Dallas @ Philadelphia preview
Lincoln Financial Field
Last Meeting ( Dec 24, 2022 ) Philadelphia 34, Dallas 40
One of the NFL's more heated rivalries comes out of hibernation Sunday as the Dallas Cowboys visit the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones held his tongue when asked about the key division matchup, saying he didn't want to "poke the bear."
Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott did not show similar restraint as his Cowboys (5-2) prepared to take on the Eagles (7-1).
"Pour honey on me," Prescott said. "I always say that. If you see me and a bear in a fight, pour honey on me. So, you can poke it. ...
"Whether we talk (about it) or not, we know what's ahead of us. Great opponent. Excited for it. Opponent we are familiar with and vice versa. I know you guys (the media) are going to build it up. That's part of your guys' job. As you should in a big game like this with a big, big rival. Division game. Down the road this game will mean something as we get further down the line this season. Trust me, the guys in the locker room, myself, we know what this game means."
Each team enters on a two-game winning streak.
The Eagles completed a season sweep of the Commanders with a 38-31 win last Sunday at Washington and the Cowboys rolled to a 43-20 home win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Prescott set season highs with 304 yards and four touchdown passes against the Rams. For his career, he is 8-3 as a starter against the Eagles, completing 67.5 percent of his passes for 2,757 yards with 19 TDs and eight picks.
Philadelphia counterpart Jalen Hurts is also coming off a big game. He matched his career high with four TD passes and matched his season high -- set in the first meeting with Washington in Week 4 -- with 319 passing yards against the Commanders.
"I think Jalen has continued to develop as a passer," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said Monday. "He just played an outstanding game and I think he's been on a little bit of a roll here lately. Man, he played really good yesterday. Really good and we all saw that. Tough, leader, can beat you a lot of different ways and he beat the team with his arm yesterday."
Hurts has won 24 of his past 26 starts in the regular season but is 1-2 in his career against Dallas. He will be facing a Cowboys defense that is allowing just 17.1 points per game and has nine interceptions, including three returned for touchdowns by cornerback DaRon Bland.
Sirianni has thrown gasoline on the rivalry fire by wearing a "Beat Dallas" T-shirt in 2021 and directing an f-bomb toward the Cowboys bench in 2022.
This time around, he heaped praise on the Dallas defense and said Philadelphia is focused on trying to limit Micah Parsons' impact. "You gotta think about them more than their loved ones think about them," Sirianni told reporters on Wednesday.
Three Eagles did not practice on Wednesday: tight end Grant Calcaterra (concussion), cornerback Bradley Roby (shoulder) and running back Boston Scott (personal). Rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter was a full participant after hurting his back against Washington.
Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith (neck), safety Jayron Kearse (toe) and wide receiver Michael Gallup (illness) did not practice Wednesday and offensive lineman Chuma Edoga (ankle) was limited.
This is the first of two meetings between the teams, who meet again Week 14 in Texas on "Sunday Night Football."
--Field Level Media