Explaining the Eagles' Scale Back to Walkthrough Wednesday

The Eagles had planned to start Dallas week with a traditional Wednesday practice until deciding to scale back on Tuesday afternoon

It’s Dallas week which is always a big deal in Philadelphia.

This one is even bigger than usual, however, with the Eagles at 5-0, the only unbeaten team in the NFL, and the Cowboys right on their heels at 4-1 with an opportunity to comfort the remaining members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins by assuring perfection isn’t in the cards for Philadelphia.

The Cowboys would also pull into first place in the NFC East even though both teams would be 5-1 because Dallas would hold the tiebreaker until at least the Christmas Eve rematch in Dallas.

“We know how big of a game it is because it's the Cowboys and we know how big of a game it is because it's the next one and we know how big of a game it is because it's a division game,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “We're just going to go about our business that way to prepare like we always prepare and leave no stone unturned."

Sirianni, though, doesn't want his team making this game bigger than it is,

"We don't get wrapped up in [the rivalry]," he said. "The best teams I've been on don't get too wrapped up in all those different things and they go about their business this week to get ready."

Sirianni originally scheduled a traditional Wednesday, typically the heaviest workload of an NFL week.

After mulling things on Monday and Tuesday, however, Sirianni looked at a landscape that featured some key players like Jordan Mailata (shoulder) and Aveonte Maddox (ankle) trying to work back from injuries, along with the realization that the team is coming off its longest road trip of the season, the 20-17 nailbiter over Arizona on Sunday, and scaled back to a walkthrough Wednesday.

It’s the second consecutive week the Eagles have held a walkthrough on Wednesday, something that’s usually saved for far deeper into the season.

Sirianni discussed the strategy last week in detail.

“It's a feel thing,” he said. “... We had some bumps and bruises in that [Jacksonville] game. Hey, we do what we feel is best for our guys.”

The Eagles have made it an organizational philosophy to prioritize player health.

“We did (a walkthrough) after the Monday night game (against Minnesota) on a short week. We did it (after Jacksonville),” Sirianni said.

This is the first time the plan changed so late in the process and it's for a high-profile game so the decision will be judged with the benefit of hindsight.

A week ago, Sirianni noted that he wasn’t into the Wednesday walkthrough mode just yet and put that traditional practice on the schedule before reversing course Tuesday afternoon.

“We'll do it later in the year.," he said. "We're not into that mode yet as far as that goes. It was just a feel (after the Jags game) for hey, we've got some guys banged up; it would be good to get them another day's rest while working their minds really hard today with meetings and walkthrough.”

That "feel" just came a little later this time perhaps in an effort to manage the banged-up players, a group that expanded and now includes All-Pro center Jason Kelce (ankle) and left guard Landon Dickerson (leg).

Right guard Isaac Seumalo also was dealing with an ankle injury coming out of the Jacksonville game. He played 100% of the snaps in Arizona, but did so with the ankle heavily wrapped.

The Cowboys' best player, meanwhile, is second-year defensive stalwart Micah Parsons, a potential game-wrecker.

 "He has to be accounted for on every play," said offensive coordinator Shane Steichen on Tuesday. "He flies around. They line him up all over the place. Really good pass rusher. He has speed. He has power. So, we have to be aware of him."

If you understand that, you'll understand why the Eagles are trying to manage the offensive line in an effort to get as many of the starters on the field as possible.

They are thinking about Parsons and his potential impact against backup offensive linemen.

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen