For Eagles fans, this is like Christmas morning – except it occurs twice during the NFL season (and three times if they meet in the playoffs). After suffering their first loss of the season, the Eagles travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. It will be the first NFC East division game for both teams. The Cowboys are four point favorites. The Eagles have been underdogs in every game this year so far.
READ MORE — Philadelphia Eagles Game One Recap
Dallas Cowboys (1-1)
This will be the home opener for Dallas. After starting the season with a close loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Cowboys rebounded last week to knock off the Los Angeles Chargers, 20-17. Greg Zuerlein kicked the game winning field goal, bouncing back from a tough game against the Bucs where he missed an extra point and two field goals.
The Cowboys’ loaded offense and revamped defense will be a tough matchup for the Birds.
Offense
Statistically, Prescott is one of the best quarterbacks in the game. He seems to have returned to his Pro Bowl form after missing most of last year with an ankle injury. So far he is completing nearly 77% of his passes. He leads an absolutely stacked Cowboys offense.
The Cowboys feature a dynamic running back duo of Ezekiel Elliot and Tony Pollard. And even though Elliot was the higher draft pick, Pollard may be the more dangerous running back. He was one of the most efficient running backs in the league in Week 2 rushing for 109 yards on 13 carries.
The air attack is also dangerous. This week, the Cowboys will be without Michael Gallup–their third best receiver–but they still have stand-out stars in Amari Cooper andCeeDee Lamb.Lamb is off to a hot start, averaging about 7 catches a game for 92 yards. Cooper had a fantastic first week, grabbing 13 passes for 139 yards and 2 touchdowns against a tough Buccaneers defense. The Eagles defense will have their hands full containing all these elite skill position players.
Defense
Former Falcons coach and architect of the dominant Seahawks Super Bowl defenses, Dan Quinn, is the Cowboys new defensive coordinator. He relies on a strong secondary and aggressive blitzes from the defensive line and linebackers. This has not been overly successful thus far, as the Cowboys have the 27th ranked defense and are allowing 24 points per game. They are stingy in the run game though as they feature a Top 8 rush defense allowing only 73.5 yards per game.
Dallas Week
Every Eagles fan knows about Dallas week. It’s two of the most eagerly anticipated games each season. Playing on Monday Night Football for the first time this year will be an important test for these NFC East rivals.
Unfortunately, Dallas has a much better roster than the Eagles. They are also a more veteran team. I do not like the matchup this week especially with the Eagles traveling to Dallas, a place they have struggled the past few years. I think those struggles will continue and the Cowboys will have their way with the Eagles.
Prediction: Dallas 33, Eagles 19
Chris Tremoglie has been published in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, and National Review. He recently completed his honors thesis on “Did Glasnost and Perestroika Cause a Rise in Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict in the Post-Soviet Balkans?” @cwtremo.