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Philadelphia Eagles Need To Bring Their ‘Big D’ To Dallas

By Matt Giraldi

Nov 8, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (82) makes the catch in front of Philadelphia Eagles free safety Malcolm Jenkins (27) during a game at AT&T Stadium. Eagles won 33-27 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 8, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (82) makes the catch in front of Philadelphia Eagles free safety Malcolm Jenkins (27) during a game at AT&T Stadium. Eagles won 33-27 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports /
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All eyes will be on the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterbacks Sunday night. The defenses are the big story for why each team is a legitimate contender in the NFC.

The Eagles and Cowboys have garnered national attention heading into tonight’s NFC East battle for first place. Rookies Carson Wentz and Dak Prescott have both earned more free beers and food in their respective cities than Adam Richman from Man vs. Food. As good as both quarterbacks have been, the defenses for both teams is the story tonight. As much as we want to see offensive fireworks, a low-scoring affair appears to be in order.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Prior to training camp, the prognosis of both teams was dramatically different.

Rolando McClain got popped for purple drank and was suspended for 10 games. Randy Gregory was suspended 10 games for violating the Substance Abuse Policy. Sean Lee was deemed as brittle and a liability as a long term viable option at linebacker. The Cowboys’ secondary was supposed to dry burnt toast.

The Eagles defense allowed nearly 27 points per game last season. They had played 43 more snaps than any other defense in the NFL in 2015 and were only one of three teams to allow more than 400 yards per game. The secondary was filled with unproven youngsters looking to get their feet wet in the NFL.

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Fast forward to the day before Halloween and it appears that we all got tricked. Both the Eagles (14.7) and Cowboys (17.8) are in the top 10 for points allowed per game. Each team is succeeding defensively through different methods. What’s similar however is that both teams have adopted a similar strategy to the 2014 Cowboys. The Cowboys and Eagles are ranked second and third in time of possession, respectively.

The Cowboys have converted 47% of their third downs, fourth best in the NFL this season. The Eagles defense has allowed opponents to convert 40% of their third downs, which is 19th best in the NFL. Stupid penalties (hello Fletcher Cox) have helped elongate opponents’ drives this season. The Eagles defense will need to be on their best behavior tonight, as Jerome Boger and his crew throw more flags than a sbandieratori in Tuscany.

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    • Jim Schwartz needs to find a way to force Prescott to beat him on third downs. On third-and-four or more, Prescott has completed 72.1% of his passes. Seems daunting doesn’t it? Fortunately, he has picked up a first down on those passes only 44% of the time. Additionally, Prescott has a total of only three rushing attempts on third or fourth down this season. Again, force the rookie quarterback to make reads and throw the ball from within the pocket. The last thing any Eagles fan wants to see tonight is Ezekiel Elliott continuously moving the chains.

    Speaking of Elliott, he’s had a pretty good rookie season himself. While the Eagles have allowed the eighth fewest rushing yards this season, they’re still giving up over 4.5 yards per carry. Can the front seven stop the running game without the services of Bennie Logan?

    Did I also mention something about a big “D”? A bevy of words could describe wide receiver Dez Bryant. While many of us Eagles fans would prefer the words diva or douchebag, no one can deny that he’s a difference maker. This is particularly true when he plays against the Eagles. Bryant has topped 100 yards receiving in three of his last five games. He has a touchdown in five of his nine games against the Birds. With Ron Brooks lost for the year, can the already thin secondary stop Bryant, Cole Beasley and Jason Witten?

    It’s going to take a collective effort offensively and defensively in order to pull out a win tonight. I still have my doubts about just how good the Cowboys defense is. Unfortunately the same can be said about the Eagles and their defense. In what should be a close match-up, I think the Cowboys’ offense, at home, ultimately will be the difference.

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