Technically, the Eagles do not need to win this game. They can lose, and then win their final 4 games, and still win the Division. And even the Conference would still be in play if the 49ers and Lions drop another game in the final 4 games. So it is not a must-win game in Dallas. But with that said, they need to win this game. Not only for our sanity, but to give themselves room to breathe.

If they win, they would be 2 games ahead of the Cowboys with the tiebreaker. Meaning it would be more like a 3-game lead, with 4 games left to play. It would pretty much seal the division for them. But if they lose, they have next to no room for error, and the conference is no longer in their own hands.

They beat the Cowboys in the first game. So we know they have what it takes. But the confidence in this team is at an all-time low after last week. The Niners didn’t just beat them, they trampled the Eagles. 42-19, with 6 straight TDs. To be fair, the Niners did the same thing to the Cowboys earlier in the season. But it exposed a few flaws in the Eagles. Namely their Linebackers and Safeties. The 49ers didn’t even have to do anything special to burn them. All they did all game long was dump the ball off and let their playmakers break tackles and make guys miss.

So who needs to step up for the Eagles to win on Sunday Night? We can leave Jalen Hurts out of it because that is obvious. But the Eagles do need more from a few players. Whether it is guys coming back from injury, one guy they just signed, or people who just had down weeks vs the Niners. If these players don’t step up, it might be hard for the Eagles to leave Dallas with a win.

Here are 6 Eagles who need to step up vs the Cowboys:

• Zach Cunningham and Shaq Leonard

  A lot of the Eagles’ woes against the Niners can be traced back to poor linebacker play. Nicholas Morrow and Christian Elliss struggled, badly. Morrow in particular was responsible for nearly half of the 49ers yards, and a lot of those yards came after the catch, after he missed a tackle. The good news is they will have two different starters this week. Zach Cunningham is back from injury, and Shaq Leonard will get his first start here.

  Asking them to be great is asking too much. But can they be passable? On a scale of 1 to 10 can they be a 5? That is all they need. Be okay. Make your tackles, and don’t get beaten deep. Be as good as you were against the Chiefs. If they do that, it will go a long way to fixing the Eagles issues on defense.

• Bradley Roby

  Roby was not healthy the last time they played the Cowboys. Cee Dee Lamb dropped 191 on the Eagles in that game. He spent most of that game in the slot. Occasionally they had Darius Slay on him. But he also drew a lot of the Eagles backup slot corners, Sydney Brown and Eli Ricks. They need Roby to do a better job than those guys. Asking him to shut Lamb down is too hopeful. But can he hold him under 100? Just don’t let him have it easy all game? He has been far better than any other slot corner option, so hopefully he can at the very least keep Lamb from putting up another 190 yards.

• Dallas Goedert

  The Eagles have missed Goedert. Not just as a pass catcher, but as a run blocker. AJ Brown is getting double-teamed more because there are no threats to catch the ball at TE. And the run game has suffered since Goedert went down too. But he is back for week 14. Even if he is not productive, just having him out there can make a difference. They really just need someone at TE with gravity. Draw a safety or linebacker to him, and create more space for the other players.

• D'Andre Swift and The O-Line

  This week has been full with chants of run the ball from fans. I think that needs to be amended. They don’t need to run the ball, they just to run the ball better. They need to get back to creating holes so big Swift can get 10 yards before he is even touched. Early in the season they were mauling people. Now Swift finishes games with under 4 yards per carry. If they get back to dominating in the run, they can put up big numbers. But that is not about the quantity of runs, it is about the quality. Here is a reminder of what they did earlier in the season, and what they need to get back to doing.

• The Whole D-Line

  In the past 3 games, the Eagles D-Line has done a great job generating pressure. But they have done a terrible job getting sacks. Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen both did a great job avoiding the pressure to extend plays. And the 49ers were doing such a good job getting the ball out quickly that the D-Line had no time to finish plays. But this week, they need to get to Dak. If they give him time, he will make them pay. They need to get him on the ground or force him into poor decisions.

  That also falls on the secondary and the linebackers. But the strength of this defense is supposed to be the pass rush. And we need them to start acting like it. This defense has been terrible on 3rd down. And fixing that issue starts with getting after the QB.

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