A 34-7 win over the woeful Rams was exactly what Dallas needed after five nail-biting games in which they won two and lost three. It was a chance to flex some muscle and take advantage of an overmatched team headed for the top of the 2012 NFL draft.
If there were any Eagles who thought the game after a bye week was automatic simply because Andy Reid is unbeaten in his head coaching career after the bye week, that thought was quickly dismissed: Dallas is a supremely talented football team that has everything to play for on Sunday night.
This bears repeating: The Eagles need to win the NFC East to reach the playoffs. There are too many wins out there to think about a Wild-Card spot. Detroit has five wins already. The Bears are playing good football. Tampa Bay, New Orleans and Atlanta are all going to threaten 10 or 11 victories.
With conference losses to Atlanta, New York and San Francisco, the Eagles are already in a tough spot as far as tie breakers and the things you look at in December. So the focus has to be on every minute of every game, and certainly to play great football within the NFC East.
Sweep the rest of the division and the Eagles would be in fine shape. The Redskins are fading quickly. The Giants are 4-2 and they deserve a lot of respect, but they also have a very tough schedule the last half of the year. Dallas? Outstanding team. Great talent. Good coaching. Highly motivated.
If you are Juan Castillo and you are deep into the game plan for the Cowboys, what are the highest priorities to take away from a loaded Dallas offense? Murray's emergence playing in place of the injured Felix Jones gives the Cowboys an explosive running game. Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and tight end Jason Witten form as good a threesome in the passing game as any team has. Quarterback Tony Romo is playing well this year -- apart from some fourth-quarter bobbles -- and throws well on the run.
Dallas is balanced and potent. The Eagles must be aggressive and decisive on defense. I'd like to see more man-to-man coverage than zone in this one, and put the onus on the high-profile cornerbacks to keep the Dallas pass catchers in check. There are still too many holes in the zone coverage here.
More than anything, the Eagles must win the line of scrimmage. They must be relentless at the point of attack. They have to make Romo move in the pocket and get out of his comfort level and disrupt his timing. More blitzes than Castillo has dialed up in the first six games? Absolutely. Create some havoc. Force some turnovers. Dictate to Dallas.
There are equal challenges for Michael Vick and the Eagles offense. Rob Ryan is a master at pressure schemes, and the book is clearly out on what to do against Vick: Blitz him. Pressure him. Make him move. Keep your hands up and hope for some tipped passes.
The Eagles enjoyed a lovely week away from the game and they return refreshed and, we hope, fueled with the same focus and urgency they displayed in the win at Washington. The 2-4 hole they've dug is considerable, but there is a way out. The NFC East is log jammed, with the Giants leading the way at 4-2, Dallas and the Redskins at 3-3 and the Eagles a game behind.
Win all five games in the NFC East the rest of the way and the Eagles have a good chance. Ten wins for the season should be the number to win the division. Who knows? Nine wins may get it done in this crazy, unpredictable 2011 season.
First things first, though: The Eagles must be a very good Dallas team on Sunday night. The Cowboys have all kinds of confidence coming to Philadelphia. A quick start, attention to detail and great X's and O's combined with execution is what the Eagles need to get on the right track this season at Lincoln Financial Field.
