Eagles beat writers make their predictions for the Cowboys game in Week 14

The Eagles visit the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. Here are our beat writers’ game predictions.

In the first meeting between the two teams, the Eagles’ game plan for containing CeeDee Lamb didn’t work. Defensive coordinator Sean Desai concentrated coverage toward the Cowboys receiver, but the defender responsible for him often depended upon whom he lined up against. As many as six Eagles, as a result, had to cover Lamb, including rookies Eli Ricks and Sydney Brown. He gashed the defense until Desai finally had cornerback Darius Slay follow him. The Eagles somehow escaped with the victory, despite Lamb’s 11 catches for 191 yards.

» READ MORE: The Eagles secondary is focused on stopping the ‘second play’ with CeeDee Lamb

Desai might want to open up with Slay shadowing Lamb in the rematch, but the veteran is dealing with a knee problem, and Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott has thrown more to receiver Brandin Cooks and tight end Jake Ferguson in the month since the first game. Whatever he decides, he needs his unit to be better situationally on third down (last in the NFL) and in the red zone (29th). Getting Zach Cunningham back should help. The San Francisco 49ers exposed the Eagles linebackers, Nicholas Morrow specifically, but there was plenty of blame to go around on that side of the ball last Sunday.

The Eagles added Shaquille Leonard Leonard on Monday to help the group. The guess here is that he’ll play some, but likely as part of a three-man rotation. Desai has to be prepared for the Cowboys to run a lot of 4x1 sets like San Fran did to great effect. The formation can be used to get Lamb matched up one-on-one or to draw coverage away from the Pro Bowl receiver. Coach and play-caller Mike McCarthy has developed a rhythm with Prescott, who’s playing some of his best football ever.

The Eagles’ pass rush also needs to be more productive. Haason Reddick and other edges picked on Terence Steele in the Nov. 5 matchup, so it’s fair to assume McCarthy will do more to help the right tackle this next time. Josh Sweat will likely need to get more pressure than he has in recent weeks against still-tough left tackle Tyron Smith.

Nick Sirianni’s offense scored 28 points on Dallas last time, but it was shut out in the fourth quarter as the Cowboys mounted a comeback. Three three-and-outs had many outside the NovaCare Complex questioning Brian Johnson’s play-calling. But credit should be given to a Dallas defense that has been dominant for stretches this season. The unit didn’t look so hot in its last game, against the Seattle Seahawks. But edge rushers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence and pick-six-happy cornerback DaRon Bland have, for the most part, kept opposing offenses from piling up yards and points.

The Eagles will need more production on the ground if they’re to beat the Cowboys. The problem with the run game against the 49ers wasn’t that they didn’t call run plays enough — despite that popular narrative in Philadelphia — it’s that they didn’t run it well enough. The Eagles have had success in that area this season, they just haven’t been as consistent or explosive. A lot of that has to do with Jalen Hurts not being as effective as a plus-one factor. I also think the offense just ran into a defensive buzz saw last week.

The same reason can be given for Hurts’ passing struggles. He held the ball longer than normal and missed some open downfield receivers last Sunday. But the return of tight end Dallas Goedert should help. Hurts is just one week removed from some trumpeting his MVP candidacy and yet some are making ridiculous claims about his competency. I’m more inclined to look at his overall record and I think he’ll bounce back.

The same could be said for the team as a whole. The 23-point loss to San Francisco might be the wake-up call they needed. Or it might suggest they’re not as good as their record. But I think they can still beat any team given their talent and the right circumstances. They have several factors going against them, of course. The Cowboys have three extra days of rest and they haven’t lost at home in 14 games. I’m not a big “hunch” guy. I like to base my predictions on my analysis of the matchups. And I give Dallas the edge in a bunch. But the Eagles are as strong up front, they’re as gifted at the skill positions, and they have shown, under Sirianni, a resilience that I think will guide them to victory at AT&T Stadium.

Prediction: Eagles 34, Cowboys 31

The Eagles are headed to Arlington, Texas, with the intention of doing something they haven’t accomplished since 2017 — beating the Cowboys on their own field. The Cowboys have been thriving lately at AT&T Stadium, holding a 14-game home winning streak dating back to Week 2 of last season. The Eagles are also looking for their first sweep of the Cowboys, including the playoffs, since 2011.

» READ MORE: Nick Sirianni: ‘We have to put the players in better positions to succeed’ vs. Cowboys

Alas, every season ushers in new players and coaches unaffiliated with teams of years past, so the Eagles’ recent history is moot as it relates to their chance at a win on Sunday. Still, the 9-3 Cowboys led by Prescott pose yet another challenging task for the Eagles on the heels of a 42-19 defeat to the 49ers. Oh, and the Cowboys are coming off 10 days of rest given that they last played on Nov. 30, against the Seahawks.

In Week 9, the Eagles defense struggled to limit the impacts of Lamb and Ferguson in the passing game. Lamb racked up 191 yards on 11 receptions, while Ferguson had 91 yards and a touchdown on seven catches. Do the Eagles have answers to contain them this time around? Nickel cornerback Bradley Roby, who missed Week 9 with a pectoral injury, figures to at least be a part of Desai’s solution for Lamb. Slay, who traveled with Lamb toward the end of the game last month, was listed as a nonparticipant in practice Wednesday and Thursday with a knee injury.

