Philadelphia Eagles must capitalize on Dallas Cowboys inactives
The Philadelphia Eagles will need to take advantage of the fact that the Dallas Cowboys may be without quite a few important pieces on Sunday night.
Injuries have plagued both the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys so far this season. Philly will need to capitalize on Dallas’ missing players to emerge victorious on Sunday night.
The Eagles haven’t exactly been the picture of health, but they may just have the edge in talent in Week 7. Philly hopes to return corners Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby to their secondary. Dallas may be without star wideout Amari Cooper.
Both teams will seemingly be without their All-Pro left tackles, Philly’s Jason Peters and Dallas’ Tyron Smith. To win this game, Philadelphia will need to outmaneuver their opponent and attack Dallas’ weaknesses.
Cowboys reporter Michael Gehlken tweeted midweek that the Cowboys may end up missing more than just Smith:
Cowboys C Travis Frederick is not practicing today. Joe Looney seeing first-team reps in his place. Frederick joins WRs Amari Cooper (thigh) and Randall Cobb (back), OTs Tyron Smith (ankle) and La’el Collins (knee) as absent today for offense. Smith and Collins working to side.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) October 16, 2019
The key point of attack for the Eagles in this match-up will be putting pressure on Dak Prescott in the pocket. We’ve seen Prescott struggle in three straight when faced with pressure, and Philadelphia has shown the ability to get into the backfield at times. Brandon Graham has really been a spark for the Eagles’ defensive line, recording four sacks in the past two games. Philadelphia will need that type of effort to continue and spread to its other three linemen to keep Prescott off balance.
It’s difficult to say whether the Cowboys’ biggest loss is Cooper or Smith, but given the Eagles’ constant struggles in pass coverage, Eagles fans would probably admit they were more concerned about what Cooper brought to the table.
In games with Cooper on the field, Prescott has been markedly better, and that dates back to last season. In the first half of the 2018 campaign, Prescott produced a two-to-one touchdown-to-interception ratio (eight TDs versus four picks) earlier in the season prior to throwing 14 touchdowns and four picks in the second half of the season.
Cooper’s absence will undoubtedly serve as a confidence booster for the Eagles’ struggling secondary. Mike Fisher of Sports Illustrated and 105.3 ‘The FAN’ in Dallas spoke to the Cowboys current injury issues:
ALERT: We’re told Amari Cooper (quad) is in danger of not playing for #Cowboys ... and that OTs Tyron Smith & La’el Collins continue to struggle with their injuries, too. Rough deal for #Eagles prep. pic.twitter.com/rj8DhwkyrX
— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) October 15, 2019
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Ultimately, if the Eagles are going to claim first place in the NFC East on Sunday night, they will have to do it by combining their greatest strength (stopping the run) with an ability to expose Dallas’ key weaknesses. If Philadelphia is able to contain Ezekiel Elliott and force Dallas into a one-dimensional game plan, they should have the overall advantage in Week 7.