Philadelphia Eagles: 3 Keys to victory versus Dallas Cowboys
By Hunter Doyle
2. The Philadelphia Eagles offensive line needs to give Hurts a clean pocket.
Both Brandon Brooks and Jordan Mailata will be out for Monday’s game. Landon Dickerson made his NFL debut last week and struggled quite a bit. That shouldn’t come as a surprise since he is coming off of an injury and was thrown into the fire against a potent 49ers’ defensive line.
He exposed his chest too much, didn’t set his feet at times, and failed to recognize stunts. That led to 5 pressures, 4 hurries, and a 4.2 pass-blocking grade according to PFF. Facing Osa Odighizuwa in addition to recognizing stunts should be a good test for the Eagles rookie. Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce should also provide some help besides him in terms of communication.
The hope is that a full week of preparation will benefit him. Dallas will definitely test him with some stunts and exotic blitz packages. If Dickerson really underperforms, the Birds always have a safe option behind him. Nate Herbig played fairly well in pass protection last year and lost weight to improve in the run game this year.
Former first-round pick Andre Dillard will start at left tackle in what could be a career-defining game. This game is his opportunity to prove that he can play at a high level and that he was worth a high draft pick. Mailata might be the starter when healthy but Dillard could be auditioning for a job on another team if all goes well. Isaac Seumalo is off to a strong start and should be of help next to him. Jalen Hurts can only bail out the offensive line so many times with his mobility. Micah Parsons and company are going to try to contain the edge. They want to force Hurts to step up in the pocket and beat them through the air. The margin for error is slim with both Dillard and Dickerson starting.