The defense stands to benefit from the potential return of Cunningham, who missed last week with a hamstring injury, and the addition of Leonard. Offensively, Goedert figures to make his return to action after fracturing his forearm against the Cowboys last month.

The Eagles offense has looked awfully off-kilter at times without Goedert in the lineup. I think Hurts’ getting his trusty pass-catching tight end back will help the Eagles offense start trending in the right direction again. But my skepticism remains with the defense, their poor situational football this season (No. 32 on third down, No. 29 in the red zone), and their dubious ability to keep the league’s top-scoring offense off the board. For that reason, I’m picking back-to-back losses for the Eagles for the first time this season.

Prediction: Cowboys 33, Eagles 27

Since the first time these two teams met, the Eagles have been on a slight decline while the Cowboys’ stock has risen considerably.

That disparity is what makes this game so hard to prognosticate. The Eagles’ blowout loss to the 49ers last Sunday presented its share of concerns, but I still think this team is good enough to beat anyone when firing on all cylinders. Whether that happens this weekend is anyone’s guess.

The Cowboys are the inverse. Winning four straight games doesn’t guarantee you a fifth, although the extended rest against a depleted and seemingly worn-down Eagles defense certainly won’t hurt. Just like the Niners, the Cowboys are coming off 10 days’ rest when they face the Eagles. Unlike the Niners, they’ll be the host for the Sunday night matchup of NFC contenders at AT&T Stadium, where they’ve won 14 straight games.

Streaks aside, the Cowboys left the Linc five weeks ago a few collective inches away from upsetting the Eagles, making that home-field advantage hard to overlook. The Eagles have turned in some clunkers in Arlington over the last few years, although only some of those games have had the stakes this one does.

So will Hurts lose consecutive games for the first since 2021? The answer will likely come down to the Eagles’ ability to pressure Prescott and contain Lamb. Last week’s red-zone struggles aside, the offense should be able to put up points with Goedert returning to the lineup and giving them a more reliable answer for two-high coverages and running options out of less predictable formations.

Keeping pace with Prescott and Lamb will be a bigger challenge. Lamb had 11 catches for 191 yards in the first matchup between these teams, a performance that has helped make him an even bigger focal point for the Dallas offense. He has been targeted an average of 12 times since that Week 9 game and has also logged at least one rushing attempt in every game since then.

Expect Dallas to move Lamb around the formation, hunting for favorable matchups against linebackers, safeties, or slot cornerbacks. The Eagles struggled with the 49ers’ matchup hunting last week and will have a similar challenge this week, albeit with a slightly lesser supporting cast around Lamb.

The Eagles don’t have the personnel to avoid Lamb’s finding weak links, which will once again put the onus on the pass rush to impact the game enough to keep Prescott from targeting him as often as he has this year. That’s usually a safe bet, but the Eagles’ pass rush has tailed off in recent weeks as this daunting stretch takes its toll.

This game could be more about the Eagles’ talent and will coming off a humbling loss, but the on-paper matchup favors Dallas in a close one.

Prediction: Cowboys 30, Eagles 27

The Eagles were humbled with their embarrassing loss to the 49ers. Exactly how might they respond?

The defeat highlighted several areas of concerns across the team. One of the most paramount problems was addressed immediately with the addition of veteran linebacker Leonard. The Eagles are hoping his presence shores up some of the lapses across the middle. Although he hasn’t been dominant since undergoing a pair of back surgeries, Leonard is still a serviceable and experienced option, and he boasts a long-standing relationship with Sirianni.

Beyond Leonard, the Eagles will need stellar performances — and sure tackling — from the secondary. The Niners exposed the group last week with their ability to pick up yards after the catch in bunches. And while the pass-rush started off hot, the pressure eventually cooled. Last year at Dallas, defensive end Sweat turned in one of the most memorable moments in recent franchise history with his pick-six off Prescott. The Eagles will need more electric moments on Sunday if they aspire to claim their first victory at Dallas since 2017.

» READ MORE: The Eagles don’t need to run the ball more, and anyone who says they do is living in the past

Offensively, the Eagles might need to score in the 30s to win. The offense hasn’t been clicking on all cylinders, but perhaps the return of Goedert helps with Hurts’ comfort level in certain scenarios. And while fans have been clamoring for Johnson to “run the ball,” this week, the better plea might be for the offense to run the ball more effectively. Team captain Jason Kelce alluded as much after last week’s game, in which Eagles running backs finished with just nine total carries, when he said it’s difficult to call more designed rushes because the unit struggled. The Eagles maintain utmost confidence at the perimeter with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith; the wide receiver duo combined for 17 catches and 210 receiving yards last Sunday.

As documented above, the Eagles haven’t won at Dallas in six years. Last year, they came close to ending that spell with Gardner Minshew under center. Perhaps that whupping from the Niners pushes Hurts and the Eagles toward a bounce-back victory over their division rivals. Even after the loss to San Francisco, the Eagles still control their playoff destiny.

Prediction: Eagles 33, Cowboys 27

The Eagles will visit the Dallas Cowboys in an NFC East showdown on Sunday night. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.