Here we go again: The Eagles-Cowboys stakes are as high as ever

If Eagles history is any sort of a guide, then Gardner Minshew will be just fine on Saturday. After all, this team has had late-season success when it has had to turn to a backup quarterback because of an injury. The Eagles even have a statue of one of those guys outside the stadium.

It’s Cowboys week, Christmas week, and possibly home-field advantage week.

And, because of Jalen Hurts’ shoulder injury, it’s also Mustache week.

This will be just the third regular-season meeting between the Eagles and Cowboys when they both have at least 10 wins. The Eagles are 13-1, Dallas, which lost to 5-8 Jacksonville on Sunday after struggling with then-1-10-1 Houston the week before, is a wobbly 10-4.

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Here are the two previous meetings when both the Eagles and Cowboys had double-digit wins.

What was at stake: The NFC East title and the right to host a rematch the following week in the first round of the playoffs. The Eagles were 11-4 and could have gotten a playoff bye with a win. Host Dallas was 10-5.

What happened: Dallas controlled both lines of scrimmage and rolled to a 24-0 win. The Eagles had lost starting center Jamaal Jackson to a season-ending knee injury the previous week. His replacement, Nick Cole, had an errant shotgun snap to Donovan McNabb in the red zone that ended an Eagles threat late in the second quarter.

What was said: “I haven’t been through too many of those,” said offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. “I don’t think too many people in this room have been through many of those. We’ll see what we’re made of here, this week.” That answer would be even more disappointing.

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What was the result: The Cowboys and Eagles finished with identical records, but Dallas swept the Birds and won the division on the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Cowboys again rolled in the wild-card round (34-14) in what would be McNabb’s final game as an Eagle. The Cowboys got flattened by Minnesota (34-3) in the divisional round.

What was at stake: The prize was the same (NFC East championship, playoff bye week), but the circumstances were way funkier. The teams were so even that it went down to the fifth tiebreaker — best point differential in divisional games. Thus, the Cowboys not only had to beat the Eagles, but they had to win by 25 or more points.

What happened: The injury-riddled Birds were down 21-0 at half and (gasp!) 35-10 in the fourth quarter. But the Eagles scored 17 points in the last seven minutes to rally for a 35-27 loss. It was the Eagles’ first division title since 1960.

What was said: Afterward, coach Dick Vermeil singled out a few of the veterans (Harold Carmichael, Bill Bergey, etc.) who played on some really bad Eagles teams before Vermeil’s arrival. “They were here when people were calling them losers and bums and throwing bottles at them,” Vermeil said. “To call them champions was the greatest satisfaction I’ve ever had as a coach.”

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What was the result: The Eagles and Cowboys were probably the best teams in the NFC. By winning the division, even by an obscure tiebreaker, it meant a possible playoff rematch would be played at frigid Veterans Stadium. That’s exactly what happened three weeks later when the Eagles beat Dallas to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in team history. Snowballs may have been flying that day. But not bottles.

The Eagles on Saturday will have a chance to win their third road game in three weeks for just the fifth time in franchise history. The last time was in 2006 when backup Jeff Garcia — filling in for an injured McNabb — won at Washington, at the Giants and at Dallas in Weeks 14-16. The Eagles closed the season with five consecutive wins and grabbed an unlikely playoff berth.

They’ve had 34 previous instances of three consecutive games in three weeks outside of Philadelphia. The Birds lost all three five times, including in 1936 when they lost five straight during a 1-11 season.

Ever hear the story of how the Eagles-Cowboys’ hatred started in earnest? Colleague Mike Sielski traced it back to a nasty hit in 1966.

How notable quarterbacks have fared in the Eagles-Cowboys rivalry (listed alphabetically):

Randall Cunningham (9 wins, 3 losses): Won eight starts in a row against Dallas from 1987-91, the Eagles’ longest streak in the series.

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Nick Foles (1 win, 3 losses): Foles’ only win was the 2013 season finale, which gave the Eagles the division crown and sent the Cowboys home. The Birds had gone 10-6 after finishing 4-12 in Andy Reid’s final season the year before. It also was the third consecutive season when a loss to an NFC East rival kept Dallas from the postseason.

Jalen Hurts (1 win, 2 losses): Hurts has three TD passes and four picks in two starts at Dallas. The Eagles lost each game by 20.

Ron Jaworski (5 wins, 12 losses): Although he had just 91 yards passing, Jaworski was under center when the Eagles beat the Cowboys to win the NFC championship in 1980.

Donovan McNabb (11 wins, 9 losses): His best game was in 2004 when he threw for four touchdown passes on a Monday night best remembered for a provocative opening by ABC featuring Terrell Owens and actress Nicollette Sheridan.

Gardner Minshew (0 wins, 1 loss): Started the season finale in a 51-26 loss on Jan. 8 in which the Eagles rested many of their regulars. Hurts sat out with a minor ankle injury. Minshew threw for 186 yards with two touchdowns and an interception that went through the hands of JJ Arcega-Whiteside.

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Carson Wentz (4 wins, 4 losses): Wentz wasn’t spectacular, but he took care of the ball and made enough plays to help the Eagles turn a 9-7 halftime deficit in 2017 into a 37-9 win. It was the Eagles’ third-largest road win in this rivalry behind a 43-7 Eagles win in 1961 and a 36-3 victory in 2001.

Troy Aikman (12 wins, 11 losses): Includes two playoff wins along with three losses when he was knocked out early.

Don Meredith (6 wins, 6 losses): Had five TD passes in a 56-7 Cowboys win in 1966, the largest margin of victory in this rivalry.

Dak Prescott (7 wins, 3 losses): Did not play in the first meeting this year. Threw five touchdown passes in last year’s convincing season-finale win by Dallas, 51-26.

Tony Romo (10 wins, 6 losses): Nice record, but Eagles fans still revel in the 44-6 win in 2008 when Romo was sacked three times, fumbled twice and was picked off once. Brian Dawkins was dominant that afternoon.

Roger Staubach (15 wins, 3 losses): In his career, Staubach had 17 TD passes and 18 interceptions against the Birds. Would not have figured that.

Danny White (7 wins, 4 losses): Was the opposing quarterback when the Eagles won the 1980 NFC championship, and two years later when Joe Montana and Dwight Clark hooked up for “The Catch” for the 49ers at Candlestick Park.

This will be the third year that only the No. 1 seed in each conference gets a playoff bye.

In 2020, AFC top seed Kansas City reached the Super Bowl but lost to Tampa Bay, which also knocked out the NFC’s No. 1 seed, Green Bay, in the conference championship.

Last year, both No. 1 seeds lost in the divisional round. Tennessee fell to Cincinnati and Green Bay was dumped by San Francisco.

The Eagles, with a win on Saturday, will clinch the NFC’s No. 1 seed for this season, and Minshew will become part of the team’s lore.

The AFC race for No. 1 is coming down to Buffalo (11-3), Kansas City (11-3), or maybe even Cincinnati (10-4).