SWEPT one division opponent, now we get to put work in on another. At one point in the game, we were down 3 -14, but we didn’t hang our heads. We tightened our chinstraps. We unleashed WR A.J. Brown. We remembered our run game, and fed RB D’Andre Swift. We fought our way back, and we won.
Our next opponent doesn’t handle the run so well, and now given that they are down to just TWO active, actual LB’s on their entire roster, if we decide to make this a physical game, they probably can’t say much about it.
A win puts us at 8 – 1, heading into our Bye Week. It would ensure that when we come back, we would still maintain both the lead in the NFC East, and the best record in the NFL. It’s too early to start talking (in-depth) about home-field advantage, so I won’t go there just yet.
A loss holds us to 7 – 2. That would be enough to hold the division lead for one more week. However, if Dallas wins during our Bye Week, the two teams would have identical records, with Dallas holding the head to head tie-break.
So the Eagles have to win this game.
****
The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. So here are theFour Thingsthat we need to focus on this week versus: the Cowboys.
Shaquille O’Neal and the late, great Alex Trebek, share a phonebooth.
1) Be Physical About Running the Ball:Feed RB D’Andre Swift, as LTJordan Mailata,LG Landon Dickersonand the rest of our O-Line dominates and wears down the Dallas defense. Their starting MLB is on Injured Reserve. So they’re down to just two LB’s with familiarity in their defensive scheme. (And one of those LB’s thinks he’s a DE.)
This deficiency means that Dallas has to trot out Safeties under 220 pounds, to man that third LB spot, whenever we use 21 Personnel (2TE, 1RB). They’re going to want to offset our power, with their speed. So we should negate their speed, and expose their power deficiency, by turning every carry into a fistfight in a phonebooth.
2) Win the Turnover Battle:Dallas has thrived on bad offenses turning the ball over in bunches. In the two games they lost, they lost the turnover battle first. Beating Dallas isn’t hard. There’s no mystery to it. The formula is: Just don’t help them win.
3) Alter Their QB’s Launch Points: If their QB can go “1-2-3-throw” like we’ve allowed lesser QB’s to do, he’s going to complete 97% of his passes, and we’re going to get shit-canned. We can’t let him run drives like he’s running a practice drill.
Playing some CB’s Darius ‘Big Play’ Slay and James Bradberry in more Man Press, or even some Zone Press, will force their QB off his first option, and make him read. At that point DT’s Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter can start to pressure their QB and move him around in the pocket, changing his delivery from how he practiced it.
DE Josh Sweat with a pick six vs Dak Prescott in 2022
Their QB’s arm is good, but pinpoint accuracy was never his strong-suit. Even from flat-footed in the pocket. If we can get him moving while throwing, he might serve us up a few of those delicious turnovers. We know that SS Kevin Byardloves them!
Kitchen Bitch, GO BAKE!
4) Bait the ‘Boys:Watching video of Dallas’s defense, I noticed that they flow hard and fast off of first motion. They’re under-sized, under-manned, under-powered, and they know it. So they try to win by beating opponents to the spot.
We should use play-action, misdirection, and RPO plays, sprinkled into a smash-mouth approach, to cause defensive overflows, early on. Later, when Dallas is tired and beat-up, those same play-action, misdirection, and RPO plays, will lead to hesitation. That’s when we can break the game open.
****
If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
This division can’t be won by a team with a glass jaw. The Eagles have proven repeatedly this season, that being down doesn’t mean we’re out. In two out of three games when the Eagles were down, we came back and won. In both of Dallas’s losses, they were knocked down, and stayed down. We are not the same.
Given that Dallas isn’t very good at running the ball this year, the load is being placed squarely on their QB. So we need to attack him. Make him uncomfortable. Make him run a little off-schedule. And hit him. For Fuck’s sake, hit him. A lot. If he’s thinking about not getting hurt, he’s already thinking less about the offense.
Final note. Given the nature of their LB situation, and how neither one of their LB’s can cover him, I’d say that TE Dallas Goedert and/or WR Julio Jones, could be looking at big days.
****
WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.
LAST year the Cowboys went 12 – 5 overall, and 4 – 2 against the division, to finish second in the NFC East. They utterly rolled over the Buccaneers in the Wild Card round, but then vs San Francisco, couldn’t get the engine of their offense to “turnover”. It would also mark the last game as a Cowboy, for C Ezekiel Elliott. In the aftermath, head coach Mike McCarthy, fired offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, and took over the O.C. job, himself.
For the first time in a long time, there’s real interest, not just hype, about the Cowboys. People, and Cowboys fans, are curious about what happens next. So lets take a gander at the 2023 Pre-Draft Cowboys.
OFFENSE
QB: People will keep mentioning that Dak Prescott led the NFL with 15 interceptions in just twelve games, last year. Ignore it. It’s an overblown stat. John Elway, Dan Marino, Brett Favre, Warren Moon, Peyton Manning, have all surpassed 15 picks PLENTY of times. Vinny Testaverde played 20 years, and one year he threw 35 picks vs 13 TD’s. What matters isn’t how many picks you throw, but when you throw them. Like Prescott’s game winner vs Jacksonville.
Prescott has never been a great passer, but his delivery skills (read + velocity + accuracy) are still (as a combination) better than most. Add to that, his comfort in his system, and it only magnifies his ability to be effective. He is not a top 10 passer and he’s no longer dynamic, but he’s very experienced and still in his prime. It would be a mistake to underestimate him.
Preseason Hall of Famer, Cooper Rush led the team to a 5 and oh wait… 4 – 1 record last year during Prescott’s absence. Be it his completion percentage of 58, or his 5 TD’s vs 3 picks, the Cowboys organization brought him back for two more years. Will Grier has 52 career attempts and 4 interceptions vs no scores. Not a sexy group, but solid. (+)
RB: Gone is Ezekiel Elliott. Currently the head of the Cowboys running attack is Tony Pollard. Pollard, who’s game is speed and explosiveness, is not yet healed from a broken ankle suffered in the playoffs, and the subsequent Tightrope surgery that followed it.
Hedging their bets, just in case Pollard isn’t himself, Ronald Jones was added to the team. Jones is a decent player who can get production if he sees touches, but he’s not special. Rounding out the list is Malik Davis, yet another 6 foot, 205-ish pound RB.
