The Cowboys and Eagles – Sunday night for a battle for first place in the division. What else really needs to be said?
Here are the 10 big storylines for the week, with five for the Eagles and five for the Cowboys.
Eagles
- The Eagles had been surviving close games for the last month and had rallied from halftime deficits in four straight games until Sunday, when they were humbled by the 49ers, who dominated them in a 42-19 game in Philly. The Eagles still have the best record in the NFL at 10-2 but we'll see how they respond to their first home loss of the season and first loss overall since Week 6.
- The Eagles already have won win over the Cowboys this week by signing veteran linebacker Shaq Leonard, who also visited Dallas last week. Leonard, who was cut by the Colts two weeks ago, is an All-Pro talent who has dealt with several injuries over the last few seasons. The Eagles are in need of help at linebacker and Leonard should be able to assist there. He made the decision on Monday to sign with Philly and could be in uniform come Sunday night.
- Quarterback Jalen Hurts is one of the candidates for MVP and he's doing it as a passer and runner. Hurts is second in the NFL with 12 rushing touchdowns and he ranks fifth in the league with a 93.8 passer rating. Hurts does have 19 TD passes but also has 10 interceptions, tied for fourth-most in the league.
- The Eagles have arguably the best wide receiver duo in the league with A.J. Brown and DaVonta Smith. Brown is fourth in the NFL with 1,164 receiving yards, while Smith ranks 15th at 834 yards. Smith and Brown are the only two receivers in the NFL both ranked in the Top 15.
- The Eagles defense allowed just 23 points to the Cowboys in the first game. Since that Nov. 5 meeting, the Cowboys have scored 49, 33, 45 and 41 points in the next four outings. But Philly is coming off its first game of allowing over 40 points this year, giving up 42 to the 49ers.
Cowboys
- The Cowboys are riding a four-game winning streak since losing to the Eagles back on Nov. 5. This is a chance to not only get to 10-3, but pull even in the NFC East standings with the Eagles, who lost last week to drop to 10-2. The Cowboys still have plenty of work to do to win the division and perhaps get the No. 1 seed in the NFC. It starts with Sunday's game against the Eagles, followed by trips to Buffalo and Miami and then a home game with the Lions.
- Just like that, Dak Prescott is now among the favorites for NFL MVP. Of course, he's got to win big games down the stretch but he's put himself in the conversation after a scorching-hot month of November, where he won the NFC's Offensive Player of the Month. Dak led the Cowboys to a 4-1 record in November, throwing 16 touchdowns to just one interception.
- The Cowboys have won 14 straight games at AT&T Stadium, the longest win streak ever for this stadium, and the second-longest in team history, following the Cowboys' 18-straight wins at Texas Stadium from 1979-81. Not only are the Cowboys 6-0 at home this year, but averaging 41 points per game in Arlington this year.
- What to make of the season DaRon Bland is having? He's already set the NFL record with five interception returns for TDs this year and he's leading the entire NFL with eight picks. However, he struggled in the last win over Seattle, giving him several big plays, including two touchdowns. He did offset that with a fourth-quarter interception.
- The offensive line has turned the corner in the second half of the season, thanks mainly to the health of left tackle Tyron Smith, who is looking like his usual Pro Bowl self. The combination of Tyron and Tyler Smith on the left side is one reason Dak Prescott has played so well here of late. The Cowboys allowed five sacks to the Eagles on Nov. 5, but went three straight weeks without a sack before yielding four in the last win over Seattle.
