PHILADELPHIA (10-2) at DALLAS (9-3)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EST, NBC
BETTING LINE: Cowboys by 3 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Eagles 8-3-1; Cowboys 8-4.
SERIES RECORD: Cowboys lead 73-56.
LAST MEETING: Eagles beat Cowboys 28-23 on Nov. 5 in Philadelphia.
LAST WEEK: Eagles lost to 49ers 42-19; Cowboys beat Seahawks 41-35.
EAGLES OFFENSE: OVERALL (9), RUSH (8), PASS (13), SCORING (4).
EAGLES DEFENSE: OVERALL (22), RUSH (4), PASS (29), SCORING (24).
COWBOYS OFFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (11), PASS (3), SCORING (1).
COWBOYS DEFENSE: OVERALL (3), RUSH (12), PASS (5), SCORING (4).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Eagles minus-2; Cowboys plus-8.
EAGLES PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Jalen Hurts hasn’t lost often since late in the 2021 season, when he led a three-game surge to a wild-card spot. Hurts’ most recent back-to-back losses were two months before that 2021 run. After an October loss to the New York Jets this season, Hurts threw for 279 yards and accounted for three touchdowns in a 31-17 victory over AFC East-leading Miami. This time, he’s coming off a season-worst 57.8% completion rate and a fourth-quarter concussion check in a blowout loss to the Niners.
COWBOYS PLAYER TO WATCH: LB Micah Parsons. The matchup of the pass rushing star against Hurts is always intriguing, mostly because of Hurts’ running ability. Speed is what sets Parsons apart as a pass rusher, but it get neutralized somewhat to make sure Hurts doesn’t break down the Dallas defense with his legs. Measured by sacks, Parsons’ best game against Hurts was the first meeting this season when he had 1 1/2 of the two for his career against Philadelphia. The 2021 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year needs 1 1/2 sacks to join Pro Football Hall of Famer Reggie White as the only players with at least 13 sacks in each of his first three seasons since sacks became an official stat in 1982.
KEY MATCHUP: A.J. Brown vs. CeeDee Lamb. The star receivers won’t be on the field at the same time, but the one with a better game could have a hand in the outcome. Their seasons are remarkably similar. Philadelphia’s Brown set an NFL record with six consecutive games of at least 125 yards receiving, while Lamb set a mark with three straight games of at least 10 catches and 150 yards. Lamb is second with 1,182 yards, Brown fourth at 1,164. Lamb is third with 90 catches, Brown eighth at 81. Both have seven touchdowns receiving. In the first meeting, Lamb had a career-high 191 yards while Brown’s record 125-yard streak ended (66 yards with a touchdown).
KEY INJURIES: Eagles DT Fletcher Cox is dealing with a groin injury that is likely to limit his practice availability this week. … Cowboys TE Peyton Hendershot was activated off injured reserve this week. He has missed nine games with a sprained ankle.
SERIES NOTES: The Eagles are going for their first season sweep since 2011 in the 130th meeting, playoffs included.
STATS AND STUFF: First place in the NFC East is on the line. A win for the Eagles is a big step toward a second consecutive division title because they would have a two-game lead and the tiebreaker with four games remaining. A Dallas victory would give the Cowboys the tiebreaker by virtue of a half-game lead among division records, although there’s a good chance the teams will end up tied in that category. … The Cowboys have a 14-game home winning streak, their longest in more than 40 years, and a four-game overall streak since losing at Philadelphia. … Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy missed practice in the middle of the week after undergoing surgery following a diagnosis of appendicitis. McCarthy was hospitalized Wednesday and had surgery the same day. … The Eagles plan on LB Shaq Leonard making his debut after signing during the week. The three-time All-Pro was released by Indianapolis last month. … It’s the 16th regular-season “Sunday Night Football” meeting between the Cowboys and Eagles, the most since the NBC telecast started in 2006. … Hurts and Buffalo’s Josh Allen have eight games with at least one passing and rushing touchdown this season. Both have a chance to join Arizona’s Kyler Murray (2020) as the only QBs with nine such games in a season. … Eagles WR DeVonta Smith had a season-high nine catches against San Francisco with 96 yards and his sixth TD. He had 113 yards and two touchdowns at the Cowboys last season, a 40-34 Philadelphia loss. … DE Josh Sweat had what amounted to a game-sealing sack of Dak Prescott in the final seconds of the first meeting. He had 1 1/2 sacks and returned an interception for a touchdown at Dallas last season. … Prescott is 30-8 against the NFC East in his eight-year career. Half of the losses have been to the Eagles. He leads the NFL with 26 touchdown passes and eight games with a passer rating of at least 100. … Cowboys RB Tony Pollard has a three-game TD streak coming off an eight-game drought. … Jake Ferguson is tied for third among NFL tight ends with five touchdown catches. He had two as a rookie last season. … CB DaRon Bland has interceptions in four consecutive games. He leads the league with eight. … K Brandon Aubrey’s NFL record streak of consecutive made field goals to start a career is up to 26.
FANTASY TIP: Statistically, Hurts is a pretty good bet when visiting his home state to face the Cowboys. He has thrown for more than 325 yards both times, with three passing touchdowns. On the flip side, the Houston native has thrown four interceptions, two in each of the two Philadelphia losses.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Please read our comment policy before commenting.