Eagles Veterans Must Step Up to Beat Cowboys

At the top of the step-up list is Fletcher Cox, whose play this season hasn't been as effective in previous seasons

PHILADELPHIA - The previous two Eagles game have been appetizers for the main dish, which will be served Sunday at 4:25 when the Dallas Cowboys visit Lincoln Financial Field.

To prevent the Cowboys from celebrating their second straight NFC East title on their home field, and becoming the first division team to win back-to-back title since the Eagles did it in 2003 and 2004, the Eagles will need their best players to put their best foot forward.

Former practice squad players Greg Ward and Boston Scott have been nice storylines during the Eagles’ two-game winning streak to reach the same 7-7 record Dallas has, but it will be veteran players that will need to elevate their games to snap a four-game losing streak against the Cowboys and make their regular-season finale meaningful.

A loss on Sunday to Dallas and the following week’s game against the New York Giants won’t mean a thing, expect for draft position.

Here are five Eagles who must see to it that the Eagles trip to New York isn’t just a waste of gas:

Fletcher Cox. The defensive end got off to a slow start, due to offseason foot surgery, had a solid middle of the season, but lately, hasn’t seemed to be as good. Some of that could be fatigue. Cox just turned 29 on Dec. 13 and, for the second straight season, he is on pace to play 80 percent of the defensive snaps. Last year he had a team-high 10.5 sacks. This year he has 3.5.

Cox is 5-10 against the Cowboys in his career with 4.5 sacks and nine quarterback hits.

Brandon Graham. The defensive end has played at a high level for most of the season and leads the team with 7.5 sacks. He hasn’t had one since Nov. 24 when he got to Seattle’s Russell Wilson. In a do-or-die game, it would help immensely if Graham could add to that sack total against Prescott.

Graham is 6-9 in career games against Dallas with seven sacks and 17 quarterback hits.

Malcom Jenkins. The safety’s play isn’t what it was last year, and some of that might have to do with age (he turns 32 on Friday), his contract (he didn’t show up for OTAs in the spring because of that), and his snap count. He has played all 845 defensive snaps this season. He played every snap last year, too. With receiving threats like Amari Cooper (71 catches, 1073 yards, eight touchdowns) and Michael Gallup (911 yards and a 16.3 yards per catch average), it is important or Jenkins to make sure the secondary is lined up properly and mistakes are kept to a minimum.

Jenkins is 5-8 in his career against the Cowboys, including 1-1 while with the Saints. He has made 75 tackles with one interception in games against them.

Zach Ertz. Clearly the tight end must be better than he was in the game earlier this season between the two teams when he had just two receptions for 24 yards. Lately, Ertz has stepped up his game and has four touchdowns in the past four games to give him six this season. He has played 13 games against the Cowboys, so he is familiar with the intensity that needs to be ramped up in order to have success against them.

Ertz is 5-8 in those 13 games with 59 catches for 580 yards (9.8 yards per catch).

Carson Wentz. Does four years count as being a veteran? Call it borderline. Either way, it is imperative for the fourth-year quarterback to play better than he did on Oct. 20, when he fumbled the ball twice and threw an interception in that 37-10 defeat. Wentz has played better during the two games, though he still has a propensity to fumble the ball, but he will need to play turnover-free and run the offense at a high level, perhaps higher than any time this season, in order to pull out a win.

Wentz is 2-4 in his career against the Cowboys, though he has thrown 11 touchdowns to just two interceptions in those games.