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Your In-Depth Eagles at Cowboys Week 8 Preview

Adrian Fedkiw|

It’ll be the first of many matchups between rookies Carson Wentz and Dak Prescott.

But we always seem to remember the first.

The Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys (5-1) in a key NFC East tussle on Sunday night. The Eagles have won their last three games in Big D and a fourth straight victory will give them sole possession of first place in the division.

EAGLES PASSING GAME VS. COWBOYS PASS DEFENSE

PHI- 92.7 Passer Rating (15/32), 211 YPG (29/32)
DAL- 95.0 Passer Rating allowed (23/32), 266 YPG allowed (21/32)

Wentz has a passer rating of 103.5 the first four games, but that number has regressed to just 63.5 over his last two games.

He was 16-of-28 for 138 yards with a touchdown and a pair of picks last Sunday against Minnesota. It was his worst performance to date. His ball placement was off on some of the wide receiver screens, he sailed some balls and forced a couple throws into coverage. With that being said, he still came up with the big plays necessary in the second half to win the game.

With Halapoulivaati Vaitai struggling mightily against the Washington Redskins, it wasn’t a surprise that Wentz wasn’t at his best. He was scrambling on seemingly every snap and his fundamentals were out of whack because of it. Since he was more worried about the pressure, he wasn’t getting his feet set when he was moving around in the pocket and balls were sailing as a result from it. Vaitai played a lot better last Sunday, however, and the Eagles didn’t allow a sack. So what was different? Wentz was a bit impatient at times, worrying that he’d be under duress, and threw the ball sooner than he needed to. Remember the Nelson Agholor play along the right sideline?

The Cowboys haven’t gotten to the quarterback much this season, just nine times on the year, which is 30th in the NFL. They’re defensive backs aren’t anything to be worried about either, Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne and Orlando Scandrick aren’t scaring anybody. Wentz might have a huge game.

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson helped Vaitai out on just five of the 28 Wentz dropbacks against Minnesota. That number was way down from the 18 against the Redskins. Pederson, however, offset the lack of support with a lot of wide receiver screens, play-action bootlegs and quick three-step drops. Vaitai didn’t have to hold his blocks long when matched up 1-on-1.

But with Dallas not generating much of a pass rush, the Eagles might be able to take some deeper drops and attack that lackluster Cowboys secondary.

I don’t think Wentz will struggle this week.

Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee is one of the best in coverage in the NFL, do it’ll be interesting to see what Zach Ertz can provide.

 

EAGLES RUNNING GAME VS. COWBOYS RUN DEFENSE

PHI- 4.1 YPC (15/32), 111.5 YPG (17/32)
DAL- 4.4 YPC allowed (21/32), 92.2 YPG allowed (10/32)

Before Ryan Mathews fumbled again in the last five minutes last Sunday, he was actually having a productive afternoon.

He ran for 56 yards in 14 carries and looked. a lot faster and decisive with his cuts, but the fumbles need to stop. High and tight Ryan!

“Yeah, it is a little concerning,” Pederson said of the fumbling on WIP’s Morning Show on Monday. “He has to hang onto the ball in those situations and it’s something we’ve gotta continue to work with him and talk to him about, and put him in maybe a better situation where he can protect the ball. And I get the situation, he was also trying to stay in bounds at the time. It was a four-minute situation and even in that situation, if you’re that close to the sideline, I’m OK if you just get out of bounds. That’s the one thing we can’t do is turn the ball over in a four-minute situation.”

If the fumbles continue, Pederson will have to put in somebody who won’t.

Dallas’ run defense is better than their pass coverage and it’s led in the interior by underrated defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford, who is very quick and agile. Former Eagles Cedric Thornton is a solid run-stuffing defensive tackle, but he’s backing up Terrell McClain.

 

COWBOYS PASSING GAME VS. EAGLES PASS DEFENSE

PHI- 79.3 Passer Rating allowed (6/32), 204 YPG allowed (5/32)
DAL- 103.9 Passer Rating (5/32), 240 YPG (19/32)

The Eagles’ biggest strength last week was Minnesota’s biggest weakness and because of that, Philly got to Sam Bradford six times and pummeled him all afternoon. When the Eagles can get pressure on the quarterback, it hides the deficiencies the Birds have in the secondary.

But now they’re going up against the best offensive line in football. The last time the Eagles went up against a dominant line in Washington, they failed to rattle Kirk Cousins and DeSean Jackson made mincemeat of Jalen Mills. With Dez Bryant set to return, the Eagles could be in for a long night if Prescott has all day to throw.

This is where Jim Schwartz comes into play because he blitzed a lot more last week than he had all season. The defense sent five-or-more pass rushers just 13 times in the three games prior to the Minnesota showdown, but brought the heat 12 times Sunday.

Hopefully, Schwartz continues to bring the blitz against Dallas.

Prescott has done an outstanding job of managing the game so far this season. He surpassed Tom Brady’s all-time mark with 177 straight passes without an interception to start his career. He’s the best situation you can be in for a rookie quarterback due to a great offensive line and a beast at running back in Ezekiel Elliott.

The Mississippi State product reminds me a lot of a former Eagles quarterback who wore the No. 5. Prescott may not be as athletic and possess the same arm strength as Donovan McNabb, but in terms of the muscular build and body type, they’re similar.

Prescott is an accurate passer from the pocket and on the move, but when he was in college, he did make mistakes when pressured. He hasn’t had to worry about being pressured in Dallas, however, due to that offensive line.

Malcolm Jenkins will take over for Ron Brooks as the slot cornerback in nickel situations following his injury, with Jaylen Watkins coming in to play safety. Cole Beasley put up 108 yards against Jenkins in the slot last season, although Jenkins reportedly played with a concussion in the second half. We’ll see how he fares Sunday.

COWBOYS RUNNING GAME VS. EAGLES RUN DEFENSE

PHI- 4.5 YPC (24/32), 111.5 YPG (17/32)
DAL- 4.8 YPC (5/32), 161.2 YPG allowed (1/32)

The Eagles have face lackluster rushing attacks the last two weeks and were still shredded for 230 yards against Washington, but they did better against the Vikings last week.

But now the Birds have to go up against Zeke, who leads the NFL in rushing as a rookie.

Elliott has the prototypical size and athleticism for a workhorse running back to go with the balance, vision and patience to attack in between the tackles. He doesn’t hesitate and powerfully finishes his runs with natural forward lean to pick up every inch he can. When the Cowboys go on one of those methodical 12, 13, 14-play drives against a fatigued defense, who’s going to stop Elliott near the goal line?

It’s definitely going to be a huge challenge.

PREDICTION: I know the Eagles have won their last three games in Big D, but they look like a different team on the road and I think they will struggle to generate pressure against the Dallas offensive line. If they don’t, the cornerbacks will get exposed again. It’s also going to be a chore attempting to stop Elliott.

The Eagles should be able to move the ball against Dallas’ defense, but the Cowboys will move it a little better.

Cowboys 27, Eagles 23

Check out Episode 6 of The Verdict with Sean Brace and Adrian Fedkiw below

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