Dallas Cowboys in search of back-to-back NFC East titles for first time since 1990s
You could have circled this game when the schedule came out last April as the one that would likely decide the NFC East title.
A lot has happened for the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys since the season started.
Neither is who they expected to be, with middling 7-7 marks.
But the bottom line remains the same with all the hopes and dreams intact for the winner Sunday.
The Cowboys would clinch the division title and playoff berth.
A win by the Eagles and then a win in the season finale against the New York Giants (3-11) would punch their ticket to the postseason.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has not practiced all week because of a sprained right AC joint on his passing shoulder.
But he was not missing this game.
“It’s what it’s about,” Prescott said. “This is what you play this game for. When I was a little boy and dreamed about being the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, these are the situations you thought about being in. I’m excited for this moment, this opportunity for our team.”
Said running back Ezekiel Elliott: “It’s a championship game. We’re playing for the division championship this Sunday. That’s how we’re looking at it.”
With a win Sunday, Dallas can clinch its division in consecutive seasons for the first time since it won five straight in the mid 1990s (1992-1996).
Here are five things for Sunday’s game against the Eagles:
Playing for Dak
Quarterback Dak Prescott will be playing Sunday with a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder.
The Cowboys say he won’t be limited against the Eagles.
But the facts are that he hasn’t thrown passes all week and will go through a full workout for the first time just hours before the game.
Prescott will give it all he has. And he has no plans on limiting his running or throwing.
The Cowboys expect nothing less of their leader.
And they plan to do all they can to play for him Sunday.
“Dak is one of the greatest football players, one of the greatest leaders, one of the greatest people I have ever been around,” linebacker Sean Lee said. “The way he practices day in and day out, the way he plays in the game, how he plays through the pain, how hard he plays. He is a guy who has inspired us since he has been here, and just knowing who he is as a person, the way he battles through things, it’s an inspiration. We would love to rally around him.”
Cowboys ready for hostile environment
It didn’t have to be a game with division-title implications for the Cowboys to expect a nasty environment and hostile crowd in Philadelphia.
It’s simply what happens when they play there.
Linebacker Sean Lee is hoping his dad doesn’t wear Cowboys gear. His dad will be at the game and is prone to getting into a fight if he is provoked. And he will be provoked by Eagles fans.
“I grew up on the other side of the state,” said Lee, who is from Pittsburgh. “I know Eagles fans. My dad is going to go to the game. I told him to be careful. There is always a 50-50 shot whether or not he is going to get into a fight. He is intense. My dad loves football maybe more than I do.”
What’s also true is that the Cowboys have handled the Eagles’ environment better than most. Not only do they have a four-game win streak going against the Eagles, but they have won six of the past eight meetings in Philadelphia.
“I don’t think either team cares for one another, simple as that. From on the field to the fans, especially,” quarterback Dak Prescott said. “It’s a fun, heated rival. We’re ready to hold up our end. To win another title, I mean, that’d be great. It’s the plan. When I first became the starter of this team, that was my plan — to win in the division and to win beyond that. So it’s got to start here.”
Let Zeke eat
The Eagles know the man they need to stop Sunday is Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.
He is 5-0 against the Eagles in his career, rushing 118 times for 574 yards (four 100-yard games) and two touchdowns and hauling in 36 catches for 241 yards and a score.
He ran for 111 yards and a touchdown, and caught six passes for 36 yards in the 37-10 victory earlier this year.
“We understand Zeke is the guy, and things are going to go through him,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. “We know the focus is on Zeke and trying to at least slow him down.”
Not only does Elliott have four 100-yard games, but he had a least 96 yards on the ground in each contest, as well as 141 yards from scrimmage.
“He’s hard to bring down, but we gotta make it happen and do it with attitude,” Philadelphia defensive tackle Fletcher Cox said. “When we played him the last time, he broke a lot of tackles. Just made guys miss. We gotta play with the attitude to tackle him.”
Elliott and the Cowboys are heading into the Eagles game coming off their finest rushing performance of the season. The team rushed for 263 yards in a 44-21 victory against the Los Angeles Rams. Elliott credits the dominance of the offense line and hopes for the same against the Eagles.
“They make it easy on me. It’s gonna be really important for them to establish the line of scrimmage and get those guys moving early.”
Cooper needs the ball early
The Cowboys will focus on the running game against the Eagles. But when they pass, they can’t forget receiver Amari Cooper.
He has been dominant in three outings against the Eagles since joining the Cowboys last year, averaging seven catches for 133 yards and a touchdown per game.
But the rub for Cooper is that has been as effective on the road in 2019 as he has been at home.
He has 48 catches for 777 yards and five touchdowns at home, compared to 23 catches for 296 yards and three touchdowns on the road.
This includes 62 targets at home to 40 on the road and a catch percentage of just 57.5 away from AT&T Stadium.
Cooper is never one to lobby for the football, but it’s no question that the Cowboys need to get him going early against the Eagles and their suspect secondary.
“It depends on what I do with the opportunity,” Cooper said. “If they try to get me going early and I take advantage of the opportunities, then obviously it’s a good thing. But if they try to get me going early and I don’t, then it probably ain’t a good thing. It depends on how I would take advantage of those targets if I’m targeted early. But I would say it’s a pretty good idea to get me going early.”
Wary of Eagles offense, especially Wentz, Ertz
This is not the explosive offense the Eagles expected at the beginning of the year. Receivers DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery are sidelined by injuries.
But the Cowboys remain wary on defense because of the dangerous play of tight end Zack Ertz and the game-breaking potential of quarterback Carson Wentz.
“They are talented,” Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee said. “They have an unbelievable quarterback who makes plays in so many different ways. They have a lot of speed and athleticism.
“There hasn’t been a lot of guys who have stopped [Ertz]. We have to do it as a team in zone and man to man.”
With the receivers out, Ertz has been a one-man wrecking crew in the passing game. He has 84 catches for 888 yards and six touchdowns this season, including 14 catches and three touchdowns in the past two games.
There is a good chance cornerback Byron Jones spends time covering Ertz on Sunday. Jones is a former safety who has had experience and success covering tight ends.
This story was originally published December 21, 2019 at 3:20 PM.
