Cowboys 3 Keys To Victory at Jalen Hurts' Eagles in NFC East Showdown; Injury Report
The Dallas Cowboys own the NFL's No. 3 scoring defense, while the Philadelphia Eagles own the NFL's No. 5 scoring offense. Now, the two teams are on a collision course, as the two hottest teams in the NFL prepare to face off this Sunday.
Dallas will have to attempt to extend the win streak without quarterback Dak Prescott once again in Week 6, as head coach Mike McCarthy says the team is preparing for Cooper Rush to start against Philadelphia.
Going into the game, inside the building, the Cowboys are emphasizing one general aspect of football that must be executed to win: Tackling.
But more specifically? There are Dallas' three keys to success:
1) Put pressure on Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts
The Eagles are enjoying a renaissance of sorts at the quarterback position this season, as Hurts is playing at an MVP-caliber level. As it sits right now, Hurts has the fourth-best chance of winning NFL MVP according to FanDuel, at +600 odds. However, Hurts is at his worst when under pressure.
When not blitzed this season, Hurts has the second-best Pro Football Focus grade among all quarterback league-wide. When blitzed, that drops to No. 27 league-wide.
The Cowboys currently have the second-most sacks in the NFL with 20 on the season. Additionally, despite having only blitzed on 24.7 percent of drop backs this season, Dallas has generated pressure on 43.5 percent.
The Cowboys may not even have to blitz Hurts in order to make him uncomfortable. Regardless, they'll need to generate pressure on Sunday one way or another ... or Hurts can easily make the Dallas defense pay.
2) Keep Hurts in the pocket
The one downside of bringing blitz against a quarterback like Hurts? His mobility.
Hurts has a knack for taking off out of the pocket when under duress, while producing highlight reel plays in the process.
Additionally, Hurts has 266 rushing yards this season, which for comparison, is more than Cowboys running back Tony Pollard. Dallas has to eliminate the possibility of Hurts extending plays with his legs if they want any chance of containing the Philadelphia offense.
Said Dallas coach Mike McCarthy of Hurts: “l’m seeing him play with extreme confidence. You see the maturation. He’s off to an excellent start.”
Will there be a "spy'' involved? Maybe, though Dallas might be wise to simply play sound run-stopping football. Will injuries be an issue in stopping Hurts?
As you see in Friday's final and official injury report, Micah Parsons (groin) and DeMarcus Lawrence (chest) are scheduled to play. ... a big helper to the cause.
3) SCORE ON OFFENSE
Most of the Cowboys' success during their four-game win streak can be attributed to the defense. Dallas is the only team in the NFL this season that has yet to give up more than one touchdown in a game.
However, Dallas also has the league's eighth-worst scoring offense, averaging just 18.6 points per game.
That might not cut it against Philadelphia.
The Eagles have the NFL's second-best offense in total yards per game, while boasting the No. 5 scoring offense. This may be the largest challenge yet for this Cowboys' defense, meaning the offensive will have to carry its weight for once. If the Cowboys offense can't play more than just "complementary football" on Sunday, they could quickly find themselves on the losing end of a shootout.
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