The Cowboys and Eagles on Sunday Night Football. That's basically all you need to have a juicy matchup between two division rivals.
But when you throw in the fact these are the two hottest teams in the NFL, the stakes just got even higher.
The Eagles are the only unbeaten team in the NFL at 5-0. The Cowboys have won four straight games with Cooper Rush starting for the injured Dak Prescott.
The storylines are endless for this game. The DallasCowboys.com staff gives their 'gut feeling' for this highly-anticipated matchup.
Kyle Youmans: This week, I'll take the "gut feeling" and raise it a bold prediction as well. To this point in the season, the resume is much stronger for Dallas than it is for Philadelphia. Dallas has taken down the Super Bowl champs, AFC champs, and the only team to take down the 4-1 Giants. Philly has gotten to 5-0 with four wins against teams under .500 last season and a shaky win over Arizona last week. The Eagles are banged up on their offensive line while the Cowboys are beginning to pick up steam on their own. An offensive line that I believe will block for Ezekiel Elliott's first 100-yard rushing total since Week 5 of 2021. Dallas relies on the defense and a steady rushing attack for a 22-17 win over Philadelphia Sunday night.
Rob Phillips: Beyond their slightly better record, you can argue the Eagles have been the more complete team through five games when you look at the efficiency of their offense right now. But the Cowboys defense is playing at such a high level, I just can't pick against them. Yes, they've given up some rushing yards, including some chunk yardage scrambles by Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, so that's potentially a problem area against the Eagles' steady diet of RPOs with Jalen Hurts. But the Cowboys can counter some of that with their depth on the defensive line and their overall sideline-to-sideline speed. If Cooper Rush can continue playing mistake-free, and if the offense can piece together enough plays downfield along with a persistent running game, I like their chances of winning another close, low-scoring game Sunday, something like 23-21.
Patrik Walker: It goes without saying that this matchup will be an exciting one, and easily the most important test for the Cowboys after seeing them defeat the reigning Super Bowl Champs in Los Angeles last week. The defensive front in Philly is one of the best in the league, even more so than that of the Rams, and that means Cooper Rush better keep his head on a swivel in what might be his final start of the 2022 season. The medicine for keeping the Eagles pass rush at bay will be leaning heavily on Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, and that will mitigate the number of pass attempts and, as such, the number of opportunities for mistakes against a secondary that is really good at taking the ball away.
Defensively, the Cowboys must delete the ability of Jalen Hurts to run the ball, and that includes in the pass game when he escapes pressure and extends plays downfield. He's not lighting up the scoreboard this season as a passer, so force him to prove he can beat you by throwing 40 times - helping Micah Parsons and the elite pass rush around him to have that many more chances at burying Hurts. I believe the defense will shut down yet another "high-powered" offense; but I think Rush's luck might run out and those INTs he's nearly thrown this year show up with a critical one that decides the game for Philly (setting the stage for a Cowboys revenge game on Christmas Eve). 16-10, Eagles
Nick Eatman: Tennis matches don't go back and forth more than I have with this pick This one is extremely tough for me because I'm trying to really get into the actual title of this article but even with that, I don't know what my Gut is saying. On one hand, I've seen this Cowboys team play at a very high level for a month and it's hard to think anyone can score on them. But on the other end, the Cowboys have won a few close games here and you'd like to assume it's going to come to an end at some point, right? But then .... if that's the case, why is it not the same with the Eagles? They've had a couple close games, too and just like the Cowboys, this seems to be their toughest opponent to play of this young season. Maybe it's time for their luck to run out. So why not? Let's go with the Cowboys on this. I really don't see either team flying up and down the field to score a lot of points. I think it's going to come down to which quarterback doesn't turn it over. Right now, Cooper Rush is doing that better than anyone. I'm going to say they protect the ball and the Cowboys defense will generate a few turnovers, helping them sneak out of the Linc with a 20-16 win. And if that happens, maybe Jerry Jones will need to get those sneakers ready if he's going to be walking to New York.
Mickey Spagnola: This might seem like an old American Airlines commercial, but just feel like there is "Something special in the air." How 'bout like Cowboys 23, Eagles 21. Yep, think this Eagles offense is good, but as DeMarcus Lawrence says, "They ain't played us," no they haven't, only one team ranked in the Top 10 defensively (Jacksonville) and no one else ranked higher than 17th. And to get to 23 points Brett Maher needs to continue being near perfect and the Cowboys will need, uh, something special from their defense or special teams, looking at you KaVantae Turner. Cooper Rush passes his stiffest test.
