Doug Pederson Backtracks on Guarantee After Saying Eagles Will Beat Cowboys

The Philadelphia Eagles lost 38-20 to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, but head coach Doug Pederson remained confident on Monday.

During his weekly appearance on 94.1 WIP, Pederson voiced that the Eagles "control our own destiny" despite the ugly loss to the Vikings and went one step further by saying Philadelphia will beat the Dallas Cowboys when they face off on Sunday Night Football next week:

Pederson later watered down those comments by saying he'd "never" guarantee a win but "just voiced confidence" in his team.

The Week 7 matchup has strong implications in the NFC East as both teams are 3-3.  

Pederson's optimism about the Eagles' chances against the Cowboys might have to do with Dallas' three-game losing streak. However, Philadelphia hasn't beaten Dallas since Week 11 of the 2017 season. 

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett didn't provide the Eagles with any bulletin board material when Pederson's prediction was brought to his attention later Monday (h/t Jon Machota): "My response is we're excited about the challenge."

Garrett's job security has been called into question by fans and media following the Cowboys' 24-22 loss Sunday to the previously winless New York Jets, but team owner Jerry Jones nixed those rumors by telling reporters he's "not even coming close to those future-type considerations."

The problems in Dallas extend beyond Garrett and will require more than a public comment from Jones to squash. 

For one, the Cowboys' 3-0 start included wins against the 2-4 New York Giants, 1-5 Washington and 0-5 Miami Dolphins.

Since those victories, key players have been derailed by injury: left tackle Tyron Smith (ankle), right tackle La'el Collins (knee) and receiver Amari Cooper (thigh bruise). Smith and collins were inactive against the Jets, while Cooper suffered his thigh injury early in the game.

Cooper's status will be the headline as the week progresses, especially given how depleted the Eagles are at cornerback.

While the Cowboys' shortcomings have been on full display lately, the Eagles have also shown vulnerabilities. 

Against the Vikings, Philly was without several players due to injury: receiver DeSean Jackson (abdomen), cornerbacks Ronald Darby (hamstring) and Avonte Maddow (concussion), running backs Corey Clement (shoulder) and Darren Sproles (quad) and defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan (foot). Cornerback Jalen Mills has not played all year due to a foot injury from last October.

"But Pederson’s squads have long been resilient," Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote Monday. "He knows as much. Otherwise, why would he have gone out on a limb Monday and declared a victory Sunday in Texas? But something must change in how the Eagles start games and something might need to change in personnel. The next several weeks will reveal more about the identity of the Eagles." 

Pederson publicly hyping up his team could be as simple as trying to rally a hobbled roster that needs to beat the Cowboys in order to remain competitive in the NFC East.