With the way that Dallas historically likes to use this position (heavy use, between the Tackles, just a handful of plays designed), this team is either about to go in a new direction, or find out they’re incompetent on offense. (-)
WR:
At first glance the Cowboys situation seems great here. Then you realize that last year’s number two and three receivers are no longer on the roster, and number four is a RB rehabbing a broken ankle. Did I mention that number two was a TE?
Ceedee getting open easily.
Leading off is Ceedee Lamb, who had a career year, but he did most of his damage from the slot. This calls up a question that’s been dogging Lamb for three years: Is he truly a number one, or is he just Robin in Batman’s costume? Brandin Cooks was signed to add a legit deep threat, but it remains to be seen how well he’ll fit into a run-heavy system, where he’ll be asked to play heavy downs, despite not being the first option even on passing downs.
Signing Cooks wasn’t exactly a vote of confidence for Michael Gallup, who sports a catch percentage that has never seen 60 in any of his five years. However, he carries a 19M$ dead money hit for 2023, so he will be on the roster this year. KaVontae Turpin is a 153 pound returner who wants to be featured more as a receiver. Thus far he’s only been thrown two passes, catching one for 9 yards. Jalen Tolbert is also on the roster.
There’s plenty of talent here. The question is, in a run-heavy system, can it be blended in a way that keeps egos form becoming corrosive. (+)
TE:Jake Ferguson is the top of the food chain in Dallas now. His rookie numbers (19 – 174 – 9.2 – 2) notwithstanding, the organization seems to believe in him. That seems odd given the team’s stated re-emphasis on the run, and Ferguson being far from a “mix it up” type player. But, oh well!
Peyton Hendershotreceived an awful lot of press for a guy who’s entire 17 game stat line, was (11 – 103 – 9.4 – 2). Sean McKeon is the third stringer here. These guys are neither scary targets, nor great blockers. It’s hard to believe that this team won’t use a Day One or Two Draft pick on this position. (-)
OT: The Cowboys are going all-in on LT Tyler Smith. This means that Tyron Smith is likely staying at RT. How many snaps he takes there is another question. Over the last three seasons, Tyron has played in just 17 regular season games, missing 33 of a possible 50.
Ready to fill-in is Terence Steele who had 13 starts last year and only surrendered 1 sack. There’s also Josh Ball 41 snaps worth of pro experience; 26 of which came in a 27 – 23 win over the Texans. There are two more warm bodies as well. (+)
Zack Martin vs J.J. Watt
G: Future Hall Of Famer Zack Martin anchors the right side. As for the left, after losing Conner McGovern to Buffalo, the Cowboys currently have Matt Farniok who started 2 games last year and didn’t embarrass himself; and Chuma Edoga, who was a back-up when he was a Falcon. (-)
C:Tyler Biadasz is not particularly quick, or strong. Sohe’s a hard place for an offensive attack to hang its hat. But it’s either him or Brock Hoffman, who has yet to play an NFL snap, on offense. (-)
In A Nutshell: The head coach has revamped the offensive system to be run-heavy, despite most of his talent being at WR, not RB. Their offensive line is fully functional, but shaky in a couple of spots (C, LG). If the run game can get going, then the rest of the offense will stabilize. That said, any form of setback for Pollard probably dooms this unit. (+)
DEFENSE
DE:DeMarcus Lawrence started every game for the first time since 2019, and produced a career-high 65 tackles, on a Top Five defensive unit. On the other end of the line, Dorance Armstrong was second on the team with 8.5 sacks. So the Cowboys are fine here.
Used as a situational player Dante Fowler contributed 6 sacks, which was a lot of bang for the Cowboys buck. Rookie Sam Williams notched 4 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, and basically seemed to live in opposing backfields with 10 tackles for loss. Chauncey Golston rounds out the quintet, as a third rounder with so much talent ahead of him, that he barely sees snaps. (+)
DT:Osa Odighizuwa is an active and disruptive to blocking schemes against the pass. However, as a combination of his body type and play style, he can become an outright liability vs the run. He posted 43 tackles and 4 sacks last year, in 17 starts. He’s Robin in a Batman costume. Expect the Cowboys to get him some help.
Johnathan Hankins was added last year via trade with the Raiders, to beef up the run defense. That mission was a success, but Hankins comes with a few pronounced limitations, such as change of direction and motor. He produced 20 tackles last year, with just 1 being for a loss. Both were career-lows.
Quinton Bohanna began last season as the starter, but then lost his spot after nine games. After 27 games with 10 starts, he’s amassed just 29 tackles, with 1 for a loss. At 6’4, 360 pounds, he’s probably too bulky to produce in the NFL. While he can eat space, he can also be run away from too easily. Neville Gallimore is disruptive, but he’s just a rotational player. (-)
Former Eagle Brian Westbrook and Micah Parsons
OLB:Micah Parsons started every game, and posted 65 tackles (13 TFL) and a team leading 13.5 sacks. Teams seemed to figure out how to neutralize him, by forcing him to cover more. Dallas also added I.R. resident Takkarist McKinley, possibly to beef up their pass rush. (+)
MLB/ILB:Leighton Vander Esch was re-signed, much to the surprise of pretty much everyone. In 14 starts he posted 90 tackles (4 TFL) and 1 sack. He no longer has to be respected in pass coverage, and never offered much as a pass rusher. Damone Clark was a fifth rounder who found himself starting 5 games. Nothing impressive, but he at least picked up experience. (+)
S: There are eight players at this position. I will only be mentioning four. Donovan Wilson had 101 tackles (7 TFL), and 5 sacks, playing more like an extra ‘backer than a DB. Jayron Kearse (77 tackles, (7 TFL), 2 sacks) also spent a lot of time around the line of scrimmage. This made the Cowboys faster vs underneath passes, but left them too small against the run.
