We know what this one means. The NFC East "Championship" is up for grabs as the Cowboys face the Eagles in Week 16 at Lincoln Financial Field. Take a look at some staggering statistics behind this division matchup.
What you need to know before #DALvsPHI
Dallas can punch their playoff ticket Sunday. The Eagles haven't been in sole possession in first place in the NFC East all year long, but they do have an opportunity to grab it if they beat the Cowboys. With both teams at 7-7, a win over Dallas would give Philadelphia sole possession of first place in the division. Then, Philadelphia can take the division title only if they follow up with a win over New York in the final game of the season.
Jason Garrett is 7-2 as the head coach of games in Philly. Since taking over in the middle of the 2010 season, Garrett has only lost two games in Philadelphia as the head coach. The Cowboys have actually won six of the last seven games at the Linc, with the only loss in that span occurring in 2016 when the Cowboys pulled most of their starters before halftime of the season finale. The Cowboys lost that game but still had the No. 1 seen locked up for the playoffs.
The Cowboys are 6-0 when Tony Pollard has 12 or more snaps. His rookie season has thrown a wrench in the plans of opposing defenses: when Kellen Moore utilizes him in different ways, it's hard to defend him. He joined Zeke as the 2nd 100-yard rusher of the day against the Rams last Sunday, and could be something different to throw at the Eagles 3rd ranked rush defense.
Kai Forbath has now made more field goals in 40-49 range in his Cowboys debut against the Rams, than Brett Maher had all season. Maher was 1-5 in the 40-49 range. Although Forbath was flagged twice on kickoffs during the Rams game, he thinks he just overshot it with nerves and his confidence is unwavering after nailing three field goals.
Jason Witten needs two more TD catches to become the Cowboys' all-time leader. Witten has just about every receiving record there is for the Cowboys, except the franchise lead in touchdown receptions. Dez Bryant is the leader with 73, but last week's touchdown by Witten pulled him to within one, with 72. One more will tie Witten and Dez and two would give him the record.
Deep snapper L.P. Ladouceur is about to own his own Cowboys record. By playing in Sunday's game with the Eagles, Ladouceur will set the franchise record for his 236th consecutive game played, surpassing Jason Witten (235). Ladouceur hasn't missed a game since he started his career in 2005 and currently leads all active NFL players.
The Eagles are light at receiver, but their running back is coming off a record-setting day. Rookie Miles Sanders' 172 total yards from scrimmage gave him 1,434 all-purpose yards, the most among 2019 NFL rookies. He surpassed DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy for this position. This performance propelled the Eagles to 11th in rushing, while the Cowboys currently rank 12th in run defense.
27 points is the biggest win/biggest loss for the Cowboys and Eagles. When the Cowboys whipped Philly 37-10 back on Oct. 20, it proved to be not only the biggest win by the Cowboys this year, but the worst loss the Eagles have suffered all year. It's also the largest margin of victory by the Cowboys in this series since beating Philly, 34-0 in 1998.
Dak Prescott is 18-4 in his career against the NFC East. The Cowboys, though inconsistent this season, are undefeated against the NFC East. Dallas has won four straight against the Eagles.
Two best third-down offenses in the NFL. The Eagles are one of the very best teams in the leagues on third-downs, converting exactly 47 percent of their attempts. The only team better than that is the one they'll be facing Sunday in the Cowboys, who lead the league at 48.7 percent.
