It is Dallas Week. Cowboys vs Eagles. Something you circle on the calendar every year, no matter how good or bad either of the teams are. Hating the Cowboys is as Philly as a cheesesteak, a soft pretzel, or a roast pork sandwich. Kids in Philly learn to hate the Cowboys as naturally as they breathe.

These are two teams going in different directions. The Eagles are not only playing well at 6-2, they are young and set up to be good for a while. The Cowboys meanwhile are 3-5 and don’t have a clear path to getting better. Their defense has been horrific, they can’t run the ball, and outside of throwing it to Cee Dee Lamb they have very little else going for them on offense.

They go down to Dallas as 7.5-point favorites as of the time this article was written. Vegas thinks this should be a blowout. Even in the Jerry Dome, they are projected to crush the Cowboys. Dak Prescott is out, and Cee Dee Lamb and Micah Parsons are banged up. Everything on paper screams this game should go well for the Eagles.

Still, we have learned to never take games for granted. They were projected to blow out the Browns and Jaguars too, and they both wound up being close. As bad as the Cowboys have been, and they have been horrible, you can’t take them for granted. Cooper Rush is actually 5-1 in his career.

Related: Eagles Survive Mistakes by Both Nick Sirianni And The Refs

So who needs to step up to make sure the Eagles take care of business? Which Eagles players could take advantage of this bad Cowboys team? Will Saquon Barkley have another great game? Does Jalen Hurts keep up his hot streak? Will the defense shut Dallas down?

Here Are 6 Eagles Players Who Should Dominate Against The Cowboys:

• Saquon Barkley

  Saquon Barkley has been arguably the best offensive player in the league this year. The only RB better is Derrick Henry. On a team with AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Jalen Hurts, Barkley has been the marquee player. Now he gets to face one of the worst run defenses in the league.

  The Cowboys give up the 3rd most rushing yards per game in the league. In terms of Fantasy, the Cowboys give up the 3rd most Fantasy points per week to Running Backs. The 49ers put up 223 Rushing Yards on this defense 2 weeks ago, and that was despite Jordan Mason getting hurt. Saquon should feast. Especially if the Eagles get out to an early lead.

  It looks like Micah Parsons will be back. But the Eagles have done well against Parsons in the past by running the ball right at him. Look for them to do that again. Take away his ability to rush the passer by keeping him honest against the run.

  NFL on X (formerly Twitter): "SAQUON BARKLEY IS NOT OF THIS WORLD.📺: #JAXvsPHI on CBS/Paramount+📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/UtCENDw6no / X"

  SAQUON BARKLEY IS NOT OF THIS WORLD.📺: #JAXvsPHI on CBS/Paramount+📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/UtCENDw6no

• Jake Elliott

  This inclusion is more about Nick Sirianni. You are better than this team Nick. You don’t need to chase points against the Cowboys. There are times when being aggressive works. When you are the clearly superior team, and you are playing like it, that is not the case.

  When you have the chance this week, just take the points. Later in the season, when it is the Commanders, or the Ravens, maybe settling for FGs will be unwise. But this week? Just take the points, and make Cooper Rush beat you. Trust in Jake Elliott. Let him kick the FGs.

  

• Jalen Hurts

  When it comes to pass defense, the Cowboys are middle of the pack. They are not great, they are not terrible. Hurts should be able to throw on them, but that is not what this is about. The Cowboys struggle to generate takeaways. Hurts finds himself on a 4-game streak with no turnovers. Look for that to continue.

  Hurts is just playing smart Football right now. It’s not like they are even playing it safe, Hurts still takes deep shots, he just throws them so well that only his WR has a chance to make a play. He is back to playing like a top QB in the league. Against this defense, he should continue doing so.

  NFL on X (formerly Twitter): "OH MY DEVONTA. ON 3RD AND 22. UNBELIEVABLE CATCH.📺: #JAXvsPHI on CBS/Paramount+📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/N2wD3Nlfxf / X"

  OH MY DEVONTA. ON 3RD AND 22. UNBELIEVABLE CATCH.📺: #JAXvsPHI on CBS/Paramount+📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/N2wD3Nlfxf

• Jalen Carter

  Carter has hit his stride as an NFL Pro. The true mark of a great DT is how they handle double teams. Good DTs draw them and help their teammates win. Great DTs draw them, help their teammates win, and also win themselves. He had 6 pressures last Sunday. 3 of those were against Double Teams. 4 games against one of the better OGs in the league.

  He is getting double-teamed on nearly 70% of his snaps, and he is playing nearly every snap. Consistency was an issue for him early, but of late he has delivered every week. He may not be racking up big sack numbers, but make no mistake, he is making an impact, and the Cowboys backup Cooper Rush will probably see Carter in his face all game long.

  Dave Zangaro on X (formerly Twitter): "Eagles DT Jalen Carter had a big game against the Jaguars. He had a career-high 6 pressures on 33 pass rush snaps, including 3 pressures against double teams, per @NextGenStats / X"

  Eagles DT Jalen Carter had a big game against the Jaguars. He had a career-high 6 pressures on 33 pass rush snaps, including 3 pressures against double teams, per @NextGenStats

• Zack Baun And Nakobe Dean

  Who had a Linebacker being a strength on this team? When Fangio said a guy who before now had been a rotational Edge Rusher was their best player at Inside linebacker, I assumed he misspoke. But clearly Fangio just knows what he is doing. Maybe we should have just trusted the guy who has been coaching defense in the NFL for decades.

  Baun and Dean have been a force. They are both regularly graded out as the best LBs every week. They are a big reason why this run defense has been so good, and they have looked so much better in coverage than they did earlier in the season. Both just so happened to get an interception last week. Dean’s came in the end zone with the game on the line.

  These two are a force. And vs a very weak run game, and a backup QB, look for them to continue looking like not just legit starters, but two of the better linebackers in the league.

  NFL on X (formerly Twitter): "Nakobe Dean intercepts Lawrence in the end zone! First career INT#JAXvsPHI pic.twitter.com/RtANcTJs77 / X"

  Nakobe Dean intercepts Lawrence in the end zone! First career INT#JAXvsPHI pic.twitter.com/RtANcTJs77

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