Eagles vs. Cowboys predictions: Our writers make their picks for Week 10

The Eagles visit the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon. Here are our writers’ predictions for Week 10.

The Eagles head to Texas to face a sinking Cowboys team. Dallas is 3-5 and will be without quarterback Dak Prescott, who will be sidelined for an extended period with a hamstring strain. Backup Cooper Rush will get the start — his second against the Eagles. Two years ago in Philly, he tossed three interceptions, but had the Cowboys hanging around into the fourth quarter until a late Eagles score gave them a 26-17 win. Rush won four straight starts ahead of that loss, so he’s not some stiff. But he has limitations and will struggle when pressured. The Eagles defense needs to take away Rush’s first reads — especially on CeeDee Lamb’s short routes — because he’s going to try and get the ball out quick.

The Cowboys are clearly down, but aside from the Bengals, they might be the most talented opponent the Eagles have faced since the bye — even with all their key missing parts. Nick Sirianni & Co. can’t go back to turning the ball over on offense and missing tackles on defense. A combination of the two could lead to an upset. I still think better offenses will expose some of the weaker spots in Vic Fangio’s defense, but without Prescott, the Cowboys just don’t seem to have the firepower.

Prediction: Eagles 30, Cowboys 20

The wheels were already starting to fall off before Prescott went down with a hamstring injury in Dallas’ third consecutive loss last week.

And while Prescott appeared to use some harsh language to describe the state of the Cowboys, he’s not wrong. They’re bad.

Dallas is expected to welcome back Micah Parsons, which should help a pass defense that has been struggling.

But the Eagles have done well enough without left tackle Jordan Mailata that the return of Parsons isn’t a game-changing development.

This one features two teams moving in opposite directions, and it’s hard to come up with enough reasons to think that won’t continue. The Eagles should win in Dallas for the first time since 2017.

Prediction: Eagles 30, Cowboys 20

Parsons presents the biggest challenge in his prospective return to game action after he was sidelined with an ankle injury for the last four contests. The Cowboys like to move him around, but it’s fair to wonder if he’ll try to exploit a matchup against Fred Johnson, who is expected to start his fourth straight game in the absence of Mailata.

Otherwise, most of the Eagles’ matchups on offense work in their favor. The Cowboys have particularly struggled against the run this season — according to Next Gen Stats, Dallas has allowed opposing running backs to rack up more yards than expected on 38.4% of rushes this season, the second-highest rate in the NFL. That ought to be good news for Saquon Barkley, who has collected 263 rushing yards over expected, which is the second most in the NFL. Given their red-hot play lately, the Eagles have a strong chance of winning their first game in Dallas since 2017.

Prediction: Eagles 27, Cowboys 20

Sunday will be an interesting test with the potential to springboard this team into the season’s second half. The Cowboys are a team in a free fall. They struggled on offense even before Prescott left last Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury, going into this matchup ranked 25th in offensive DVOA, 23rd in yards per play, and 31st in red-zone conversion rate.

On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys have been even less efficient and without their best player the last couple weeks. The defense ranks 29th in DVOA and has given up the third-most rushing yards to opposing offenses so far this season. That should play right into the Eagles hands, even if Parsons is available after missing the last four games with an ankle injury. The Eagles have had success isolating Parsons in run-pass option or zone-read concepts that leave him unblocked in space as the conflict defender. Doing so would make plenty of sense again if they face him on Sunday.

Put simply, the Eagles have the talent and the matchup advantages to win this game. Last Sunday’s hiccups against the Jaguars showed they are capable of beating themselves, but the fact they were able to overcome some poor turnover luck and mid-game injuries last week is reason for confidence going into an important divisional matchup.

Prediction: Eagles 24, Cowboys 13

The Eagles visit the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon. Here are our writers’ predictions for Week 10.