Malik Hooker only had 6 starts last year, but he played 81% of the Cowboys defensive snaps. He turned in career-highs in tackles (62) tackles for losses (2) and tied his career best with 3 interceptions. Israel Mukuamu had 3 starts last year but didn’t do anything remarkable with them. The Cowboys have the deepest group in the division. (+)
CB:
Trevon Diggs gets emotional at A.J. Brown, after Devonta Smith scores
For most players, 14 passes defensed and 3 interceptions would be a great year. For Trevon Diggs it meant coming back down to Earth. In a bid to not give opposing offenses an easy side to throw to, Dallas traded for Stephon Gilmore. Gilmore isn’t the ballhawk that Diggs is, but his technique is much more solid. Diggs gave up a 64% completion rate last year. Gilmore won’t be so generous.
DaRon Bland provided some spicy play, picking off 5 passes last season. That Nickel spot is unquestionably his this year. Kelvin Joseph is a former second round pick who is languishing on the bench. Jourdan Lewis has a knack for finding the ball and the QB, when he’s not on the bench. Nashon Wright cuts an odd picture for this position being 6’4, but the kid can play. (+)
In A Nutshell: The Cowboys have an extremely scary secondary, with just enough pass rush to help that secondary. Their predilection for speed however, motivates them to use smaller players, which sets them up for getting pushed around vs the run. It’s a “shock and awe” unit, that doesn’t do well in a fist-fight, or low scoring games. Luckily for the Cowboys, most teams are becoming less invested in running the ball, and therefore less adept at the things needed to achieve easy victories over this unit. (+)
SPECIAL TEAMS
K/P:Tristan Vizcaino is the only Kicker on the Cowboys roster. In his three year career he’s been on four teams, with a career mark of 11/12 (91.6%) and no kicks from 50+. (-)
Bryan Anger is the Punter. He’s got a 48.4 yard average with a 42.8 yard net. Both are best in the NFC East. He even launched an 83 yarder in 2022. On the other hand, of his 68 kicks, returners felt froggy enough to return 32 of them, for an average of 8.0. (+)
In A Nutshell: Expect the Cowboys field goal kicking to be spotty again this year. With the way they spend money at other positions, there isn’t much left to allocate to Kicker. The P has a big leg and does a good job of setting the defense up favorably. (+)
BOTTOM LINE:
This is a team that needs 20 points or more, to win games. In fact, this team hasn’t won a game where they scored fewer than 20 points, since November of 2018. They’re at four years and counting with that.
That puts all the pressure on RB Tony Pollard, to carry the run-heavy offense. If it works, things will be fine in Dallas. If it doesn’t, elements in that locker room will want coach McCarthy to switch his philosophy back to something they’re more comfortable with.
LT Jordan Mailata comforts RB Miles Sanders after his fumble.
WE fumbled the game away
EAGLES 34 – Cowboys 40
EAGLES STATS:
Categories include an EXCLUSIVE weekly Offensive Line Report (Rushing TD’s (6 points)+ 3rd downs converted by handoffs(1 point) + sacks allowed (-2 points)= score); as well as Drive Killer (Int – FR – 4th down Tackles – FF – TD).
New Category Ace is for Kick return TD’s, Returners run-down, kicks blocked, etc.
I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.
So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: Cowboysdid the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
One of TWO interception taken from WR Quez Watkins
1) Make their OLB’s Cover:They came out in a 4-2-5 alignment, moving OLB Micah Parsons (3 – 0 – 0 – 0) all around the formation to try and create a mismatch. While Minshew was under a fair amount of pressure during the game, Dallas collected no sacks all game long. We failed in this aspect, but we may gain a new tactic after this film study. (NOT DONE)
2) Punish the Blitz: Aside from a 21 yard pass to RBKenny Gainwell (4 – 1 7 – 4.2 – 0 – 0 / 4 – 4 – 41 – 10.2 – 0), at no point did we catch them over-exposed during a blitz. Also, more could have been done with play-action. (NOT DONE)
3) Take Away the Quick Stuff:Slot WR Ceedee Lamb (11 – 10 – 120 – 12.0 – 2) was immediately into his routes. The timing routes were so good, that their QB could have almost played with his eyes closed. (NOT DONE)
Sacks. Pick Sixes. DE Josh Sweat did it all.
4) Squeeze and Occupy the Gaps: Well executed. Cowboys RB’s ran for 74 yards on 25 carries (2.96ypc). This also opened up pass rush opportunities, leading to six sacks.(DONE)
****
Sadly, we rung up just 1 of the Four Things this week, but we’ll see this team again, soon. Having not taken care of business this week, we need to play another meaningful game next week vs the Saints. Which in all truth, may be the best thing for our playoff run.
****
On The Whole:
FIRST! That interception by Josh Sweat was a amazing. The last time I saw a play like that, I was making it at age 15. It was just street ball. No pads. I’ve never seen that play made in pads, and couldn’t believe it when I saw it. The degree of difficulty to make that play in pads… I need to give Sweat props, before going into the postmortem.
Two fumbles. One by RB Miles Sanders where he simply lost the handle; and an inexplicable one by RB Boston Scott (0 – 0 – 0.0 – 0 – 1) where he took a handoff and for whatever reason never closed his arms over the ball. Worse was WR Quez Watkins(5 – 1 – 19 – 19.0 – 0) giving up two interceptions by letting the defender take the ball out of his hands.
Don’t tell me how competitive each man on the team is, when I see a lack of hunger this pronounced. Next season it might be wise to distill Watkins, RB Boston Scott, and KR Britain Covey’s roster spots into a back-up WR or RB, who has college KR experience. Our third round pick should be a GREAT place to find that player.
Aside from the four turnovers, there was the 3rd and 30 that we allowed the Cowboys to convert. While everyone else is harping on the coverage, the real problem was the lack of pressure that allowed the clean look, on a pin-point pass, delivered with follow through. Just a four man rush on 3rd and 30? It was clear that was the plan pre-snap, so I was in my living room screaming for five. Screaming! So the catch wasn’t surprising.
Overall, I didn’t see anything that worries me for the rubber match in a few weeks. Do I see us forcing just one punt, and giving the ball away four times, again? Not at all. I also don’t see us holding their RB’s to 74 yards, but the tactic for playing them will jump off any game tape. A six point loss, with four turnovers, playing with our back-up QB? Plenty of confidence for when we see them next.
