Cowboys vs. Eagles: What's the Game Plan for Philadelphia?

The second week of the NFL regular season features a duel between division rivals Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys as the two teams face off at the Lincoln Financial Field Sunday afternoon.

Philadelphia looks to rebound from its 26-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night. The Eagles will try to start quicker this week against the defending NFC East champions, as they fell behind by 17 points against the Falcons.

The Cowboys are coming into the game with momentum after their late comeback win over the New York Giants last Sunday. Tony Romo threw two touchdown passes to Jason Witten with the clock ticking down in the fourth quarter to secure Dallas' one point win over New York.

The Cowboys were dealt a major blow last week with the loss of both Dez Bryant and Randy Gregory. Bryant left the game with a broken foot, and Gregory suffered a high ankle sprain. Losing an elite talent on the offensive side of the ball such as Bryant is never easy to overcome. At the same time, Gregory showed promise as a young pass-rusher, but now the injury could stunt his development.

The Eagles struggled to move the ball in the first half, as the new-look offense looked out of sync. Philadelphia looked liked a completely different team in the second half as it moved the ball with ease against the Falcons. Heading into the weekend, Philadelphia will need stronger continuity to beat the Cowboys.

Offensive Game Plan

Chip Kelly decided to trade away star running back LeSean McCoy in the offseason and sign Ryan Mathews and DeMarco Murray as replacements. The high-profile backfield will be the key to the Eagles' success against the Cowboys on Sunday.

Murray will face his former team for the first time after a successful campaign as the league's leading rusher last season. In his first game for his new team, Murray carried the ball eight times for only nine yards, but he contributed with both a rushing and receiving touchdown in the third quarter. After an underwhelming week, the 27-year-old running back will hope for more touches.

"Obviously you want to get more opportunities," Murray said, according to NJ.com's Eliot Shorr-Parks. "Everyone wants to get the ball as many times as they can. That is just how it went today."

The former Oklahoma product will prove to Dallas this weekend he actually is worth the big-money contract that Philadelphia gave him. He signed a five-year, $40 million deal to join the Eagles. 

Murray is definitely the biggest star in the backfield, but the veteran Darren Sproles had the biggest impact against the Falcons last week. The only returning player in the backfield from last season contributed 126 yards on 12 touches.

Sproles' unique skill set keeps opposing defenses on their toes because of his ability to line up in multiple positions and contribute on the ground and in the air. Sproles' quickness and decisiveness allowed him to gash the Falcons for big chucks of yards like on this carry last week:

The third member of the three-headed monster is Mathews. The former San Diego Chargers tailback only had six touches against Atlanta, but he scored the team's go-ahead touchdown last week.

In order to defeat the Cowboys, Philadelphia will have to utilize its talented backfield. Last week, Sam Bradford threw 52 passes, leaving himself open to several big hits. Philadelphia's backs can contribute in the air and on the ground, but a commitment to the running game will help slow down Dallas' pass rush.

Defensive Game Plan 

The offense definitely turned it around last week in the second half, but the defense also saw some improvement following a personnel change. DeMeco Ryans started the game at inside linebacker, but then Kiko Alonso took over in the second half.

The Eagles acquired Alonso in the McCoy trade this past offseason, but the inside linebacker missed most of the preseason as he recovered from his torn ACL. He played the first series in the final preseason game, but last week was his first substantial action following his injury.

The 25-year-old linebacker showed he stills possesses the athleticism to impact the game in coverage and by getting into the opposition's backfield. Alonso kept the Eagles in the game last week with an acrobatic one-handed interception in the end zone.

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Ryans was featured a lot earlier in the game, but defensive coordinator Billy Davis slowly introduced Alonso into the game and then went with Mychal Kendricks and Alonso as the primary inside linebacker partnership in the second half.

Both Kendricks and Alonso have the explosive athleticism to put pressure on the quarterback with blitz packages and cover both running backs and tight ends. The inside linebackers will have a steep task in covering both Lance Dunbar and Witten.

Against New York, Dunbar led Dallas in receptions with eight catches for 70 yards coming out of the backfield. Witten spearheaded the Cowboys' comeback and finished with eight catches for 60 yards and two scores.

The inside linebacker duo will be responsible for the task of limiting both Witten and Dunbar. If Kendricks and Alonso do their jobs, it will limit Romo's options without Bryant.

Key Player and Matchup

The Eagles showed their ability to pick apart teams with their passing attack in the second half against Atlanta. Jordan Matthews led the team in both catches and receiving yards last week, but tight end Zach Ertz will play a bigger role this week.

Ertz caught three passes for 46 yards in his return from offseason sports hernia surgery, which forced him to miss training camp. Since he missed preseason, last week was his first game action with his new quarterback.

“I felt really comfortable out there,” Ertz said, according to CSNPhilly.com's Reuben Frank. “Obviously, there’s going to be some things off timing-wise. Sam and I had never really played together in a game. We talk about a lot of things, but there are going to be things that are off."

Ertz caught a key fourth-down pass for 21 yards to prove to his new quarterback he is a reliable option in the passing game. Bradford will continue to look for his athletic tight end because he can make diving catches like a wide receiver.

Ertz will prove to be a tough matchup for the Cowboys defense due to his ability to stretch linebackers and overpower defensive backs. Dallas struggled with tight ends last weekend, giving up six catches for 51 yards.

Philadelphia's offensive backfield and explosive wide receivers will attract a lot of attention, but Ertz will consistently take chunks of yards from Dallas defense. The Cowboys will likely focus on stopping Murray, which opens up the play-action passing game for Philadelphia.

Prediction: Eagles 21, Cowboys 17

Divisional games are always important, and even more when the battle is between the two favorites. Dallas has the upper hand already, so Philadelphia needs a win to start building momentum and draw even with the Cowboys.

Neither team looked phenomenal last week, but the end result is all that matters. The Cowboys showed grit and determination to come back against New York, while Philadelphia's attempt faltered late in the game. 

Both teams threw the ball at least 45 times last week, but this game will likely come down to the ability to run the ball. Joseph Randle will be ushered by Dallas' talented offensive line. On the other side, Murray and company will work to help an offensive line that struggled last week.

A successful running game from both teams will slow down the opposition's pass rush and give two talented quarterbacks the time to stand in the pocket and dissect the secondary. Murray will rebound from his bland performance and make his former team second-guess its decision to not re-sign him.

When the offense is clicking, Kelly's offense has the ability to defeat any team in the league, but the Eagles need to prove this weekend they can grind out a divisional win.