The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are both under .500 at the midpoint of the season, but can't be counted out in an NFC East race where there is no clear favorite. The two teams will battle in front of a primetime audience on Sunday Night Football, looking to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Eagles vs. Cowboys 2015, ‘Sunday Night Football’ preview: Philly, Dallas collide in primetime NFC East battle
Someone has to win the NFC East, right?
Philadelphia is 3-4 and a half-game behind the Giants in the standings, but actually has the best chance to win the division per Football Outsider's projections (47 percent odds). The combination of a weak division and favorable upcoming slate gives the Eagles hope the rest of the way. They face just two more teams with a current winning record and have only three road games left after Sunday. If they can beat the Cowboys and get to 4-4 (2-2 in the division), Philly definitely has a shot to win the NFC East.
The Eagles limped into their bye week following a frustrating loss to the Panthers, and now must regroup to make a strong run down the stretch. Although they collapsed in the final month last year, losing three of their last four games to fall out of playoff contention, they are just two years removed from going 7-1 in the second half of the season en route to an NFC East title. Making the postseason is not an impossible task by any means, especially in this lifeless division.
For the 2-5 Cowboys, Sunday night's game is as close to a must-win as possible, even if it doesn't technically eliminate them from the division race. It would be their sixth straight loss without Tony Romo, and put their season on the brink as they hit the road to face the Buccaneers on Nov. 15. The last team to lose six of their first eight games and still make the playoffs was the 1970 Bengals. Romo won't return until Week 11 at the earliest, and, based on the past few weeks, it's hard to see Dallas winning a game before then.
Although the Cowboys have lost five in a row for the first time since the 2010 season, there have been some positive takeaways during this skid. They've faced an unprecedented gauntlet of elite quarterbacks -- Matt Ryan, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Russell Wilson -- and were still competitive in four of their five losses. They were tied or held a lead in the fourth quarter against the Saints, Giants and Seahawks, and squandered a nine-point halftime advantage against the Falcons.
Digits
It has been more than a month since Romo broke his collarbone, and if there's one thing we learned, it's that the Cowboys' offense hasn't been able to function without him. The quarterback round robin of Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel has been mediocre, and not even the return of Dez Bryant last Sunday provided much of a spark. Against the Seahawks, they were held to season lows in total yards (220), passing yards (91) and first downs (14), and failed to scored a touchdown for the second time in the last three games.
Since Week 3 (their first game without Romo) the Cowboys rank 30th in points per game, 27th in total offense, 29th in passing yards per game and 30th in passer rating. The run game has been a bright spot, averaging the fifth-most yards per game (141.2) and yards per rush (4.9) in this span, but the Cowboys have struggled to move the ball through the air. Romo’s value to the Cowboys has never been more evident, and he can’t get back on the field soon enough if they want to somehow turn their season around.
Despite the offseason machinations of its mad scientist coach, Chip Kelly, Philadelphia's offense is a bit of a mess right now. The Eagles are 27th in yards per play, 25th in points per drive, 29th in third down conversion rate and 24th in red zone efficiency. Turnovers are also a glaring problem: only four teams have more giveaways than the Eagles (15), including 10 interceptions by Sam Bradford.
The quarterback’s poor decision-making is just one area where Bradford has struggled this season. By any statistical measure, he has been a disappointment on the field. He ranks dead last in ESPN’s Total Quarterback Rating and is one of three qualified quarterbacks who has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns this season. Bradford’s poor accuracy, especially on intermediate range throws, is a problem: he’s completed just 35 percent of passes traveling 11-20 yards downfield with six interceptions in 52 attempts.
Who to Watch
DeMarco Murray returns to Dallas for the first time since he left the Cowboys this winter and signed a free agent contract with the Eagles. Although he won't admit it, he's probably going to have a little extra motivation against his former team, especially after the wretched performance he had versus them in September (13 rushes for 2 yards). Murray's debut season in Philly has been a colossal bust so far, but if there ever was a game for Murray to put up a big-time effort and help his team win, this would be it.
Now that Joseph Randle is officially out of the picture, Darren McFadden has risen to the top of the Cowboys' running back depth chart. In two starts as Randle's replacement, he has 49 carries for 216 yards with one touchdown. The 49 rushes are his most in a two-game span since 2010, and the 152 yards he had in Week 7 were his most in any game since 2011. Plagued by injuries throughout his career, McFadden needs to prove that he can handle the increased workload and the weekly pounding of an every-down back.
How to watch
When: 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
TV: NBC
Announcers: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya
Online: NBC Sports
Preliminary Judgment
Most of the experts are siding with the Eagles on Sunday night. All eight of the guys at CBS Sports have Philly and five of the eight panelists here at SB Nation also are predicting a win by the road team.
Odds
The Eagles are 2.5-point favorites on the road and the over/under is 44.5, according to OddsShark.com.
Further Reading
To catch up on everything Eagles, head over to Bleeding Green Nation. Your one-stop source for Cowboys info is Blogging The Boys.
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