The NFL has only three contests in their 4:00 p.m. E.T. window in Week 10. The league’s lack of quantity was supposed to be made up for in the quality of matchups at that time. However, their main attraction – an NFC East battle between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys – has lost its shine.
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When concluding his YouTube analysis of the game, ESPN analyst Jon Gruden picked Philly to claim victory on behalf of running back Saquon Barkley.
“Anything can happen in these rivalry games. But I think Philadelphia is the much better team right now, and they’re gonna go get this one for Saquon Barkley… Eagles – 33, Cowboys – 20.”
Barkley, a seven-year veteran, played Dallas 10 times as a member of the New York Giants. His former franchise did not win a single one of those games (0-10). Now that he has escaped the Big Apple, he is in line to beat the Cowboys for the first time.
With Dak Prescott considering season-ending surgery, this week could be the beginning of the end of the Cowboys season. Most people, including former head coach Gruden, expect it to be.
Philadelphia (7-2) enters play on a four-game winning streak. Dallas (3-5) has lost three straight games and will be starting backup quarterback Cooper Rush. The Eagles, as a result, are 7.5-point favorites on the road in the divisional affair.
How has Philadelphia fared against Dallas in recent seasons?
As divisional rivals, the Eagles and Cowboys face one another twice every season. Their 58 combined wins since 2022 have made their meetings appointment television. Three of their last four games have been decided by nine or fewer points, adding even more intrigue to each contest.
Dating back to 2020, Dallas has won five of seven matchups. The teams have alternated wins in their past five battles, though. A Philadelphia victory on Sunday would extend that trend.
The Cowboys, naturally, have expressed optimism in Rush adequately filling Prescott’s void. They saw him go 4-1 in Prescott’s place back in 2022. Essentially, they’re saying, “he did it before; he can do it again!” Unfortunately – as detailed earlier this week – that’s not likely to be the case.
If Dallas’ defense resembled the 2022 bunch, the confidence in Rush “leading” the Cowboys to wins would be warranted. But this year’s unit hemorrhages points (28.1 per game, second-most in the NFL) and rushing yards (147.8 per game; third-most). The Eagles’ offense averages the league’s second-most rushing yards per game (174.8). Barkley, the league leader in rush yards per game (115.6) is a big reason why.
On Sunday, Philadelphia’s “unstoppable force” rushing attack should repeatedly gash Dallas’ “moveable object” run defense. Rush is equipped to manage games by avoiding turnovers and staying ahead of the chains. He’s not someone you can rely upon to carry your offense in a shootout.
It will take a whale of an effort for the Cowboys to keep Barkley winless against them and upset the Eagles. However, crazier things have happened, and there’s a reason the games aren’t played on paper. Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. E.T. on CBS.
