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GLENDALE, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 24: Linebacker Micah Parsons #11 of the Dallas Cowboys reacts to a sack against the Arizona Cardinals during the NFL game at State Farm Stadium on September 24, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Cowboys 28-16.

Dallas week is here! The Cowboys come to town this Sunday for the first game between them and the Eagles this year. Eagles come in at 7-1, while the Cowboys are 5-2.

It is a great chance for the Eagles to take control of the NFC East. The Giants and Commanders have already played their way out of the race. And if the Eagles win, they will be 2.5 games over the Cowboys, with a head-to-head win. They would also remain undefeated in Conference play, while Dallas would have two losses. But if they lose, it would let Dallas right back into it. Both teams would have two total losses, both would have 1 loss in conference, and the Cowboys would have the better in-division record.

The Cowboys’ defense has pretty consistently been great this season. They are giving up the 3rd fewest yards per game, and the 4th fewest points per game in the NFL. The one area where they may be weak is the run game, where they are 17th in rushing yards per game.

But the offense is a major work in progress. They moved on from Kellen Moore as Offensive Coordinator and put Mike McCarthy in charge of the play calls. And now he has the Cowboys looking like the Packers offense as the end of his time there, boring. They are putting up points, but that is partly because their defense is scoring TDs at a crazy rate. On offense, they are 16th in passing yards per game and 11th in rushing yards per game.

Will they create any problems for the Eagles though? For once both QBs are healthy, but what team will come out on top? Let’s look at some of the Cowboys players the Eagles need to worry about.

Here are 5 Cowboys Players Who Could Give The Eagles Trouble On Sunday:

  • Micah Parsons

    Obviously the number 1 guy the Eagles need to worry about is Parsons. He is not just one of the best pass rushers in the league, he is one of the best players period. Parsons gets double-teamed 30% of the time, more than any other Edge Rusher, but he also wins 31% of his pass rush snaps. Only Myles Garrett has a better pass rush win rate than him.

    With all of that said, the Eagles have had success vs him. In 3 games he has just half of a sack against the Eagles. And part of the reason they have slowed him down is their game plan has often been to run the ball at Micah Parsons. Jalen Hurts being injured might impact that game plan a little bit. But they can still run Swift at him often, to let Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata go on the attack against Micah, and take him out of the game as a pass rusher.

  • Cee Dee Lamb

    The Cowboys passing game has become a bit of a one-trick pony. Michael Gallup, Brandin Cooks, and the tight ends have all disappointed this season. Cee Dee Lamb is the only Cowboy averaging at least 40 yards per game. And With Tony Pollard struggling, Lamb has basically been their whole offense. With that said, he has been doing his part to make up for the rest of the team. He is not AJ Brown level productive, but he has the 9th most receiving yards at 633, and 3 TDS to go with it.

    Lamb is the number one priority to contain on the defensive side of the ball. Playing in the slot does not make things any easier, because that has been by far the biggest hole on this Eagles defense.

    NFL on Twitter: "You gotta Cee Dee highlights from Lamb's career-high game 🔥🔹 12 catches🔹 158 yards🔹 2 TDs pic.twitter.com/H8hjbIKQVz / Twitter"

    You gotta Cee Dee highlights from Lamb's career-high game 🔥🔹 12 catches🔹 158 yards🔹 2 TDs pic.twitter.com/H8hjbIKQVz

  • Daron Bland

    When Trevon Diggs went down, many assumed the Cowboys’ secondary would suffer. Who knew Daron Bland would step up and be even better? He has 4 interceptions and returned 3 of them for a TD. 1 more TD return and he will tie Eric Allen for the record for Pick 6s in a single season. But what separates him from Diggs is even when he is not getting those picks, he is still shutting down WRS. QBs have a rating of just 24.9 when throwing at Bland. The Eagles won’t get any advantage on the outside just because Diggs is out. In fact, Bland being there may make things even harder.

    PFF on Twitter: "DaRon Bland in single coverage:🔒 89.9 coverage grade (1st)🔒 6 catches allowed🔒 3 INTs🔒 6 forced incompletions🔒 7.5 passer rating allowed pic.twitter.com/jfW7XZuX4D / Twitter"

    DaRon Bland in single coverage:🔒 89.9 coverage grade (1st)🔒 6 catches allowed🔒 3 INTs🔒 6 forced incompletions🔒 7.5 passer rating allowed pic.twitter.com/jfW7XZuX4D

  • Stephon Gillmore

    The other side of the defense doesn’t get any weaker. Gillmore has been one of the elite corners in the league for years, and that has not changed with the Cowboys. QBs have a 57 rating when targeting him, and complete just 50% of their passes. There is a good reason the Cowboys have given up the 4th least passing yards per game. Gillmore and Bland are not easy to beat. And AJ Brown’s streak of games with 125 yards will meet its toughest challenge yet.

    NFL on Twitter: "STEPHON GILMORE SEALS THE WIN WITH A PICK#DALvsLAC pic.twitter.com/32L5CtBPde / Twitter"

    STEPHON GILMORE SEALS THE WIN WITH A PICK#DALvsLAC pic.twitter.com/32L5CtBPde

  • Dak Prescott

    And finally, there is Dak Prescott. Dak is not as great of a QB as Cowboys fans pretend he is. And he is having a down year production-wise. The Cowboys for some reason decided to give Mike McCarthy more responsibility, putting him back in charge of the offense. And as we all predicted, it has led to a more boring less explosive game plan. Dak is just 16th in passing yards per game this season but was usually near the top in that stat under Kellen Moore.

    That said, he has had success vs the Eagles in the past. He is 8-3 vs Philly and averages 250.6 yards per game. So just because he has been mediocre to this point in the season, does not mean they should overlook him. Because Dak is capable of having huge games and looked great against the Rams last week.

    Ari Meirov on Twitter: "We'll see what the coverage will be tomorrow, but Dak Prescott was sensational tonight. - 21/30 passing- 272 passing yards - 40 rushing yards- 1 TD pass - 1 TD rush- 0 INTs Give him his flowers. pic.twitter.com/svPEpNtu9E / Twitter"

    We'll see what the coverage will be tomorrow, but Dak Prescott was sensational tonight. - 21/30 passing- 272 passing yards - 40 rushing yards- 1 TD pass - 1 TD rush- 0 INTs Give him his flowers. pic.twitter.com/svPEpNtu9E

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