The Eagles head to Texas to face a sinking Cowboys team. Dallas is 3-5 and will be without quarterback Dak Prescott, who will be sidelined for an extended period with a hamstring strain. Backup Cooper Rush will get the start — his second against the Eagles. Two years ago in Philly, he tossed three interceptions, but had the Cowboys hanging around into the fourth quarter until a late Eagles score gave them a 26-17 win. Rush won four straight starts ahead of that loss, so he’s not some stiff. But he has limitations and will struggle when pressured. The Eagles defense needs to take away Rush’s first reads — especially on CeeDee Lamb’s short routes — because he’s going to try and get the ball out quick.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Vic Fangio bracket coverages towards Lamb. If he did it for the Jaguars’ Brian Thomas Jr. last week, he’s likely to this week with there being a significant drop-off after the Cowboys receiver. I’m sure coach Mike McCarthy would like to lean on his run game with Prescott out, but that facet of his offense has been without juice. Running back Rico Dowdle is decent, but Dallas’ offensive line — save for guards Zack Martin and Tyler Smith — is a shade of its former self. The Eagles will likely be in nickel a lot as to match the Cowboys’ heavy “11″ personnel, which means more four-man fronts. Fangio has seemed to figure out how to contain offenses that want to run at his lighter boxes. Off-ball linebackers Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean have mostly done strong work at the second level.

If the Eagles can get to Rush and keep Lamb in check, I’m not sure what else the Cowboys have their hats to hang on. They always have home-field advantage and have beaten the Birds in six straight at AT&T dating back to 2017. But Dallas’ defense hasn’t looked this bad in years. Injuries have plagued the group, but it could be getting Micah Parsons back on Sunday. He’s a game changer, but the Eagles can focus a lot of their attention to stopping him because fellow edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence will be out. The Cowboys replaced defensive coordinator Dan Quinn with another old head, Mike Zimmer. His 4-3 front has lacked teeth, and the inventive pressures he was once known for seem to be lacking.

It doesn’t help that he’s been lacking in personnel on the back end. Cornerback DaRon Bland has yet to play this season because of a foot injury. His counterpart, Trevon Diggs, is healthy, though. He loves to jump routes, but has only one interception this season. He can be exploited with double moves — hello, A.J. Brown! — and running at him. Dallas likes to stay in its base defense, but Nick Sirianni and Kellen Moore should not get away from the success they’ve had in establishing the run early with Saquon Barkley since the bye. Linebacker Eric Kendricks can still fend off blocks and get to ballcarriers, but he isn’t the athlete he was once. Jalen Hurts should have his opportunities to throw downfield to Brown and DeVonta Smith, but I think returning tight end Dallas Goedert and his backup Grant Calcaterra will have decided advantages against Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson.

The Cowboys are clearly down, but aside from the Bengals, they might be the most talented opponent the Eagles have faced since the bye — even with all their key missing parts. Sirianni & Co. can’t go back to turning the ball over on offense and missing tackles on defense. A combination of the two could lead to an upset. I still think better offenses will expose some of the weaker spots in Fangio’s defense, but without Prescott, the Cowboys just don’t seem to have the firepower.

Prediction: Eagles 30, Cowboys 20

The wheels were already starting to fall off before Prescott went down with a hamstring injury in Dallas’ third consecutive loss last week.

And while Prescott appeared to use some harsh language to describe the state of the Cowboys, he’s not wrong. They’re bad.

They’re going to be even worse without their quarterback, one would expect. But Rush has been around since 2017 and knows the offense. Sunday will be his first start since playing the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in 2022, but during that stretch of five starts while Prescott was injured in 2022, Rush went 4-1. This isn’t just some random backup quarterback.

Rush, however, will be leading an offense that ranks 20th in the NFL in scoring at 21.4 points per game. That’s worse than the Jaguars, who for most of last week’s Eagles win looked inept. Lamb and Jake Ferguson are top players at their respective positions. But the Cowboys have the second-worst running attack and will need Rush to move the ball through the air against an Eagles pass defense that ranks seventh in the NFL.

That seems like a big ask.

» READ MORE: Surging Eagles defense prepares for a Dak Prescott-less Cowboys squad on Sunday: ‘We’re just locked in’

The Eagles, meanwhile, should have no problems moving the ball against a Dallas run defense that ranks 30th in the league.

Dallas is expected to welcome back Parsons, which should help a pass defense that has been struggling.

But the Eagles have done well enough without left tackle Jordan Mailata that the return of Parsons isn’t a game-changing development.

This one features two teams moving in opposite directions, and it’s hard to come up with enough reasons to think that won’t continue. The Eagles should win in Dallas for the first time since 2017.

