Eagles vs. Cowboys: Full Philadelphia Game Preview

The Philadelphia Eagles head down to Texas following their bye week as they take on division rival Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.

Philadelphia enters Week 9 tied with the Washington Redskins with a 3-4 record. Before their week off, the Eagles lost to the Carolina Panthers 27-16, snapping their two-game winning streak.

The New York Giants remain at the top of the division with only four wins as they lost a high-scoring duel to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Meanwhile, Dallas comes in with a 2-5 record following its 13-12 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, despite the return of star receiver Dez Bryant.

The last time Philadelphia and Dallas faced each other, the Cowboys came away with a 20-10 win in Week 2. However, the win came at a price, as Tony Romo broke his clavicle and the Cowboys have lost all five games so far without their starting quarterback.

Both teams need a win, as the race for the NFC East is still wide open. Philadelphia needs a victory to improve its 1-2 divisional record, and Dallas needs to stop the free fall. 

Here is all the info you need for Philadelphia's return to action against the Dallas Cowboys.

Location: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas

Date: Sunday

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: NBC

Season Recap

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

Team	Wins	Losses	Percentage	Streak
New York Giants	4	4	.500	L1
Washington Redskins	3	4	.429	W1
Philadelphia Eagles	3	4	.429	L1
Dallas Cowboys	2	5	.286	L5

The Eagles entered the regular season as Super Bowl contenders on the heels of an impressive preseason campaign, but they were hit with reality right away. With so many changes to the roster this offseason, Philadelphia got off to a slow start and is still struggling to find its top gear.

In the very first week, Philadelphia lost to the Atlanta Falcons, 26-24. The Eagles were heavy favorites to win against the Falcons, who had a new coach following a terrible 2014 season. Philadelphia rallied in the second half, but a missed field goal by Cody Parkey left it two points shy of a comeback.

For Philadelphia, things continued to get worse before they got better. In their home opener, the Eagles put forth arguably their worst performance of the season as they fell 20-10 against Dallas. The Eagles failed to move the ball at all offensively and never looked capable of mounting a comeback.

The first sign of hope for Philadelphia came in Week 3 against the Jets. For the first time all season, Philadelphia ran the ball effectively, despite the absence of DeMarco Murray, and controlled the tempo of the game. The Eagles earned their first victory of the season with a seven-point win at MetLife Stadium.

Against Washington, Philadelphia was dealt a big blow as it lost its second consecutive divisional game. The Eagles led late in the game but failed to keep possession and run out the clock. Kirk Cousins marched the Redskins down the field for a game-winning touchdown drive.

However, things began to turn around for Philadelphia as it returned home for a two-game stretch. In consecutive weeks the Eagles first dominated the Saints and then stifled the Giants. For the first time all season, Philadelphia led the NFC East following its win over New York.

Just like the rest of the season, Philadelphia continued on its roller coaster ride in Week 7. The Carolina Panthers showcased their potential as they dominated the Eagles and won by 11 points. The loss sent Philadelphia into a much-needed bye week.

Heading into Week 9, Chip Kelly's team still has a lot to improve, but they are still alive in the race to win the NFC East. They are only one win short of the New York Giants, and a win this weekend would go a long way. The Eagles cannot afford to lose to a struggling Cowboys team and suffer their third divisional loss of the season.

News and Notes

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The NFL trade deadline came and went without any changes to Philadelphia's roster, but there was some talk of a possible move.

ESPN's NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported that defensive end Vinny Curry came up in trade discussions before the deadline. The former 2012 draft pick is coming off his best season as a pro after earning nine sacks, despite just playing in passing situations.

At the same time, the defensive end may not be a perfect fit for Billy Davis' 3-4 scheme as he is not a true outside linebacker.

"As a player, obviously it's good to know that other teams want you or that your name is being tossed around like that … but at the same time, you'd like to focus on the Cowboys, and that can be a distraction," Curry said, according to the Morning Call's Nick Fierro.

However, Curry remains a Philadelphia Eagle and a valuable part of the defense. He showed his explosion and ability to get to the quarterback as he pulled Eli Manning down once and hit him twice.

Aside from trade rumors, questions continue to surround Philadelphia's backfield. Ryan Mathews looked fresh and effective as he took off for a 63-yard touchdown against the Panthers, but DeMarco Murray continued to see the majority of the workload.

Despite his lack of touches, Mathews looks happy on his new team and continues to say all the right things.

"I’ve always split carries, ever since I came into the league,” Mathews said, according to ESPN.com's Phil Sheridan. “I was always in a running back rotation. It doesn’t bother me. [Murray] has done a lot of great things in his career to get where he’s at.”

Moving into Week 9, Philadelphia's news is not about departing players. Instead, Kelly's locker room seems to be filled with players who are thankful to be on the Eagles and are buying into his system.

Latest Injury News

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Philadelphia left Charlotte, North Carolina, in Week 7 not only with a loss to the Panthers, but a mounting list of injuries. The bye week came at the perfect time for the Eagles as they try to recover and make a strong second-half push.

The Eagles returned to normalcy as they had a non-padded practice Tuesday afternoon, which featured everybody except Jason Peters, according to the Morning Call's Nick Fierro. Peters exited the Carolina game on a cart as he suffered from back spasms. The left tackle also left a game earlier this season with a quadriceps injury.

"Hopefully we'll get J.P. back tomorrow or the next day," Kelly said before practice, per Fierro. "He's made progress. He stayed here over the bye and got treatment and has made progress. So it looks like he's moving around. So we'll see. He may do some little things today, but he won't be in drills like the other guys."

On the other side of the ball, Philadelphia received positive news about Kiko Alonso. The team expects the inside linebacker to make his return this Sunday against the Cowboys, according to ESPN.com's Phil Sheridan.

