Eagles and Cowboys battle for the lead
The Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys close the third week of the NFL with a “Monday Night Football” duel in which the NFC East leadership is at stake.
Both teams come into this duel with opposing streaks, as Philadelphia enjoys a favorable record in prime time and Dallas drags a long streak of defeats.
Here are the facts you need to know about the Eagles vs Cowboys game:
The Eagles have a 9-3 record on Monday Night Football since 2013. That’s the fifth-best record in that type of game in the NFL.
Philadelphia is 13-6 in primetime since 2017. Only the Seattle Seahawks have a better record (13-5) in that same span.
The Eagles have suffered three straight losses to divisional opponents. It is their worst streak since 2016 (four straight).
Philadelphia’s 162.0 yards per game this year is the highest average in the NFC.
Miles Sanders is averaging 5.6 yards per touchdown since 2019. That’s the third-highest average for a running back since then.
Jalen Hurts is one of four quarterbacks with 500 total yards or more without a turnover. The others are Teddy Bridgewater, Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson.
The Cowboys are 92-80 in 172 games in their prime-time history.
Dallas has seven straight prime-time losses. It is their worst streak since 1970 and the second-worst active streak in the NFL behind the New York Giants (8).
It will be the Cowboys’ 83rd game on “Monday Night Football,” the second most in history behind the Miami Dolphins (85).
The Cowboys defense totaled the most steals in the NFL in the first two weeks of the season with six.
The last time Ezekiel Elliott topped 100 yards on the ground in a game was in 2020 against the Eagles (105 yards).
Dak Prescott has 2,230 air yards in his last six games dating back to last season, including four games with 400-plus yards.
Here are the reasons not to miss the Philadelphia-Dallas game:
It will be Dak Prescott’s first matchup against the Eagles with Jalen Hurts as the starting quarterback and, believe it or not, the two have very similar Fantasy Football stats in their six most recent complete games.
Hurts has produced 23.8 points, thanks to 416 yards on the ground and 1,376 passing; Prescott 76 and 2,230, respectively, for 25.5 average points per game.
It will be the Cowboys’ first home game this season and Prescott’s first since he was injured last year; it is also the Cowboys’ 27th matchup against the Eagles on Monday Night Football.
Watching rookie Micah Parsons is a spectacle in itself, whether at linebacker or defensive end. It should be added that defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will have to get creative once again, as in addition to all of his injury losses, this week adds linebacker Keanu Neal and defensive end Bradlee Anae, both out for COVID-19. Randy Gregory returns from the contagion.
