3 Keys to a Philadelphia Eagles win versus Dallas in Week 8

1. The Philadelphia Eagles defense has to make Ben DiNucci uncomfortable.

Andy Dalton is unlikely to start this week after a brutal collision in last week’s game. Enter Ben DiNucci. The seventh-round rookie will get his first NFL start on Sunday Night Football in a rivalry game. Not only that but he’ll be playing behind an inexperienced and injury-ridden offensive line. Usually, Dallas’ offensive line is at the top of the league but they’ve been hurting the team more than helping them. Ezekiel Elliott has also struggled massively in pass protection so DiNucci won’t have much help there.

DiNucci didn’t look too strong in limited snaps last week. While many will argue that the offensive line didn’t give him any time, he also lacked good pocket presence failing to step up in the pocket. He often just continued to backpedal away from the pressure and keep his eyes locked on the same side of the field. This week should be better since he’ll have a whole week of practice with the first-team but don’t expect anything crazy.

Dallas will try to keep it simple for him by establishing the run and getting him in a rhythm with quick passes. DiNucci does recognize defensive coverages pretty well and will use his legs at times so Dallas will probably try to utilize that in their script for the first drive. Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has done a good job in the past against young quarterbacks. He didn’t let Nick Mullens get too comfortable a few weeks ago which led to a quarterback change in the fourth quarter.

Schwartz needs to stack the box and shut down the run game early. Philly needs to show pressure at the line a good amount of the time and make DiNucci think for an extra second. The Cowboys offensive line has also struggled to react to blitzes and stunts in recent weeks. The ‘Birds’ defense can’t show any mercy. They need to enforce their will and set the tone early.