OUR win over the Bears came at a cost, as our QB Jalen, hurts with (what we’re told is) a shoulder sprain. (See wha’ aw deed there? (Yes! And then I wrote with Sharlto Copley’s accent. You’re welcome!) In any case, we toughed our way past injury, brutal cold, and an opponent that I warned last week, that we can’t let hang around.
This week’s opponent doesn’t do so well against the run. Given that running the ball is a strength of ours, it can be the Trojan Horse that we use to sneak in our passing game this week. In that way we’d exploit a glaring Cowboys weakness, while strategically attacking what would normally be a strength that they rely on.
QB Gardner Minshew. Dallas, you have a problem.
A win here makes us 14 – 1, and uncatchable both as the winner of the NFC East, and as the #1 seed in the NFC. A win here also means, the only playoff game we’d play on the road, would be the Super Bowl. A win here would have the NFL looking at Eagles back-up QB Gardner Minshew and thinking, “Oh shit. Not again”
A loss puts us at 13 – 2 , leaving the division winner, and #1 seed in question for at least one more week. Which is why this game will be a NASTY one. Anyone who thinks they want it more than we do, is about to find themselves slumped over a fire hydrant. (Had to go old school, to paint that picture.)
****
The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week, versus the: Cowboys
WR A.J. Brown for six ahead of olb/DE Micah Parsons
1) Make their OLB’s Cover:It’s a given that OLB Micah Parsons is just a pass rusher. He’s a good one, but he’s exploitable in coverage and against the run. Almost to the point of being a liability. So run at him. Also have TE Dallas Goedert motion to Parson’s outside hip, so that when he pass rushes, he leaves Goedert open at the snap. Easy money until the Cowboys make Parsons cover.
The other OLB Anthony Barr doesn’t see as many snaps due to Nickel and Dime packages, but with his his age (30), weight (250), and injury history to his right leg, he’s no match for either WR Quez Watkins or WR Zach Pascal. Line them up on his outside leg and run him out of the box. Or even better, sub him out for smaller.
2) Punish the Blitz:The Cowboys like to walk S Donovan Wilson up into the ‘A’ and ‘B’ gaps to let him rush the QB practically unblocked. They’ve gotten him 4 sacks and 8 QB hits off of this tactic. Said the Little Tailor “Ahhh, but I know a trick worth two of that!”
With Hurts out of the game, it’s an automatic that hand-offs are back on the menu. So use play-action. No! Better yet, abuse play-action. Get the blitzer to honor the RB, so that Minshew has a second longer to let a receiver come uncovered on a quick route up the seam. Or put RB Miles Sanders in motion for a Quick Screen pass.
3) Take Away the Quick Stuff:Of course CB’s Darius “Big Play” Slay andJames Bradberry will play aggressively, but NCB Avonte Maddox needs to delay receivers releases into their patterns. Give no quick timing throws to QB Dak Prescott. We don’t have to shut the receivers down, just throw Prescott off.
Get their routes unfolding at a slower rate, than Prescott’s muscle memory. That doesn’t mean slow the game down for him! The pass rush is still coming at full speed! Due to a rash of interceptions, he’s said last week that he has to do a better job of assessing risk. Get him holding the ball a little longer, and get some sack/fumbles.
Our BACK-UPS at DT: Marvin Williams, Linval Joseph, Ndamukong Suh. This is so damned unfair.
4) Squeeze and Occupy the Gaps:This game will be won or lost at the Line Of Scrimmage. We don’t need to tackle their RB’s for a loss on every play. However, if we get bodies in the gaps and narrow run holes, (that goes for the ‘C’ gaps too!) it gives us time to get population to the football, and slow their run game down.
We don’t need to shut down their run, just make it unreliable. The more bodies we can put in gaps, the cleaner MLB T.J. Edwards stays. So take the run off the table and force Prescott to have to carry his team.
****
If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
This is going to be a physical game, since both teams need the win. We need it to be able to rest players, and maybe practice new concepts for the playoffs. A win allows us to give some guys a day of two off. Just like Spring baseball.
Goosebumps.
The Cowboys on the other hand, need this game to have a mathematical chance at the East’s 2022 banner. A loss here will lock them in as the 5th seed. Yet they couldn’t afford to rest starters, with Prescott’s interception issue not being resolved. They need more reps to work on what’s wrong with their passing game.
So the Cowboys have to play the next two games hard, and then play Wild Card week. If we start the pounding on Saturday, they should be fall apart tender by the time we see them in four to five weeks. So let’s get to tenderizing!
Oh, and expect a nail-biter.
****
Prediction: EAGLES 21 – Cowboys 20
WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know football and that’s IT. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.
ARMING for a Super Bowl run. That’s the whole point in making a mid-season trade. It’s getting that last piece, which should put your team over the hump. It’s shoring up a glaring weakness, or giving an obvious strength the Barry Bonds treatment. It’s saying “Damn the consequences. I’m all in!”
Defensive line and pass rush, are already deep and dominant areas for this Eagles team. There isn’t an NFC team that can beat us now. Adding Dallas Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence to this team, would almost act as a reservation to play in the upcoming Super Bowl.
Understand, this move is highly unlikely at the moment. The current NFL playoff structure includes seven teams, three of which are Wild Cards. If the playoffs started today, Dallas would be in as the sixth seed. With playoff hopes still alive, no team is parting ways with a player like Lawrence.
That said, the November 1st trade deadline is two Cowboys games away from now, and currently there are six, 3 – 3 teams in the NFC. The math will turn suddenly and sharply for at least one of these teams. If the the 4 – 2 Cowboys split these next two weeks, they’d be 5 – 3. If they drop both, they’re 4 – 4 with a very murky franchise picture going forward.
Get this: Lawrence is 30 years old, and set to count 35M$ against the 2023 salary cap. He last had a 10 sack season in 2018. Since then, he’s put up 5.0, 6.5, 3.0, and currently sits at 3.0 through six games. This year, that’s half a sack per game. Over seventeen games that projects as just 8.5 sacks, and he’s under contract until 2025, when he’ll be 33.
Hell, with DE’s Chauncey Gholston and Sam Williams waiting in the wings, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones might welcome a chance to dump Lawrence’s contract. Especially if he can get us to cough up a second rounder and fourth rounder in 2023; or a 2023 second, and a 2024 third.
