FRISCO, Texas – The preparation is in full swing as the Dallas Cowboys host division rival Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. There is a lot riding on this one for both teams. With the Eagles win over the Redskins, they are now 6-6 and are one game behind the Cowboys who lead the NFC East at 7-5. If the Cowboys win on Sunday, they keep first place in the division and their hope for a playoff birth alive. If the Eagles win, they will be in the No.1 spot in the division, but still have a tough road to the playoffs still having to face the Rams and Texans in the regular season. Sunday is a must for both teams in the road to the postseason.
The last time the teams met in week 10 sprung a four-game winning streak for America’s Team. The win against Philadelphia created a new confidence in the Dallas team after they were able to shut down the second ranked run defense in the league at the time. A lot has changed since week 10 in the momentum built up in the Cowboys’ locker room and they are ready to put it all out on the gridiron on Sunday afternoon. They are ready to FIGHT and are locked in on the task at hand.
The eagles star TE Zack Ertz leads the league in receptions at No.2 with 93 receptions for 978 yards, six touchdowns, and an average of 10.5 yards after the catch in 2018. During the two rivals last meeting, the Cowboys’ linebacker core and secondary could not shut down Ertz in man or zone coverage. He finished with two touchdowns and an average of 10.4 yards after the catch against Dallas’ defense, and on Sunday the hotboyz have to do a better job of containing him.
I spoke with defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli on some insight into the defense’s key against Ertz, “ We have to be on our rules and on our keys. They have a ton of weapons but we have to go play our defense. Your highlighted indicators of where this guy is at and all those things will help it. At the end of the day it is about us and our pass rush. It is about how we play zone and man defense. “
Offensively, the Cowboys’ offensive line will have to protect Dak Prescott from the Eagles’ power edge rushers. Michael Bennett and Brandon Graham had pressure on him all night in week 10 resulting in sacks and contested throws. The line has to do their job at the line of scrimmage to give Prescott enough time to scan the field for an open target and release the ball or hand it off to Elliott. Dak will also have to get better at releasing the ball quicker to help out the offensive line that has several new faces, due to injuries that have plagued the line this season. The o-line has developed the past few games with Marc Colombo’s coaching techniques and the addition of Travis Frederick’s words of wisdom through his headpiece on the sideline.
Jason Garrett remarked on the line’s role against Philly, “ It is important for us to be physical at the line of scrimmage and win the battle with the run game and pass protection. We have to do a good job protecting against those guys that challenge you every time the ball is snapped. “
