The hours are slowly counting down, and as both teams return to practice on Thursday, we’re now just a few days from a massive Week 9 showdown on Fox between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
Sunday will be the first time that Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott square off in a meaningful regular season contest, and both players will enter Sunday fresh off dazzling Week 8 performances.
Prescott was 25-31 passing for 304 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception.
For Philadelphia, Jalen Hurts is the reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week after completing 29 of his 38 passes, throwing for 319 yards and four touchdowns. His 135.7 passer rating was a season-high, and the four passing touchdowns tied a career-high.
With both teams locked in and focused, we’re looking at 11 Eagles who need a standout performance on Sunday.
QB Jalen Hurts
Hurts is 1-1 against Dallas and Sunday will mark the first time that he’ll face off against Dak Prescott under center.
Dallas will look to disrupt Hurts with pressure, and he’ll need to live up to his highest paid status if Philadelphia’s going to secure the win.
RB D'Andre Swift
Dallas is 18th in the NFL in rushing defense, and Swift was acquired from the Lions for moments, and matchups like Sunday.
Nothing can slow down Micah Parsons and the Cowboys pass rush like a stout, and physical rushing attack.
One of the NFL’s leading rushers through 9 weeks, Swift could secure his legacy and a new contract with a standout performance.
WR DeVonta Smith
DaRon Bland is the big dog at cornerback with Trevon Diggs out, and he’ll likley draw the high profile matchup against A.J. Brown.
That leaves the veteran Stephon Gilmore, and he’ll likely draw DeVonta Smith on the outside.
Smith has 19 catches for 226 yards and has scored 3 touchdowns in 4 games versus the Cowboys in his career, but he’s only gone over 45 yards once, and it wasn’t in a game that had any meaning.
Smith has to have a standout performance.
OL Cam Jurgens
Jurgens had his 21 day practice window opened this week, and the hope is that the former Nebraska star can return to the lineup.
Jurgens, who has missed the last four games with a foot injury, owns a 64.3 run block grade from Pro Football Focus.
His replacement, Sua Opeta, is at 47.4.
Philadelphia has seen a dropoff in production via the running game and Jurgen’s injury played a huge part in the Eagles averaging 79 yards per game with just 3.1 yards per carry over the past three weeks.
OC Brian Johnson
Johnson is improving on a daily basis as the Eagles first year offensive coordinator and Sunday will be about staying calm in the moment.
Run-pass ratio has been a major concern for Philadelphia at times this season, and they can’t afford to buy into the hype, turning Sunday’s matchup ito a shootout.
On Tuesday, Johnson admitted the Birds aren’t running the football enough and Sunday afternoon is the perfect time to remedy that problem.
The Eagles can run teams out of the building, and Johnson can’t allow his pride or ego to get the offense off task, while trying to match Dallas big play for big play.
Josh Sweat
Haason Reddick is the big name, but Josh Sweat has produced the 3rd-most pressures (43) in the league this season, trailing only Josh Allen (47) and Micah Parsons (46) in that category.
Also, Sweat has registered the 5th-most QB hits (15), behind Nick Bosa (19), Myles Garrett (17), Josh Allen (16) and T.J. Watt (16).
Sweat leads the NFL with 17 pressures in the fourth quarter and he’ll need to have a monster performance agaisnt an injury Tyron Smith.
Jalen Carter
BreadMan was drafted for moments like Sunday, and the talented rookie must put his physicality and game-wrecking abilities on display for a national television audience.
Carter can stamp his DPOY award with a dominant performance heading into the bye week.
Jordan Davis
Like Carter, Davis has a big game pedigree and he’s a major reason the Birds are the top team in the NFL at stopping the run.
That trend must continue on Sunday.
Nakobe Dean
In the win over Washington, Dean recorded 12 tackles (11 solo), and the linebacker has registered 26 stops while appearing in four games so far in his sophomore campaign.
Dean will start his first Eagles-Cowboys matchup and it’ll be on him to set the defense, make the calls, and contain Tony Pollard.
Darius Slay
CeeDee Lamb has been dominant for the Cowboys over the past three weeks, and it’ll be on Slay to help slow down the Pro Bowl receiver.
Eli Ricks
Through seven games, Ricks has generated five combined tackles, a tackle for loss, and a pass breakup. According to Pro Football Reference, the Eagles have utilized Ricks on 65 defensive snaps, representing 15% of the snaps through seven games.
On Sunday, he’ll see key reps in the slot, and it’ll be on Ricks when matched up with CeeDee Lamb or Brandin Cooks to win those respective matchups.