For the Eagles it would also work out well. Part of Lawrence’s production issues have to do with him never having an interior presence like DT Fletcher Cox. With OLB Hasaan Reddick on his left arm, and Cox on his right, there may not be enough players left to block him! Lawrence isn’t a long term building block, but he can be this year’s Chris Longor Michael Bennett, and really help further a playoff run.
As far as figuring out the money, The Eagles are already projected to have a loose estimate of 11M in cap space for 2023; they should have about 10M in rollover; and no one knows exactly what the cap ceiling will be. Also General ManagerHowie Roseman can take a bad contract, and turn that water into wine. So if you think of the money as an impediment, DON’T.
I’m writing this on my personal laptop, with my work laptop open to my lock screen. The picture on that screen, is of the Eagles 2018 parade. Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles is holding the trophy in the air, as the bus travels (the wrong way) on 15th Street. Crazy thing is, I’m in this picture. (Don’t look for me. Even I can’t make me out in this shot, and I know exactly where I’m standing in it.)
Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles holds up the Lombardi trophy, in front of the Municipal Services Building. Kevin Bacon’s father Edmund, designed it. FYI: When this was taken, I was standing across the street from it, with no clue that I’d ever work there. I work there now. Life can be funny.
This trade would put us in a real position to see another one of these, at seasons end. Again, this move is highly unlikely at the moment. So share the shit out this article! Spread the rumor! Speak it into existence. We have two weeks to get it to the right set of ears, and maybe make it happen. Be that 12th man, and I’ll see you on in February on 15th Street.
GENERALLY when I talk football, it’s about my Eagles. I tend to keep mum about our rivals, unless we have a game coming up against one of them. Otherwise, I’ve reserved most talk about them for my Pre-Draft Preview,which drops each April. (Look for it!)
In 2017 however, I decided to try something new, and give our fan base a running commentary of what the division is doing around us. This ensures that Eagles fans actually are the NFL’s best informed, and most knowledgeable fans. (Provided that you visit this site often.) These updates will come out three times during the season: After Weeks 6, 12, and 17.
*****
This is where things are today:
Washington Commanders:2 – 4, 4th place
The Commanders score 17 points per game and give up 22. That’s the whole story with this team. That’s it. Per game, they are one stop and one score away from being a winning team. However, their big problem, is poor team culture.
The initial tone for team culture, is always set by the head coach. In this case it’s one of easy answers and finger-pointing. Where you have finger-pointing, you will also find low accountability, and a lack of unity. This was demonstrated by head Ron Rivera, when he was asked about why his team was behind other teams in the division, and he responded with “Quarterback.”
He could have said “Injuries.” His team’s best RB, Brian Robinson was shot prior to this season, but he fought to come back; and has just made his first start in one of this team’s two wins. Their best defensive player, DE Chase Young has been out since last season. They’re missing two-fifths of their offensive line.
Yet Rivera went with “Quarterback.”, seemingly dumping the whole mess on QB Carson Wentz. This is despite the fact that Wentz was traded for, because the team was already a mess, and they were hoping he could help clean it up.
With this noise going on, you’d never know that even without Chase Young, this team has five players with at least three sacks. You’d never know that this team is 57% in the red zone. You’d never know that Carson Wentz leads the division with 10 touchdown passes, despite being sacked 23 times already.
QB Taylor Heinicke won’t have anyone to pitch woo to him in 2022
Oh! Speaking of sacks, Wentz has a broken finger on his throwing hand, and QB Taylor Heinicke will be the starter for at least the next three weeks. Also, there is no firm date for Young’s return, and the NFL is preparing to remove the owner, from the team with the stadium that literally shits on it’s fans.
President of the Cooper Rush fan club.
Dallas Cowboys:4 – 2, 3rd place
While losing to Tampa Bay, in the season opener, QB Dak Prescott broke his thumb. A disaster for some teams, but not for the Cowboys. Stepping in for Prescott, was the man, the myth, the legend, the inevitable Hall of Famer, QB Cooper Rush. Like a velvet Mona Lisa hanging in an Applebee’s restroom, he was truly magnificent!
Rush scorched NFL scoreboards from New York to Los Angeles (both were road games!), with four touchdowns in only four weeks, whilst leading the Cowboys to four straight victories. Ever the perfect professional pocket passer, he ran only when he needed to, racking up 9 yards on 9 carries. You could not stop him, you could only hope to contain him!
Coming along for that four game ride, was the Cowboys 3rd ranked defense, which allowed 13.5 points per game, over that stretch. It was nice to see them making their small contribution to Cooper’s cause. OLB Micah Parsons racked up 6 sacks, and was being compared to Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor. It was four weeks of utter bliss!
Then there were some troubles in Philadelphia.
Unfortunately, in Rush’s last start, the clock failed his comeback effort, by not providing him with enough time. Also, there may or may not have been, three interceptions thrown by Rush. But this isn’t about assigning blame. Besides, it was Parsons fault for letting down Cooper and therefore the whole team. He isn’t nearly as good at getting sacks, when he’s made to cover receivers. There is simply no accountability with him.
So the Cowboys fell from 4 – 1 to 4 – 2. Sadly enough, Dak Prescott gets the start this week vs. Detroit. Even if the Cowboys win, it won’t be the same. There won’t be that Rush that fans get when Coopity-Coop is out there.
New York giants:5 – 1, 2nd place
Even though the prior two teams are absolute circuses, the giants are the team that makes me laugh the hardest. The funniest part is that nobody else seems to see it yet. Not the team, the media, most fans… It’s an absolute riot! After this article you will totally have a different take on their season. I guarantee it. (In my head, I can hear Bill Burr reading this article, and it’s fuckin’ awesome.)
When a team falls short in the playoffs, they go out and get more offensive or defensive firepower. They add a WR, or a TE. Maybe beef up the o-line. They add a pass rusher or strengthen their secondary. Maybe replace a shaky Kicker. The part that double-digit win teams don’t monkey with, is the QB.
A team’s entire offense runs through the QB. Everything from his pre-snap read, his cadence, his way of processing checks, the way he wants the ball snapped, the way he reads a defense, who he relies on in certain situations. And then there’s the idea that the new QB has to learn an entire play-book, and new players, while playing what would be a tougher schedule.
