3 Keys to a Philadelphia Eagles win versus Dallas in Week 8
By Hunter Doyle
Here’s how the Philadelphia Eagles win on Sunday Night.
Yep. It’s that week. It’s Dallas week and while Darius Slay is new to the rivalry, Philadelphia Eagles fans know full well what this game means. Philly could lose 14 of their 16 games but as long as those two wins are against the Dallas Cowboys, all is well. Throw out the records and the recent results because this game always comes down to who wants it more. The Thursday Night matchup with the New York Giants got heated at times but that’s nothing compared to what Dallas week usually entails.
There are plenty of memories from the past couple of decades of this rivalry to look back on as we enter a new decade. In Week 17 of the 2008 season, the Eagles were gifted with losses by the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The winner of the Eagles-Cowboys game would clinch a wild card berth. A 44-6 Eagles victory was the end result as former Eagle Terrell Owens would have to watch the playoffs on the couch.
These two teams met again with a playoff berth on the line on Sunday Night Football in Week 17 of 2013. Kyle Orton would start in place of the injured Tony Romo and Brandon Boykin would seal the deal with an interception on the final Dallas drive for a 24-22 ‘W’. One of the few bright spots in the 2015 season was another Sunday Night Football victory versus Dallas. DeMarco Murray compiled 161 yards and a touchdown on 24 touches versus his former team, Jordan Hicks has a 67-yard pick-six, and Sam Bradford connected with Jordan Matthews for the 41-yard game-winning touchdown in overtime. What a night that was.
More recently, Philly demolished the Cowboys in ‘Jerry World’ on Sunday Night Football 37-9 in 2017 as they would continue their run towards the Super Bowl. No one needs a reminder about what happened last year in Week 16. Down to Greg Ward, Deontay Burnett, J.J Arcega-Whiteside, and Robert Davis at wide receiver, Carson ‘Walk it to em’ Wentz still got the job done when he needed to the most.
This is the worst the Cowboys have been in recent history. Sure they have underperformed but this year they took it to a new level. Injuries have played a part in that but head coach Mike McCarthy’s stay in Dallas could be short. With that said, let’s dive into how the Eagles can ensure this isn’t a disastrous upset.