Prediction: Eagles 30, Cowboys 20

If there was ever a time for the Eagles to break the apparent curse that has plagued their recent visits to AT&T Stadium, it would be on Sunday.

As poorly as the Cowboys have been playing for most of the season, the Eagles are catching a break with Prescott out due to a potentially season-ending hamstring injury. Instead, they’ll face Rush, a career backup who hasn’t started a game since 2022. While the 30-year-old Rush has been successful in limited action (5-1-0 in his starts), he does not possess the same athletic ability and arm strength that Prescott boasts.

Outside of Lamb, whom the Eagles are far better equipped to defend this year than they were last, Rush lacks weapons on offense. Taking Lamb out of the equation should be the defense’s top priority, given the lack of depth behind him. They shouldn’t have to worry too much about the Cowboys beating them on the ground, given that they have one of the league’s worst run games by yards (No. 31) and points (No. 31).

» READ MORE: Eagles make no deadline trades; Vic Fangio is ‘pleased’ with the defense

On the other side of the ball, Parsons presents the biggest challenge is his prospective return to game action after he was sidelined with an ankle injury for the last four contests. The Cowboys like to move him around, but it’s fair to wonder if he’ll try to exploit a matchup against Fred Johnson, who is expected to start his fourth straight game in the absence of Mailata.

Otherwise, most of the Eagles’ matchups on offense work in their favor. The Cowboys have particularly struggled against the run this season — according to Next Gen Stats, Dallas has allowed opposing running backs to rack up more yards than expected on 38.4% of rushes this season, the second-highest rate in the NFL. That ought to be good news for Barkley, who has collected 263 rushing yards over expected, which is the second most in the NFL. Given their red-hot play lately, the Eagles have a strong chance of winning their first game in Dallas since 2017.

Prediction: Eagles 27, Cowboys 20

Going into the first Eagles-Cowboys matchup of the year with Rush expected to start evokes memories of the 2022 season. The Eagles have yet to fully recapture the dominant form they showcased going into that matchup two years ago, but they do head to Jerry World winners of four straight nonetheless.

Sunday will be an interesting test with the potential to springboard this team into the season’s second half. The Cowboys are a team in a free fall. They struggled on offense even before Prescott left last Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury, going into this matchup ranked 25th in offensive DVOA, 23rd in yards per play, and 31st in red-zone conversion rate.

Rush might add an element of unpredictability in his first start since the 2022 season, when he went 4-1 filling in for Prescott, but his shaky production even during that winning stretch suggests the Eagles defense should be able to have another strong showing. Lamb, Dallas’ star receiver, seems to be on track to play, which will set up an important matchup between him and Quinyon Mitchell when the two line up across from each other. Lamb has spent 53.8% of the Cowboys’ passing plays in a slot alignment this season according to Pro Football Focus, meaning Cooper DeJean will also see plenty of the All-Pro.

As encouraging as the pair of rookie cornerbacks has been this season, some help from the Eagles’ front seven would go a long way toward dealing with Lamb. There should be opportunities; Prescott was sacked 21 times so far this year, which ranks 25th among 35 qualifying quarterbacks going into Thursday night.

» READ MORE: Eagles’ Saquon Barkley isn’t concerned with his heavy workload: ‘Y’all shouldn’t worry about it’

On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys have been even less efficient and without their best player the last couple weeks. The defense ranks 29th in DVOA and has given up the third-most rushing yards to opposing offenses so far this season. That should play right into the Eagles hands, even if Parsons is available after missing the last four games with an ankle injury. The Eagles have had success isolating Parsons in run-pass option or zone-read concepts that leave him unblocked in space as the conflict defender. Doing so would make plenty of sense again if they face him on Sunday.

Put simply, the Eagles have the talent and the matchup advantages to win this game. Last Sunday’s hiccups against the Jaguars showed they are capable of beating themselves, but the fact they were able to overcome some poor turnover luck and mid-game injuries last week is reason for confidence going into an important divisional matchup.

Prediction: Eagles 24, Cowboys 13

Tune into Gameday Central on Sunday as Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith discuss all the key questions surrounding the Eagles’ matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.