So winning teams don’t mess with their QB situation.
Hey, did I mention that the giants opted to not pick up the fifth year on QB Daniel Jones’s rookie deal? I didn’t? Well, the giants opted to not pick up the fifth year on QB Daniel Jones’s rookie deal. That makes him a free agent after this year. So now if they want him to come back in 2023, they have to pay the guy more than they would have, if they’d just picked up his 22M$ option.
Sometimes winning is worse…
So the giants are on the verge of either giving Daniel Jones a multi-year contract, for more than 27M$. Or, if they don’t, they have to start all over, and hope that the next guy isn’t worse. What do I mean by worse? Do you see what’s happening with QB Russell Wilson in Denver? Or they could draft the next Ryan Leafwhile hoping for a Peyton Manning.
If you’re a fan of the giants, your team is either teasing you with ONE good season, or damning you to four more years of Jones. He’s either your starter next year, or he isn’t. There isn’t a third option! Oh yeah, right now RB Saquon Barkley leads the entire NFL with 771 yards from scrimmage. (Had I led with that, giants fans would have been on the ceiling. Mentioned now, it hardly matters to them. Which goes to show, you can troll a fan base with good news.)
Now if you’re a giants fan, every win will seem like a month added to a prison sentence. If you’re a rival fan, every win makes you giggle a little. Even if they beat your team, there’s sort of a silver lining there, because you know you’ll get ‘em next time. A ten win season is the worst possible scenario for their front office. Imagine having to justify dismantling a ten win team, to 8.8 million people. That’s what they’re facing if they keep winning!
Oh yeah, and their defense is playing extremely well. Ranked 7th in the league! (To giants fans, that just felt like a stab wound.)
*****
So that’s the state of our division rivals as our Eagles head into the Week 7 Bye. See ya in six weeks everybody!
RB Miles Sanders draws first blood on 5 yard TD run
KING of the fucking NFL hill! STILL!
EAGLES 26 – Cowboys 17
EAGLES STATS:
Categories include an EXCLUSIVE weekly Offensive Line Report (Rushing TD’s (6 points)+ 3rd downs converted by handoffs(1 point) + sacks allowed (-2 points)= score); as well as Drive Killer (Int – FR – 4th down Tackles – FF – TD).
New Category Ace is for Kick return TD’s, Returners run-down, kicks blocked, etc.
Rushing : (S) RB Miles Sanders (18 – 71 – 3.9 – 1 – 0)
Receiving : (S) WR A.J. Brown (8 – 5 – 67 – 13.4 – 1)
Offensive Line Report/Enforcer : (1 + 1 – 4 = (-1)) / NA
Drive Killer : (S) SS Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (2 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0)
Sack Leader : N/A
Ace :K Jake Elliott: 51 yard FG
****
I hear you asking, “What about all the stuff that stats don’t reveal?” Well, that’s the reason for these Four Things articles. It’s to point out what we need to address BEFORE the game. Then AFTER the game, there’s a no-bullshit assessment of whether or not the Eagles did any of what they needed to do, to ensure the win.
So how much of what I mentioned in Four Things: COWBOYSdid the Eagles actually get around to doing? Well let’s see:
1) Score points:I said three touchdowns should put this game out of the Cowboys reach, and it did. Hell., the 20 points we’d scored by half-time, were enough to win the game. Our Eagles are not the offensively challenged weaklings, that the Cowboys schedule had been feeding them.
If anything, this game highlighted all of the Cowboys offensive shortcomings, which had heretofore been washed aside, due to the fact that they were winning games. In any case, mission accomplished.(DONE)
WR A.J. Brown showing that all 11’s are not created equal
2) Drop the Mic(ah): While the world was probably looking for a blocking scheme designed to double OLB Micah Parsons (4 – 0.0 – 0 – 0) all day, the smarter thing was to punish the Cowboys for trying to “fake the funk”. Dallas lines him up at LB, but uses him like a lineman. They think it’s clever, but it just means that down in and down out, they won’t have a LB out there, doing LB things. We penalized that. And how!
The idea was to use TEDallas Goedert (5 – 2 – 22 – 11.0 – 0) to either force Parsons into coverage, or beat him with short passes. Well, using more than just Goedert, we did both. Parsons had a couple of hurries once RT Lane Johnson left the game with a concussion, but he had no sacks, and he was beaten by A.J. Brown for a 15 yard touchdown. (DONE)
3) Stay At Home:This was done fairly well in the first half, and completely abandoned in the second. Particularly on the right side of our Defensive Line. The containment was soft. There was no edge.
I was also frustrated with the slow adjustment to the Cowboys double teaming DT Fletcher Cox (3 – 0 – 0 – 0). Using DT Jordan Davis (1 – 0 – 0 – 0) to bullrush the opposing C, would have been the ideal counter. It would have localized the double team and given MLBT.J. Edwards (8 – 0 – 0 – 0), some clean shots at the ball carrier. Instead, we got the ball run down our throats for 134 yards. (NOT DONE)
4)Rush Rush: The idea was to force QB Cooper Rush (18/38 – 47.3 – 181 – 1 – 3) to reset his feet, and not allow the plays to run on schedule. The Cowboys like to roll him out so that he can 1 Mississippi 2 Mississippi 3 Mississippi and throw, after the route has developed. Which says that he always knows where he’s going with the ball.
So instead of trying to fool him, the coverage was kept tight, which made every throw about whether or not he had the zip to get it in. Well, his weak arm is partly what kept him undrafted. One late pass was deflected and picked.
SS Chauncey Gardner-Johnson with one his TWO thefts
Another was flat-out picked.
CB Darius Slay gallops in front of a pass and picks it off.
Another was badly under-thrown and picked before it could be incomplete. (DONE)
****
This week we got 3 of the Four Things done, and so naturally we also got the ‘W’. Next week we have a way too early Bye Week, followed by a visit from the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have given a rookie QB the keys to the kingdom.
****
On The Whole:
Despite the game announcers talking about a “momentum shift”, when Dallas finally managed to score a touchdown in the third quarter, this game was never as close as the score. What had happened was, the Eagles once again fell asleep at half-time.
