The Philadelphia Eagles (13-1) look to lock up the NFC East division and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs with a win on Christmas Eve in Dallas against the Cowboys (10-4).
A win in any of the next 3 games will give the Eagles the division and the NFC No. 1 seed. But there would be no sweeter way to do it than against the division rival.
Series Record: The Philadelphia Eagles are 54-72 all-time against the Cowboys and 6-8 at AT&T Stadium.
Opponent Scouting Report
Offense
QB: The Cowboys are led by Dak Prescott at the QB position.
Prescott in 2022 has 2,103 passing yards with 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. On the ground, Prescott has added 114 yards and 1 touchdown on 30 rushes. Although Prescott has not run as much since coming back from his ankle injury, the ability to do so is still within him when needed. Prescott was 23-of-30 for 256 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions in the Cowboys' game last Sunday at Jacksonville.
RB: Dallas has a duo at the RB Position. Ezekiel Elliott has been steady with 188 carries for 774 yards and 10 TD, and Tony Pollard has started to take some run as well, earning Pro Bowl honors.
Pollard, who has 969 yards, good for eighth in the NFL, and nine touchdowns on 177 carries, has become a true 50/50 back with Elliott. It's the first time Dallas has had this type of timeshare in Elliott's tenure. This split has been beneficial for Dallas as the Cowboys are able to continually run at teams, while also having Dak Prescott at QB.
WR: The WR1 for the Dallas Cowboys is Pro Bowl selection CeeDee Lamb. His 81 receptions and 1,087 receiving yards both rank him top 10 in the NFL, while his six touchdowns rank 15th at the position.
Alongside Lamb, Noah Brown has had a major impact on several games. This past Sunday, Brown had six catches for 49 yards and two touchdowns against the Jaguars. Michael Gallup, now completely healthy from his torn ACL from last December, can also provide needed playmaking ability if the other two pass catchers are bottled up.
TE: With 43 receptions, 445 yards, and three touchdowns, Dalton Schultz is the guy at TE in Dallas. When Prescott gets in trouble, he frequently looks for Schultz to be his safety blanket. Often, he finds him for the play. In a line of Dallas tight ends like Jason Witten and Jay Novacek, Schultz is the next one to make an impact for the Cowboys in the pass game and in the run game where he has been a solid blocker.
Defense
Defensive Line: Micah Parsons, who was drafted to be a linebacker, has quickly become a premier edge rusher for the Dallas Cowboys. Along with DeMarcus Lawrence and Neville Gallimore, the defense of the Cowboys, led by this line has amassed 49 sacks through 14 games this season.
Linebacker: Leighton Vander Esch, the second leading tackler for the Cowboys with 54, is out with a neck injury. Anthony Barr and Jabril Cox will handle the off-ball linebacker duties in Vander Esch's absence. Although more used as an edge, Parsons will also line up at the LB position from time to time.
Secondary: Cornerback Anthony Brown (Achilles) will be out for this game. This leaves Malik Hooker and Trevon Diggs to take control of the secondary along with rookie DaRon Bland, who leads the Cowboys with four interceptions. Safety Donovan Wilson leads the team in tackles with 68.
Key Stats
3 – Three Eagles defenders had two sacks against the Bears – Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, and Javon Hargrave.
1 – The Eagles, with one more win, will wrap up the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC playoffs and get the coveted bye week.
1 – Philadelphia is one touchdown shy of tying its franchise record (54 in 2014). The Eagles' 53 are the most by any NFL team this season.
30 – Philadelphia leads the NFL with a team-record 30 rushing touchdowns.
Marquee Matchup | James Bradberry vs. Noah Brown
Darius Slay will be on CeeDee Lamb for much of this game. It will be paramount for James Bradberry to match up with Noah Brown, who is coming off a 2-TD game on six receptions against the Jaguars on Sunday. Being a shutdown corner in 2022 with three interceptions and 14 passes defended (second in the league), he could make things difficult on the Cowboys' offense and its ability to move the ball through the pass game.
