Intriguing stats ahead of the Eagles matchup with Cowboys in Week 6

Another weekend brings another Sunday chock full of NFL football, and the Philadelphia Eagles take center stage in primetime versus the Dallas Cowboys. Something tells us that there isn’t much that needs to be done to cue up the hype machine or get people online and on the phone to place a few wagers. After all, we obsess over numbers.

If we aren’t discussing the latest EA Madden NFL 23 updates and what that means for changes to the overall ratings of our favorite players, we’re on top of Pro Football Focus statistics, or Fantasy rankings, or anything that NFL Next Gen Stats is saying.

If only algebra had been this fun.

The Birds have the opportunity to enter their bye week with momentum and a 6-0 start. Standing in their way is Dallas. It won’t be easy, but the game is winnable. The numbers prove it., so why not get into a few?

Here are some intriguing stats related to the Eagles’ next test on Sunday Night Football.

This is one of those strength-versus-strength matchups. No one runs the ball on the Cowboys with consistent success. No one runs the ball better than the Eagles (when they choose to do so).

There may not be a better pass rush than the one that Dallas fields. There isn’t a better offensive line than that of the Eagles. Something has to give right? Might we suggest a heavy dose of the running game?

Miles Sanders is on pace for more than 1,400 yards rushing.

Yes, you read that correctly. Miles Sanders is on pace for 1,400 yards rushing. Now, there’s a lot that goes into this. One, we wouldn’t suggest overworking Number 26. This could be an awesome time to get Trey Sermon some totes. Doing so might mean we see an easy win for Philadelphia.

After all, the only thing that we’ve seen stop the Eagles’ rushing attack is Shane Steichen’s refusal to call any running plays.

The Cowboys are allowing under five yards per carry and have only allowed one rushing TD.

Though everyone else seems to be on the train, we aren’t quite ready to take the voyage on any theories that the current Dallas defense is the reincarnation of the old Doomsday version and Micah Parsons is this unstoppable force that can’t ever be neutralized.

The facts are the facts though. Teams are having a hard time running the ball on this team with consistency. There is, however, a chance that part of the Cowboys’ success comes from the fact that no one has attempted to run the ball while playing them.

Sure, opposing offenses are averaging less than five yards per tote. Sure, they’ve only allowed one touchdown, but only ten teams have been attacked with the run fewer times. That could be leading to some skewed statistical data.

Dallas ranks second in the NFL in sacks.

There’s nothing skewed about this. Dallas ranks second in pro football in sacks. You can’t take anything away from them. They’ve been impressive.

A big reason for the high tally has been the success of Micah Parsons. He leads all Cowboys with six quarterback takedowns. Call us crazy, but something tells us that running the ball AT him instead of trying to run around him or away from him is the better option for dealing with him.

He’s six-foot-three and 245 pounds. History has taught us that those guys don’t want to be pushed around for four quarters.

There’s been no word on Jordan Mailata and whether he’s playing or not. If he doesn’t, Jack Driscoll figures to give it a go if Andre Dillard isn’t elevated from the injured reserve back to the active roster by game day.

Jalen Hurts can make the Dallas defense pay if they get over-aggressive though, with both the screen pass and his legs… We’d suggest throwing more screens in A.J. Brown’s direction as well if that again becomes a large part of the offensive game plan. Following three catches on the first drive versus the Arizona Cardinals, he didn’t notch a single reception for the remainder of the contest.

On the year, Hurts has thrown four TD passes, but he’s also run for six, averaging 3.9 yards per carry and 53.2 yards rushing per contest. We mentioned that a heavier dose of the running game could be the elixir for what’s been a sometimes stale Eagles offense in the second half, right?