This team is 6 – 0 and has yet to put together a complete game. On one hand, it means that we haven’t seen this team’s ceiling yet. On the other hand, it suggests that this coaching staff has no clue of how to get this team there.
Well, now they get a week to try and figure it out.
UNDEFEATED. Still! We overcame adversity in the desert, snatching 139 rushing yards from a team that was only giving up 87 per game. This week we get a division rival that has given up 117 rushing yards per game, while only facing bottom feeder offenses.
They lean on their defense, which features a voracious pass rush, which was fortunate enough to face FOUR struggling offensive lines (and lost to one of them). Our Offensive Line, led by RT Lane Johnson, C Jason Kelce, and LT Jordan Mailata, is not struggling. Our Line is physical and dominant.
We’re told that styles make fights? Well, ding…ding.
A win raises us to 6 – 0, and keeps us at the head of the NFL table. With our opponent being 4 – 1, they are currently one game behind our 5 – 0. A win here opens up our lead in the East, putting distance between the two teams. A loss pulls us even record-wise, but would give them the lead in the East, by head-to-head tie-breaker.
****
The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week, versus the: Cowboys
1) Score points: There’s a stat that says the Cowboys defense hasn’t allowed any opponent three touchdowns in any game this season. That’s 100% true. However, a lot of context is left out of that. Every team they’ve faced, already has trouble scoring three touchdowns in ANY game.
I’m fond of saying that the Universe’s favorite flavor of justice, is irony. So since we’re talking about not being able to score three touchdowns, the Cowboys offense is also in that club this season. Our Eagles on the other hand, have done it EVERY WEEK, except last week. Three touchdowns should put this game out of the Cowboys reach.
2) Drop the Mic(ah): Getting TE Dallas Goedert some quick, short passes would make the day super easy for QB Jalen Hurts. The Cowboys almost exclusively use OLB Micah Parsons as a pass rusher off the edge. So when he rushes forward, there’s going to be a vacated area right behind where he was lined up. That vacated area is where Goedert needs to camp out. So either Goedert gets to feast, or Parsons has to cover.
Just some quick short passes, where Goedert can quickly turn upfield for an extra 4 yards or more. Eventually their secondary will load the box to stop the run, and those short passes. Whenever that happens, Goedert can chip Parsons, to give Hurts time to take advantage of one-on ones-on the outside, or WR Quez Watkins down the hash.
3) Stay At Home: Same as most weeks. Just get DE’s Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat to set hard edges against the run. With RB Ezekiel Elliott no longer being very explosive, and RB Tony Pollard needing a build-up to break tackles; the easiest way to contain the Cowboys run game, is to bottle it up behind their line. The idea is to take away the run early, and put the game on QB Cooper Rush’s shoulders.
4) Rush Rush: The left side of the Cowboys offensive line is a car wreck. C Tyler Biadasz is no Travis Frederick. G Connor McGovern is the guy they passed over, to sign and start what’s left ofJason Peters, who will apparently put on red pumps and work that corner, for anyone who offers league minimum. But with Peters injured (show of hands if you’re surprised), the Cowboys now have to start the guy they said “Naw” to. At LT is penalty king Tyler Smith.
The game here is simple. DT’s Jordan Davis and Javon Hargrave help collapse the left side of the line, and make Rush reset his feet. He’s smart, and knows where he’s going with the ball, due to his familiarity with the system. So don’t waste time trying to trick him or fool him. Instead, make it about the physical limitations that kept him from getting drafted. His lack of arm strength, foot speed, and needing plays to run on schedule.
****
If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…
The Bengals scoring offense, ranked (17th) is the highest ranked scoring offense that the Cowboys have faced. The Eagles have faced Detroit (3rd), Minnesota (12th) and Jacksonville (15th). The Cowboys average 18.6 points per game. We average 27.0 and have yet to score fewer than 20. They’ve reached 24 points once this season. We put up 24 points in a quarter. Twice so far.
The Cowboys are an over-hyped defense, coupled with an over-hyped QB, that have both had tons of mediocrity somehow omitted from their stories. Let me contextualize this Cowboys defense, and their “amazing”pass rush. Four of the five teams they’ve faced, have deep offensive line problems:
* Tampa Bay lost two starters to I.R. during the preseason and one more during the first game vs the Cowboys.
*Washington’s C and one of their G’s (who is also their back-up C), are on I.R.
*The Bengals troubles go back to last season, and their offseason answers (one of which is former Cowboy La’el Collins) have blown up on the launch pad.
*The Rams have both of their G’s on I.R. and their C is gutting out a foot injury. It’s why they’ve given up 21 sacks and average just 62 rushing yards per game. (Perspective: We average 160.0)
The Cowboys offense has scored all of 7 touchdowns in five games. Sorry, that’s 7 touchdowns in four games. (Tampa Bay held them to a single field goal.) Despite those facts, everywhere you look, there’s more praise for their QB because he’s 4 – 0 this season.
We’ve seen adversity and they’ve been handed roll-over games. Yet the media wants to talk like this is a meeting of two evenly matched teams?! Naw. You gotta miss me with that trash.
****
Prediction: EAGLES 28 – Cowboys 16
WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know football and that’s IT. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, you are trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.
Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.
CLEVELAND Browns QB DeShaun Watson, seems to have a new accuser every 6 hours or so. It’s gotten so bad, that people are speculating about what it will take for the Browns to weasel out of the record, fully guaranteed, 230M$ contract that they signed Watson to, just a few months ago.
My guess however, is that as long as no criminal charges are filed, the Browns will stick with Watson. Come Hell or high water. Because they have to. They have almost no other option.
In order to pry Watson away from the Texans, the Browns parted with their:
2022 first round pick (CB Derek Stingley Jr.)
2023 first round pick
2024 first round pick
2022 fourth round pick (RB Dameon Pierce)
2023 third round pick
2024 fourth round pick
This was in exchange for Watson, and a lowly 2024 sixth round draft pick.
Understand, if the Browns cut Watson with him never playing a down for them, they will have effectively given the Texans three first round picks, a third round pick, and two fourth round picks, in exchange for just one sixth round pick. This would be six picks for one. With every pick the Texans get, being of much greater value than the one they gave up.
