Eagles

Eagles vs. Cowboys Week 14 Preview: Key matchups, storylines and official prediction

The Eagles and Cowboys are set to square off at AT&T Stadium on Sunday Night Football, a place where Philadelphia hasn’t won a game since 2017.

Dallas is currently riding a 14-game winning streak at home behind the stellar play of QB Dak Prescott. After getting dismantled at home by the 49ers, Jalen Hurts and Co. have minimal margin for error if they hope to maintain first place in the NFC. How will they respond?

Here are three key matchups to watch on Sunday:

CeeDee Lamb, Jake Ferguson vs. Eagles defense

Sean Desai threw everything he could at CeeDee Lamb a month ago to no avail, as the star receiver finished with 11 catches for 191 yards.

Lamb vs. Eagles defenders in Week 9:

  • vs. Darius Slay: 4 catches, 62 yards
  • vs. Eli Ricks: 3 catches, 65 yards
  • vs. Sydney Brown: 2 catches, 35 yards
  • vs. Reed Blankenship: 0 catches
  • vs. Kevin Byard: 1 catch, 20 yards
  • vs. Zach Cunningham: 1 catch, 9 yards

The Eagles didn’t have Bradley Roby in their last matchup, so hopefully he can help slow down Lamb to some extent.

Brock Purdy dissected Philly’s defense a week ago, most notably the linebackers. When targeting Nicholas Morrow and Christain Ellis (who’s no longer on the team), Purdy went 8/11 passing for 208 yards, two TDs, and 0 INTs. The 49ers scored TDs on six straight possessions and Morrow alone allowed 151 yards after catch — not ideal.

TE Jake Ferguson has become a reliable target for Dak Prescott over the last month, catching seven passes for 91 yards and a TD in Week 9.

The Eagles get Zach Cunningham back from injury this week, and newly-acquired LB Shaq Leonard should be available, although he just joined the team six days ago. Desai’s defense ranks 29th in pass coverage this season, while Dallas is ranked third in passing offense.

Get your alcohol ready.

Eagles pass-rush vs. Terrance Steele

The Eagles’ edge-rushers came through in Week 9, sacking Prescott on his final two possessions to keep Dallas out of the endzone. Dallas allowed ten QB hits and five sacks in that matchup, with starting RT Terrance Steele giving up most of the pressure.

Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat combined for 13 pressures, nine hurries, two QB hits, and two sacks; they’ll need that same production to make things uncomfortable for Dallas. Dak Prescott has the third-highest passer rating when pressured this season (97.0), trailing only Russell Wilson (97.4) and Kirk Cousins (104.4).

AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith vs. Daron Bland

Daron Bland has stepped up mightily in the absence of Trevon Diggs, grabbing a league-high eight interceptions and returning five for touchdowns, an NFL record. Teams are starting to pick on him, however, as Bland is susceptible to giving up big plays in coverage.

DK Metcalf recorded over 100 yards and two TDs with Bland as the primary defender nine days ago, while Jalen Hurts had a 128.3 passer rating when targeting the second-year corner in their first matchup. The return of Dallas Goedert should help open things up for AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, who already owns a TD catch on Bland this season.

TeamSpreadMoneylineOver/Under
Philadelphia Eagles+3+150O 51.5
Dallas Cowboys-3-180U 51.5

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

There’s no shortage of storylines in this game: Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts battling for division supremacy, the NFC’s top seed, and potentially MVP honors. AJ Brown and CeeDee Lamb are two of the game’s top receivers today. Eagles Chief Security Officer Big Dom is barred from the sideline following last week’s antics.

Hurts and Nick Sirianni have had many accomplishments in their short time together; beating the Cowboys in Jerry World isn’t one of them. That changes tonight as the Eagles rebound from last week’s beatdown and re-establish themselves as the NFC’s best.

If there’s one thing you don’t bet against, it’s Jalen Hurts in primetime.

Official Prediction: Eagles 27, Cowboys 21

Mandatory Credit: Getty Images

Victor Williams is the host/producer of The Philly Pod on iHeartRadio and leads all Eagles coverage as co-founder of The Liberty Line.

Read More

Comments (0)

Leave a Reply

Back To Top

Discover more from The Liberty Line

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading