USA Today
Cowboys' DeMarcus Lawrence Turns up Heat on Eagles-Dallas Rivalry
The intense rivalry between the Eagles and Cowboys seemed to be on the backburner this week, sitting on a low simmer.
Eagles coach Doug Pederson seemed to have unintentionally turned up the heat on Monday when he made what sounded like a guarantee of a win when the two teams collide Sunday night at AT&T Stadium with first place in the NFC East on the line.
None of the Cowboys took the bait, though, even after Pederson softened those comments.
That is, until Friday, when Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence chimed in.
“Can he (Pederson) play the game? Then he might wanna shut his ass up and stay on the sideline,” said Lawrence on the Dallas web site. “He can’t play the game for them. The Eagles got to come play, and he’s supposed to sit on the sideline and do whatever he wants to do – but he can’t play the game for them, so we’ll see.”
So after a mostly quiet week, it would seem the war of words have reached full boil.
Pederson said during his guest spot on Sports Radio 94WIP on Monday that his team was going down to Dallas and “our guys are gonna be ready to play. And we're gonna win that football game, and when we do, we're in first place in the NFC East. We control our own destiny. We're right where we need to be."
Pederson backed off those comments hours later when he with reporters, saying he was just expressing confidence in his players.
“Never said guarantee a win,” said Pederson. “I would never do that.”
The Cowboys have lost three in a row and are 3-3, including a 24-22 loss to the previously winless New York Jets, a team the Eagles had thumped by 25 points a week earlier.
The Eagles have won two of three, but are coming off a blowout loss last week to the Minnesota Vikings.
“What is there to fear?” said Lawrence. “We are all men. We already know what we got to do. We’re gonna go and show it, and prove it.”