It would be the greatest hosing in sports history. The Texans could surpass the Great Trade Robbery, pulled off by the Dallas Cowboys in 1990. In that trade, the Cowboys sent RB Herschel Walker, two third rounders, a fifth rounder, and a tenth rounder to Minnesota; in exchange for three first rounders, three second rounders, one third rounder, one sixth rounder, and four players.
This is before Jimmy Johnson’s draft pick valuation chart changed the way the NFL executives viewed draft picks. So keep in mind, no one (not coaches, GMs, owners) looked at picks like we see them now. Imagine a caveman stubbing his toe on a brick of gold, before it ever had any value assigned to it. To him it was just a stupid rock. In 1990, a pick was more or less, just a pick.
One player and three picks, for four players and eight picks. As lopsided as the GTR was, Minnesota still had Walker (the focal point of that entire trade) play for them, and they won the third round exchange, (two for one). With the Browns, if Watson doesn’t play, everything, literally every single thing, that the Browns gave up, is more than the one thing they got.
If the Browns cut Watson, the NFL will not rescind the trade. Some of those picks have already been cashed in. So that part of it is DONE. Complete. Finito. So the Browns have to stick with Watson, come Hell or high water. If they don’t, it only makes their foolishness look even worse.
Even worse for the Browns would be if they cut him, and Watson ends up back in the NFL. Someplace like New York or Pittsburgh, on a 4 year, 175M$ deal, 100M guaranteed, and laden with reachable incentives. At that point this trade would get a nickname (maybe the Cleveland Crappy Ending™), that would for ever define the city of Cleveland.
As for Herschel Walker, he spent three seasons going 21 – 22 overall as a Viking, and one playoff win. The only team he would ever have a career winning mark with, would be the Philadelphia Eagles (26 – 22), and one playoff win. With Dallas (34 – 56) and the New York giants (5 – 11), Walker (86 – 111) would never win a playoff game.
If the Browns are dumb enough to cut Watson now, then the Texans will surpass the mark left by the Cowboys. I never thought I’d see the day when a franchise out-dumbed the GTR, but my dear reader, get your Gallagher poncho out of storage. We may be about to witness some messy history.
KEEP in mind, when these predictions come out, no one knows who will be drafted by which team. So this is an assessment of the team, as it is staffed by veteran players with track records.
While rookies may contribute heavily to their team, they don’t usually shake up the NFC East as a division. That being said, there’s a pretty good chance that what you see here, will be how it shakes out for the year.
If you’ve read all of the articles leading up to this, you’ll understand my conclusion. Good job! If you didn’t, you’ll likely be annoyed because YOU did a bad job of preparing. (Read the supporting articles!)
CONTEXT!
Now let’s look at 2022:
Offense, defense, special teams. Three units, multiplied times four teams, equals twelve total units in the division. Easy math, right? Out of twelve units, only three units across the division either stayed strong or got stronger. Nine units however, either stayed weak or got noticeably weaker during the free agency period. Put plainly, so far the NFC East is already weaker than it was in 2021.
Strongest Offense: DALLAS
They have all kinds of issues with their offensive line, but they have a real QB, and they have the most dangerous collection of skill players in the division. Philadelphia has a great offensive line situation, which allows for the smoke and mirrors, which they use to offset a lack of WR talent or a QB who can read a defense.
Weakest Offense: NEW YORK
Their offensive line is shit. It’s just shit! They have the least talented QB in the division. In fact, it can now be argued that he might not be as good as his new back-up (eventual replacement). Their RB clearly has his eye on the exit, and they lost their underachieving TE, and replaced him with- No. They’re about to draft a TE. They have to be. There’s no way they can be serious about going into 2022 with him as the starter.
Strongest Defense: PHILADELPHIA
This was the easiest call. In 2021 the Eagles surrendered fewer passing yards and fewer rushing yards than the Cowboys. The Cowboys allowed 21.1 points per game to the Eagles 22.6. From that, the Eagles added not just a pass rusher, but a sack artist, as well also upgrading speed at LB. The Cowboys lost a starting DE and a starting S, then replaced neither with a player of similar caliber. The other two teams aren’t even part of this conversation.
Weakest Defense: NEW YORK
New defensive coordinator, a soft secondary, and a bunch of edge players, but no real DE’s or OLB’s. This is the current state of the defensive side of the ball in New York. It’s a toolbox full of hammers and mallets, but no screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches or even a tape measure. And at some point in the next two weeks, a kid out of college will be expected to provide a spark of hope. Yikes.
Strongest Special Teams: PHILADELPHIA
Washington has the much better punting situation, but Philadelphia has a far superior kicking game. However, since punts never produce last minute wins, the edge goes to points.
Weakest Special Teams: DALLAS
New York’s punting situation isn’t “bad”, it’s more of a big question mark. The kicking situation in Dallas however, is pure comedy. This team does such an amazing job of fucking this up every year! They deserve a round of applause for the work they do. I mean c’mon, it has to be deliberate. No one is this bad, this long, without a supreme level of effort being put into it.
PROJECTED WINNER: DALLAS
You’re thinking “Philadelphia won two of these categories to Dallas’s one. So how can Dallas still be the favorite?!”
For the record I totally agree, except there’s two things nagging my mind:
The first thing is, 17 – 37, and 21 – 41. Those are the scores that Dallas has won by, in the two games Jalen Hurts started against them. Those aren’t just loses, they’re blowouts. While Dallas continues to dominate Hurts, picking the Eagles as the favorite is out of the question.
The second thing is, a two game sweep has an effective difference of four games. The make-up distance in a playoff race, between let’s say 4 – 6 vs 6 – 4, is four games. If the Cowboys sweep the Eagles again, that gap would be very hard to make up. Given that the last Eagles QB to beat Dallas was Carson Wentz, there is nothing in recent history to indicate that the Eagles will turn this around this season.
DARK HORSE WINNER: PHILADELPHIA
Overall, Philadelphia looks like the strongest team in the East. The issue is at their QB position. Which is huge. If Jalen Hurts were to take a a couple of steps forward in being able to read defenses, and utilizing his second WR, this Eagles team would sweep the division, and win it in a walk. However, until we see that for Philadelphia, QB is a huge question mark at best, and a liability at worst.
EAGLEMANIACAL.com 