Eagles vs. Cowboys: Predictions, odds, injury report, and what everyone is talking about ahead of Sunday
The Birds visit Dallas in Week 12 with a chance to put even more distance between themselves and the rest of the NFC East.
The Eagles are headed down to Dallas for their first matchup against the Cowboys since the season opener.
The Birds are in control of the NFC East, but their road loss against the Giants stung, and they certainly don’t want a repeat against another division rival at JerryWorld.
Here’s everything you need to know about this Sunday’s game …
How to watch
Eagles vs. Cowboys will air live on FOX at 4:25 p.m., and will bee “America’s Game of the Week,” the network’s national broadcast. That means Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady will call the game from the booth, and Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi will report from the two sidelines.
If you’d rather listen to Merrill Reese and Mike Quick call the game, the radio broadcast can be found on 94.1 WIP, and if you want to watch the game with your fellow Birds fans, here are a few spots to check out.
Injury report
Right tackle Lane Johnson will miss Sunday’s game — and a few more — after suffering a Lisfranc injury in his foot (What is that? Glad you asked) in the team’s win over Detroit. He is expected to miss four to six weeks.
However, center Cam Jurgens could return after leaving the Lions game with a concussion. Jurgens, who is listed as questionable, missed the prior two games with a knee injury. The only other Eagles players with injury designations for Sunday are backup offensive lineman Myles Hinton (back) and Willie Lampkin (knee/ankle). Jaelan Phillips was a full participant on Friday and is good to go.
Here’s the Cowboys injury report:
Eagles-Cowboys odds
The Eagles are three-point favorites against the Cowboys at most major sportsbooks as of Friday afternoon, down from 4.5 to open the week. The projected point total at DraftKings is 47.5.
Check out prop bets for Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott, and more here.
Eagles to wear kelly green
For the second time this season — and the first time ever on the road — the Eagles will wear their kelly green uniforms on Sunday. The Birds previously wore their fan-favorite throwbacks in Week 8 against the New York Giants, a 38-20 win that was arguably the team’s best of the season. They’ll wear them again, for the final time this season, in Week 17 against the Washington Commanders.
The Eagles are 5-0 in their lighter shade of green since bringing the jerseys back in 2023.
Story lines to watch
The Birds haven’t seen the Cowboys since Week 1, when Jalen Carter was ejected just seconds into the game due to Spit-Gate (speaking of which, did anyone see Ja’Marr Chase get suspended for doing the same thing just a few weeks ago?). The spit became a national talking point, with even Gov. Josh Shapiro weighing in, and Carter, who was fined and effectively suspended for a game, promised that “it won’t happen again.”
Prior to a rain delay in the third quarter of the opener, the Cowboys offense was easily able to sustain drives, scoring 20 first-half points, as the Birds struggled to get pressure. With Carter (presumably) back in the game and the addition of Jaelan Phillips, Dak Prescott will be looking at a whole new Eagles defensive line, one that just forced Jared Goff to play the worst game of his career.
From the latest on A.J. Brown to the recent drama surrounding Jalen Hurts, here are some other story lines to watch this weekend …
Following a report of internal frustrations with Hurts, the Eagles quarterback said he holds himself accountable. Others in the media had a lot more to say (more on that in a bit).
Meanwhile, Brown, the subject of his own recent controversy after voicing his own frustrations with the offense, said he believes the Eagles are "close“ to where they need to be on offense — and he laughed off talk about his declining skills
Eagles tackle Fred Johnson says it’s "time to show what I can do" as he again fills in for Lane Johnson.
» READ MORE: Nick Sirianni wins in spite of himself, some might say. Those critics are wrong.
One number to know
15-24: The Eagles’ record all-time without Lane Johnson. For comparison, the Birds are 120-62-1 in games Johnson has played in since he was drafted in 2013.
Our Eagles-Cowboys predictions
Here are our writers’ predictions for Sunday …
Jeff McLane: I see a potential trap in Dallas, but I think the Eagles’ defense will be able to keep Prescott from going off. Eagles 24, Cowboys 20.
Jeff Neiburg: “It’s a great offense and a bad defense (Dallas) against a great defense and a bad offense (Eagles). The game will probably be decided by who wins the matchup between Dallas’ offense and the Eagles’ defense. Who has the upper hand? It’s hard to pick against the Eagles right now.” | Eagles 27, Cowboys 16
Olivia Reiner: “While I’m not so sure this will be the get-well game on the ground the Eagles are looking for, they could have a chance to get going in the passing game, given the Cowboys are conceding 6.9 net yards per passing attempt (No. 29 in the league).” | Eagles 21, Cowboys 17
Matt Breen: “Teams have picked apart the Dallas defense through the air this season but I’ll wait and see if the Eagles can do the same. It’s hard to see the Eagles, especially with a banged up offensive line, suddenly flipping a switch on offense. By now, it’s fair to have a read on who a team is. But the defense is elite and they’ll carry them again on Sunday. We’ll find out how far that unit can carry them the rest of the way.” | Eagles 24, Cowboys 10
» READ MORE: Eagles vs. Cowboys predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 12
National media predictions
Here’s a look at how those in the national media are leaning …
What we’re saying about the Eagles
Here’s a look at what our columnists are saying about the Eagles, starting with David Murphy, who wonders what exactly people are even arguing about anymore with regard to Hurts.
