What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 12 vs. the Cowboys
The Eagles remain atop the NFC, but improvement by the offense is a must entering a Week 12 matchup with a shaky Cowboys defense.
Week after week, the Eagles just keep winning.
They are now 8-2 after their latest defensive master class, a 16-9 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday night. But for every week that the defense has taken strides lately, the offense seems to stray further from the flashes it showed coming off the mini-bye week in early October.
Week 12 might not be the get-well game the Eagles offense could use. The 4-5-1 Dallas Cowboys clobbered the lowly Las Vegas Raiders, 33-16, on Monday night. Is it a mirage or a sign of a defensive turnaround for the Eagles’ NFC East foe?
Here’s what we know (and what we don’t) about the Eagles entering their final matchup of the regular season against the Cowboys, who are coming off a short week:
Band-Aids galore
Last week, A.J. Brown stood at his locker stall in the NovaCare Complex and identified the crux of his frustration about the state of the Eagles offense.
He expressed a desire to make an impact on the Kevin Patullo-led offense, just a couple of days removed from a 13-yard performance against the Green Bay Packers. But he also didn’t make his frustrations solely about him. He had grown increasingly tired of the defense bailing out the listless offense and sought to play complementary football as a collective.
“I think if we’re really focusing on winning and doing our job; we can’t just keep slapping a Band-Aid over the defense doing their job and getting us out of trouble,” Brown said Wednesday. “At what point are we going to pick a box as an offense and say, ‘We’re so great?’ That’s what I’m getting at.”
That point didn’t come Sunday night against the Lions. Vic Fangio and the Eagles defense opened up another box of Band-Aids, limiting the league’s second-ranked scoring offense entering Week 11 to just nine points, the Lions’ lowest total since 2023.
The Eagles offense, meanwhile, scored one touchdown and settled for three field goals. The group mustered just six points (two field goals) off five fourth-down stops generated by the defense.
» READ MORE: Eagles grades: Offense continues to lag against Lions
According to Next Gen Stats, the Eagles offense registered the third-worst expected points added per play in the league in a win this season (-.28). The statistic measures the average points an offense generates on a play.
“We want them to continue to play at a high level,” Brown said postgame of the defense. “We’ve still just got to do a better job on offense and get our stuff going. It’s a lot of room for improvement. A lot of self-inflicted wounds. But hats off to the defense because they are playing their butts off.”
Brown might not be satisfied — and he’s certainly not the only one on offense — but what if the offense can’t get off the ground? Is the way the Eagles are winning right now sustainable?
Unsurprisingly, recent history suggests it’s unlikely. In the last seven seasons, only one Super Bowl champion offense generated a negative EPA per play during the regular season — the 2023 Kansas City Chiefs (-.04).
The Eagles offense sits at -.02 this season. While the offense may be able to get away with being inconsistent if the defense continues to excel, the offense can’t be consistently as bad as it was on Sunday night for the rest of the season.
Offensive line attrition
The offense’s quest to improve won’t get any easier in the absence of Lane Johnson. The 35-year-old right tackle suffered a Lisfranc injury and is likely headed to injured reserve, where he could spend the next four to six weeks.
It goes without saying that the Eagles are a better team when the two-time All-Pro right tackle is on the field. According to StatMuse, the Eagles are 110-57-1 in games that Johnson plays. They are 15-23 in games he does not play.
Cam Jurgens also exited Sunday’s game with an undisclosed injury. The center had previously been sidelined for the last two games with a knee injury. His status against the Cowboys is unclear.
There’s a chance that two backups start on the offensive line in Week 12. Fred Johnson and Brett Toth generally have fared well in place of Johnson and Jurgens this season.
But the overall performance from the offensive line has been substandard, particularly in the running game. Saquon Barkley has eclipsed 100 rushing yards in just one game this year so far. He’s averaging 2.5 yards per carry before contact this season, down from 3.8 last year.
Barkley had a pretty average day when the Eagles faced the Cowboys in the season opener, finishing with 60 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.
» READ MORE: Lane Johnson’s absence means more ‘bleep show’ offense for Eagles; Nakobe Dean inspires
Since the Eagles last saw them, the Cowboys have been atrocious overall on defense, ranking No. 31 in the league entering Monday night’s game. The Raiders couldn’t get much going on the ground against the Cowboys, but it’s also worth noting that Las Vegas played from behind for most of the game and boasts the league’s worst rushing offense.
The Cowboys also acquired defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets before the trade deadline. He dominated in his Dallas debut and recorded 1½ sacks and five quarterback hits. He will be a tough assignment for the interior offensive line, regardless of whether Jurgens or Toth starts.
Right on Q
The last time the Eagles played the Cowboys, Quinyon Mitchell didn’t shadow CeeDee Lamb. But when he was in coverage against the Cowboys receiver, he kept him in check, conceding one reception on four targets for 13 yards, according to Pro Football Focus.
It was a precursor to a strong sophomore season for the 24-year-old outside cornerback. According to Next Gen Stats, Mitchell has allowed receptions on just 41.9% of his targets, which is the lowest by any player with at least 50 targets in a season since 2018.
» READ MORE: A.J. Brown was right. The Eagles offense is still a bleep show. They need to fix it soon.
Mitchell played up to his standard again on Sunday night. He didn’t allow a catch on any of his six targets, according to Next Gen Stats, which is tied for the most targets without conceding a reception in a game over the last two seasons.
He even played 39 coverage snaps, tying the third-most by an outside cornerback in a game this year without giving up a catch.
The Eagles held a rookie minicamp over the weekend, which means that, for the first time this offseason, there are actual on-field football things to talk about. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Olivia Reiner were on hand, and share what they learned from practice observations and locker room conversations. Plus, Jeff gives context to the recent departures of two key members of general manager Howie Roseman’s front office staff. Listen here.
Listen to all episodes here or wherever you get your podcasts.
Fangio has been utilizing Mitchell as a boundary cornerback over the last couple of weeks, often leaving him on an island on the short side of the field. Given the Cowboys’ dual receiving threats on the outside in Lamb and George Pickens, Fangio may take that approach with Mitchell this week.
Pickens was quarterback Dak Prescott’s favorite receiver on Monday night. The 24-year-old receiver had 144 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions, while Lamb finished with 66 yards and a touchdown on five catches. Both receivers are on track to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards this season.
Dazzling Dean
Just over a month ago, it seemed uncertain if Nakobe Dean was going to have a role in Fangio’s defense upon his return from the physically unable to perform list. Jihaad Campbell, the No. 31 overall pick out of Alabama, was off to a solid start in his rookie season at inside linebacker alongside Zack Baun.
But over the last four games, Dean’s snap count has steadily increased, peaking at 67.8% of the defensive snaps against the Lions. Meanwhile, Campbell’s has decreased, reaching a season-low 33.9% on Sunday.
» READ MORE: Nick Sirianni wins in spite of himself, some might say. Those critics are wrong.
Dean has earned the opportunity to play, picking up where he left off before his knee injury. His excellence was illustrated by a two-play sequence late in the fourth quarter against the Lions, when he covered Jameson Williams on a crossing route to force an incompletion on first down and sacked Jared Goff on a simulated pressure on second down.
No matter how the Cowboys and their top-ranked passing offense tries to attack the Eagles, Dean will provide a boost to Fangio’s group on Sunday.
