On Sunday, the Eagles will travel to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, to face the Dallas Cowboys in a Week 12 rematch of the season opener, which the Birds won, 24-20, at home.
The Eagles (8-2) enter Sunday’s game as 3.5-point favorites as they try to move a step closer to clinching the NFC East. Meanwhile, the Cowboys (4-5-1) are coming off a 33-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football.
Will the Birds sweep their rival for the second consecutive season? Or will the drama surrounding the Eagles push their on-field performance toward the brink of dysfunction? As both teams prepare, here’s what the Cowboys are saying about the Eagles:
‘These guys are dangerous’
The Eagles’ first-place record didn’t come without obstacles. They’ve struggled to find an identity on offense through 10 games, A.J. Brown and Saquon Barkley haven’t been as productive as last season, and drama suddenly is surrounding Jalen Hurts in the locker room.
However, that doesn’t give Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer any reason to doubt his opponents heading into their rematch.
“Jalen is an incredible player,” Schottenheimer told reporters. “I think you can put their two receivers up there, with DeVonta [Smith] and A.J. [Brown], against anybody in the league. They’re very, very talented. So at any moment, they can strike. They’re explosive.
“Then you mix in the runner — who is arguably the best, if not, one of the best in the league — in Saquon [Barkley]. You got tight ends, and then you got the offensive line. Everybody finds their flow at different times and this is a tough league. At the end of the day, I’m not looking at the film and saying, ‘These guys are struggling.’ I’m looking at this film and saying, ‘Man, these guys are dangerous.’”
‘It all gels together’
As the Cowboys prepare to play three games in 12 days, their first focus is on the Eagles. New Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is prepared to stop the Birds’ signature play, the Tush Push.
“It’s a cool play that they do on second-and-short, on third-and-short, and fourth-and-short,” Williams, who was acquired at the trade deadline from the New York Jets, told reporters. “I’ve never been against it. … I’m excited to see the game plan. Excited to go against it. Excited to be able to try and stop it.”
Williams, a former teammate of Hurts at Alabama, says the Super Bowl MVP is one of the reasons the team has had so much success with the play.
“I think they got a great technique and a great game plan, like everybody around the boards, to be able to make that play efficient,” Williams said. “You got a quarterback — I played with him at ’Bama, probably one of the strongest quarterbacks in the NFL. So you got a great offensive line that can be efficient in that play. So I think it all gels together.”
Schottenheimer didn’t give away all his plans on how to stop the play, but he did mention bringing in “reinforcements” for Sunday.
“They still do a very good job at it,” the first-year head coach said. “But, we’ve got some reinforcements in there and guys that have seen it. It’s a game of leverage, it really is. And I do think that, you know, the league is trying to make sure that it’s a legal play in terms of everyone getting off on the snap. But, they’re still really good at it. We’ll still see it. But we definitely have some reinforcements in there to give you a chance to win the leverage game.”
‘[Jalen Carter] is a big difference’
The Eagles scraped out a narrow win in their first meeting, despite an early exit for Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who spit on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott before the first snap. With Carter set to play on Sunday, Schottenheimer understands he’ll have a big impact in their second meeting.
“It’s a big difference,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s a really good player. He’s packaged in there with some really good players. Jordan Davis is obviously a really good player as well. There’s Jaelan Phillips. It’s a hell of a defense. They’re the best in the league, I think. Again, it’s going to be really, really tough. But we love that challenge, and we think we’re pretty good, too.”
Cowboys offensive lineman Tyler Smith agreed that Carter will make a difference once he steps onto the field at AT&T Stadium.
“I think he’s a great player for them,” Smith told reporters. “I think the tape speaks for itself. Obviously, he’s a talented guy. A lot of the work that’s done for that team is on that D-line. So I think they’re a huge part of what they do there.”
Cowboys running back Javonte Williams added: “Great player. Yeah, we didn’t play him the first game. But, I mean, no matter who is there, we just got to go out and play our game, execute, and do what we got to do.”
‘He’s got a chance to be a star’
Carter wasn’t the only defensive player the Cowboys praised ahead of Sunday’s game. Schottenheimer complimented Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean during his news conference on Wednesday.
“[Mitchell is a] very good cover corner,” Schottenheimer said. “Physical, patient, he understands that there is a time clock the offense has to work with because they’re good at disrupting and affecting the quarterback.
“But, I think the coverage skills, you’ve seen the growth. You’ve seen him improve and get better. I think he’s got a chance to be a star in this league and trending that way. And the versatility of Cooper DeJean is what they love about him. … The football instincts are off the charts. He’s got a knack for the ball. … They’ve done a great job with those two guys, for sure.”
