Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys
These teams are heading in opposite directions right now as the visiting Philadelphia Eagles own the best record in the NFL entering Week 11 and the Dallas Cowboys were just embarrassed by the Atlanta Falcons in Week 10.
These two teams are led by sophomore quarterbacks who are already stars in the league. As a rookie, Dak Prescott took the Cowboys from the brink of giving up to a 13-3 record. Wentz wasn’t able to muster up a ton of wins as a rookie, but so far in 2017 he has the Eagles looking down on the league with a mark of 8-1.
It’s an NFC East rivalry that’s always great no matter the record, but with Dallas desperate for a win, it could be more fun than normal.
Philadelphia Keys To Victory
Force the pass: With star running back Ezekiel Elliott serving the second of his six game suspension, it would seem like the formula would be to force Dallas to run, thus keeping the ball out of Dak Prescott’s hands. However, as Atlanta showed it may be as beneficial to sell out on the run early. When Dallas gave up on the run against the Falcons, their offensive line weaknesses were exposed. Prescott was sacked six times, and the Eagles edge rushers need to be ready.
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Frustrate Dez: Early against Atlanta Dez Bryant was involved and the offense could move the ball. Then, he was taken out and the offense fell flat. While Bryant clearly isn’t the play maker he once was, frustrating him will take him out of the game completely, and the Eagles need to figure out how to do just that.
Attack the middle: With Sean Lee out at weak side linebacker, the Cowboys will rely on Anthony Hitchens in his spot. Moving Hitchens over however leaves Dallas susceptible in the middle of their defense. They will replace their normal middle linebacker with a combination of Justin Durant and Jaylon Smith. This is a huge downgrade from their regular starter, and should be exploited.
Dallas Keys To Victory
Don’t stop believing: Dallas gave up on the run last week, which made sense to a certain degree. They were losing big, but the pass wasn’t working as no one could block on the left side. Dallas can’t give up on the run no matter what this week. They’re not good enough on offense to be one-dimensional, so don’t become that.
Play disciplined defense: The Eagles are the No. 2 scoring team in the NFL behind the MVP-caliber season Carson Wentz is having. He has insane weapons all over the place with wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor as well as tight end Zach Ertz. Then they have the 2016 NFL rushing touchdown leader LeGarrette Blount and the recently acquired Jay Ajayi at running back. Needless to say this offense will move the ball. Dallas has to avoid giving up the big play, which means this game plan needs to be all about execution, discipline and minimizing the damage.
Learn to adjust: There’s no excuse for what the coaches did — or didn’t do — last week. When it became obvious that Chaz Green was in over his head at left tackle, Dallas didn’t change their blocking — they just hoped for better from Green. Same when Sean Lee went down. They didn’t change the defense, just hoped someone would step up. That cannot happen again, and whether it’s replacing injured guys or alternating a failing strategy in-game, the coaches in Dallas must figure out a way to adjust. Every other coach does it, it’s their turn.
Odds
Point Spread: Philadelphia -3.5
Moneyline: Philadelphia -177, Dallas +155
Over/Under: 48
Next: NFL Power Rankings, Week 11: Falcons rise up
Prediction
It’s hard to bet on the Cowboys right now. While the loss of Elliott hurts, that’s not the reason they seem toxic. The offensive line has been playing weak and the defense looks lost every time Sean Lee is out. Without him, there’s little hope to contain the running game of Philly’s and these young corners will be eaten alive by the incredibly talented Carson Wentz. Prescott will do all he can to help, but the Cowboys offense is suddenly looking old and slow whereas the Eagles look young and hungry on both sides. This has the makings of something ugly.
Final Score: Philadelphia Eagles: 34, Dallas Cowboys: 20