David Murphy: “The only thing that matters is that Hurts has been good enough that the Eagles no longer need to acquire one of those other guys. Coaches and players are more than justified if they are frustrated with some aspects of Hurts’ approach and performance. But they also surely know that they are more fortunate than most.” Read more.
Mike Sielski: “This sliver of doubt when it comes to the Tush Push might seem a small matter. It isn’t. The play’s reliability was a tangible symbol of the strength of the Eagles offense: the manner with which they controlled the line of scrimmage.” Read more.
Marcus Hayes: Don’t expect A.J. Brown to be happy any time soon. Brown called the Eagles’ offense a “bleep show” on a livestream last week … The offense isn’t likely to get any better with the news that right tackle Lane Johnson will miss several weeks with a Lisfranc sprain in his right foot." Read more.
What the Cowboys are saying about the Eagles
Despite what social media may believe, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer is not approaching the Eagles’ offense like it’s a weak one. They have too many elite players for that, Schottenheimer said.
“At the end of the day, I’m not looking at the film and saying, ‘These guys are struggling.’ I’m looking at this film and saying, ‘Man, these guys are dangerous.’”
Here’s more of what the Cowboys are saying …
New addition Quinnen Williams on the Tush Push: “It’s a cool play that they do on second-and-short, on third-and-short, and fourth-and-short. I’ve never been against it. … I’m excited to see the game plan. Excited to go against it. Excited to be able to try and stop it.”
Schottenheimer on Jalen Carter coming back to the defensive line: “It’s a big difference. He’s a really good player. He’s packaged in there with some really good players. Jordan Davis is obviously a really good player as well. There’s Jaelan Phillips, it’s a hell of a defense. They’re the best in the league, I think. Again, it’s going to be really, really tough. But, we love that challenge and we think we’re pretty good too.”
» READ MORE: As Cowboys prepare for ‘dangerous’ Eagles, their newest star is excited to finally face ‘cool’ Tush Push
What the national media is saying
The discourse about the Eagles’ offense, and whether Hurts is part of the problem, is wearing on ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, a former Hurts critic who gave an impassioned defense of the quarterback on Get Up.
“What’s going on with Hurts is so disingenuous and disrespectful to Jalen Hurts,” Orlovsky said. “And I’m not the biggest Jalen Hurts fan. All this dude does is literally everything that everybody begged every other quarterback to do — or knocks them for not doing. All he does is win. All he does is be obsessed with football and winning and doing what’s best for the team."
Here’s what else they’re saying …
Jason Kelce on locker room discord: “I think that there are frustrations within a team that build up, continually, and I think Jalen gets a lot of the highlighting of that, again, because he’s the quarterback. … Lane [Johnson] and I didn’t talk for an entire offseason. Lane is like one of my best friends. Like, I love that guy. And this is part of being on a team. There are so many ups and downs. I’ve gotten into yelling matches with Jeff Stoutland, a guy that I consider like a second, almost like a father.
DeSean Jackson on A.J. Brown: “You can tell when the interest ain’t there, it ain’t there. It’s something else going on. And I got a great relationship with [Brown]. I respect him. I can’t say it. But I know it’s something else going on. It’s not all about football, it’s not all about X’s and O’s. I’ve been there. I’ve had situationships with QBs that I didn’t necessarily like. I’m just going to be honest. And when it ain’t there, it sticks out like a sore thumb. That’s all I’m going to say.”
» READ MORE: Eagles drama is ‘disrespectful’ to Jalen Hurts; DeSean Jackson stirs the pot; and what else they’re saying
What else we’re reading and watching this week
🏝️ Quinyon Mitchell looked like an All-Pro vs. the Lions — and his Florida family and friends were there to see it.
🎞️ Why is A.J. Brown struggling against zone coverage? Here’s what the film says about his inconsistency.
👨⚕️ This 10-year-old beat cancer. Now he’s enlisting the Eagles to raise awareness.
👟 This weekend starts the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats initiative. Here’s a look at some of the colorful kicks the players will be wearing, and the causes they’re supporting.
🦃 It’s the holiday season, and Jordan Davis served Thanksgiving meals to Camden families this week.
Nakobe Dean’s value to the Eagles is as clear as the team’s improved defense performance since his return to play. Coming off his best game of the season in last week’s shutout win over the Raiders, the linebacker has made a remarkable turnaround from a serious knee injury that knocked him out of the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX championship run. But what’s Dean’s future in Philadelphia beyond this season? The 25-year old is an unrestricted free agent, and for the first time in what feels like forever, the Eagles have depth in the linebacker rotation. With only three games left before the playoffs, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane looks at the likelihood of the Eagles keeping Dean, as well as several other players whose contracts expire whenever this season ends. Listen here.
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