FRISCO, Texas- The 6-6 Philadelphia Eagles are back in the hunt for first place in the NFC East. Sunday is a must win for the 7-5 Dallas Cowboys to keep first place in the division and their playoff hopes alive. A victory would mark the Cowboys’ fifth straight win and allow the team to sweep the season series against the Eagles for the first time since 2012. It would also serve as the sixth win at home for Dallas this season tying the 2009 team, and improve the Cowboys’ record in the NFC East to 4-1 and 7-3 overall in the NFC.
In week 10 the Eagles used tight end sets that benefited Zach Ertz. He finished with two touchdowns, 145 receiving yards, and an average of 10.4 yards after the catch. The defense has to do a better job containing him on Sunday.
Today in the locker room I spoke with Leighton Vander Esch and he described Ertz’s ability, “ He is a very well rounded athlete and he is extremely explosive. He is a very good route runner and is extremely intelligent on the game of football. You have to give it to a player like that; he is fun to watch. I watched him all last year when I was playing in college too and realized how good of a player he was and the things he was going to do. He is just consistent and it is difficult to deal with a guy like that, but you have to keep him contained and keep the ball in front of you and force them to earn everything they get. “
On the opposite side of the ball, Michael Bennett and Brandon Graham put pressure on Dak Prescott all night with a combined 3.5 sacks during their last matchup. Dallas’ offensive line has gone through a tough transitional year with injuries and several new faces in the line, but this time around they have to do a better job preventing Philadelphia’s power edge rushers from getting to Prescott. They will have to give Prescott enough time to release the ball and scan the field for an open target. Dallas’ offense has to be able to cash in on opportunities in the red zone as well with touchdowns and not field goals. In their last matchup in week 10, the Cowboys had to settle for field goals on their first two drives down the field. In a game where both teams are fighting for first place in the division and a playoff birth, that will not be enough for the Silver and Blue to come away with a win. They will have to play solid football on both sides of the ball like they were able to do against the New Orleans Saints last week.