Alonso injured his left knee against Dallas in Week 2 and sat out the last five games. He suffered the injury to the same knee as his torn ACL in 2014.

"It's important," Alonso said, per Sheridan. "When you miss time, it's never fun. You just want to get back out there."

Philadelphia enters Week 9 well-rested and with reinforced troops as it takes on the Dallas Cowboys this weekend in an important divisional game.

Key Matchup

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Dez Bryant vs. Philadelphia's Secondary

Philadelphia lost to the Cowboys in the second week of the season, but a lot is different with Dallas’ roster entering Week 9.

Last time the two teams met, Dez Bryant did not suit up, and Tony Romo started under center before being knocked out of the game with an injury. Now Bryant is back to being healthy, but Romo is unable to play.

Bryant missed five straight games after injuring his foot in the first game of the season against the New York Giants. However, the receiver returned last week in Dallas’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The wide receiver’s mere presence on the field will bring instant attention and will change the way Philadelphia game-plans for Dallas. 

“With Dez out, we kind of had our game plan a lot around [tight end] Jason Witten,” Eagles head coach Chip Kelly said, according to CSNPhilly.com's Andrew Kulp. “Now you have two real weapons."

Looking back at last season, Bryant comes up big for the Cowboys when they play their division rivals. When the two teams faced off last year in Week 15, Bryant caught three touchdown passes and finished with 114 yards. Philadelphia’s inability to cover superstar wide receivers was one of the primary reasons for its offseason remodeling in the secondary.

To address this need, the Eagles went out and signed the most prized cornerback in the market this offseason. However, Byron Maxwell did not show well when the Eagles lost to Dallas earlier this season. Terrance Williams burned the flat-footed defender for 42 yards and trotted into the end zone untouched. If Philadelphia could not stop Williams, how can it guard Bryant?

The answer may be a combination of Nolan Carroll and safety help.

When the Eagles faced the Giants earlier this season, they faced Odell Beckham Jr., who torched Philadelphia’s secondary in similar fashion to Bryant last season. But in Week 6 the defense limited the wide receiver’s impact to only 61 yards on seven catches. Beckham caught a touchdown on the first drive of the game, but he failed to make the big plays he is capable of producing.

Carroll stuck to Beckham like he was his shadow almost the entire game. And when he did give up distance to the wide receiver, he had safety help to protect him. Jenkins and Walter Thurmond’s presence helped contain Beckham and limited his longest reception to only 17 yards.

Philadelphia will likely implement a similar plan against Bryant this weekend to limit his big-play capabilities. In his return last week, Bryant finished with only two catches for 12 yards. However, his lack of production likely comes down to quarterback play.

If Philadelphia can keep Bryant from gaining separation, Matt Cassel will struggle to march Dallas’ offense down the field.

Matchup X-Factor

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Philadelphia's offense struggled to get anything going when they faced the Cowboys in the second week of the season. The Eagles scored only 10 points, and that is in large part due to their lack of a running game.

The Eagles ran the ball only 17 times for seven yards. Philadelphia trailed throughout the game and naturally had to throw the ball, but it also abandoned the run due to its inability to gain consistent yards. Kelly pointed to Sean Lee as a major reason why Dallas shut down his offense.

"You've got to know where he is at all times," Kelly said, according to Fierro. "I think he's great at keying and diagnosing plays. He's got great instincts in terms of how to run and leverage to the football. He's a lot like [Luke] Kuechly in that manner. You have to make sure you stick and glue on blocks at the second level."

Lee led his team with 14 tackles, more than twice as many as any of his teammates, when the Cowboys came to Lincoln Financial Field in September. The linebacker also impacted the game in the passing game as he hauled in an interception and, along with Tyler Patmon, led the team with two pass deflections. 

The Pittsburgh native is not only a consistent performer against the Eagles, he continually leads Dallas' defense every week. Lee already has 61 tackles, including 36 solo, through seven games. The Penn State product also leads the team with five tackles for a loss this season.

"Sometimes we had people on him [in the first meeting in September] but they didn't stick," Kelly said, per Fierro. "A lot of it comes down to the techniques and fundamentals of blocking people at the second level."

Philadelphia's running game struggled against Dallas, not only due to poor running back play, but because the offensive line failed to create holes. The Eagles tailbacks were met at the line of scrimmage by a wave of defenders on nearly every handoff and rarely had any blocking at the second level.

With more experience playing together, Philadelphia's offensive line should be more cohesive as a unit, but they will have to know exactly where Lee is on every play. If not, the linebacker could disrupt the Eagles' ability to be effective both in the air and on the ground.

Prediction: Eagles 21, Cowboys 10

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

There is no arguing that Dallas dominated Philadelphia in their first meeting this season, but a lot has changed since then. The Eagles slowly look to be figuring things out, while Dallas is imploding without Romo.

The Eagles are fresh off a bye week, which allowed their players to rest and recover. Injuries plagued the team greatly in the first half of the season, but now they essentially have a new start.

On the other side, Dallas is still without its star quarterback, and neither Brandon Weeden nor Cassel can effectively operate their offense. Cassel completed only 13 passes for 97 yards in the Cowboys' loss to Seattle last weekend.

The performance of both Philadelphia's offense and defense is centered around turnovers. The defense attacks the ball and consistently puts Kelly's offense in good positions to succeed. However, Sam Bradford and company can not protect the ball, and they continually put Billy Davis' defense in tough spots.

Philadelphia will likely gift Dallas a few points this weekend with a turnover or two, but the Eagles will still come away from Arlington with a win.

The Eagles are inconsistent, but Dallas is consistently bad without Romo under center.

Prediction: Eagles 21, Cowboys 10