is the game it must show it can absorb that sort of blow. The Cowboys will rely heavily on linebacker Anthony Hitchens, who led the team with 12 tackles last week, to fill the void. Also expect Justin Durant and Jaylon Smith to split snaps at middle linebacker.

The little things

The Cowboys can’t stub their own toe if they want to upset the league’s best team. That means winning the turnover battle — the Cowboys have won the turnover battle in four of their five wins (and were even in the other). They also must ensure no stumbles in the kicking game. A missed field goal early in the second half proved to be a devastating momentum swing for the Cowboys last week in Atlanta. Mike Nugent has been fairly reliable by making four-of-six field goal attempts and all eight of his point-after attempts.

This story was originally published November 18, 2017 at 11:15 AM with the headline "Reverse roles: Eagles were chasing Cowboys in 2016, now it’s the opposite."