Eagles-Cowboys Player Matchups to Watch in Week 6

Eagles-Cowboys player matchups to watch in Week 6 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles (5-0) are hosing the Cowboys (4-1) on Sunday Night Football at the Linc.

Here are some key matchups to watch:

Eagles offensive line vs. Cowboys defensive line

The Cardinals blitzed a ton last week as expected. Vance Joseph brought pressure from everywhere to try to get at Jalen Hurts. The Cowboys don’t really need to blitz. They have some phenomenal linemen who really get after quarterbacks. Through five games, Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence and Dorance Armstrong Jr. have already combined for 13 sacks. As good as Lawrence has been for a long time and as strong as Armstrong has been to start this season, it really all starts with Parsons.

The 23-year-old is already one of the best defensive players in the NFL and is coming off a two-sack performance and an NFC Defensive Player of the Week award.

How much has Eagles’ OC Shane Steichen been thinking about Parsons this week?

“A lot. He’s a really good football player,” Steichen said. “I know Coach (Sirianni) mentioned it yesterday. He has to be accounted for on every play. He flies around. They line him up all over the place. Really good pass rusher. He has speed. He has power. So, we have to be aware of him.

“It's a really good defense we're facing. They're very sound in what they do. They play hard. They're physical. It's going to be a heck of a challenge for us. Again, one we're looking really forward to. I know The Linc [Lincoln Financial Field] will be rocking on Sunday night, so we're fired up for it.”

While Parsons moves around quite a bit, he’s really dangerous as an edge rusher from both sides. The Eagles will really need Jordan Mailata to be back and healthy in this one. Because Mailata and Lane Johnson, who has been great this season, will have a big test on Sunday.

And the overall health of the Eagles’ OL is something to watch going into this game. Four of their five starters have been on the injury report this week. They’ll need them at close to full strength on Sunday night to deal with a talented Cowboys front that executes stunts and twists very well to the point where they don’t need to blitz.

Eagles’ WRs vs. Trevon Diggs

Sure, Diggs gave up a lot of yards and catches last season and that was the reason many people thought he didn’t deserve to be named an All-Pro in 2021. But those 11 interceptions are hard to ignore. Through two games in 2022, that pace has slowed with two in five games. But Diggs is still a big-play threat and the Eagles have to be ready for that. Diggs is the ultimate gambler at the CB position. He’ll make big plays but he’ll give them up too. The Eagles just have to know where he is.

For the most part, Diggs plays all of his snaps as the Cowboys’ right cornerback, while Anthony Brown plays on the left side. That means the Eagles can dictate the matchups they want in this game.

The Eagles have had big games for DeVonta Smith and big games for A.J. Brown this season. The Cowboys have the NFL’s 7th-ranked passing defense in the NFL but the Eagles are going to enter just about every game feeling like they have an advantage with their wideouts.

CeeDee Lamb vs. Darius Slay

Amari Cooper is gone, Cedric Wilson is gone and Michael Gallup is just two games into his return from an ACL tear. There’s no question that CeeDee Lamb is now the Cowboys No. 1 wideout. The former first-round pick has 28 catches (on 50 targets!) for 341 yards and 2 touchdowns through five games this season. He’s had at least five catches in each of the Cowboys’ first four games this season.

The Cowboys move Lamb around quite a bit but it would make sense for Darius Slay to travel with him from left to right and then the Eagles will have Avonte Maddox (hopefully back from an ankle injury) deal with Lamb in the slot. In the Eagles’ first matchup against the Cowboys last season, Lamb had 3 catches for 66 yards but all of them came against Steven Nelson. The Eagles have upgraded at that CB2 spot this year with James Bradberry. So we might see a lot of Slay vs. Lamb and Bradberry vs. Gallup on Sunday night.

Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard vs. Eagles run defense

The Eagles’ run defense got a little leaky against the Cardinals on Sunday and that’s a little troubling entering this matchup. The Cowboys’ tandem of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard is one of the best in the league. Elliott isn’t as good as he once was but he still has 81 carries for 305 yards (3.8) and a touchdown this season. And Pollard had 44 for 248 (5.6) and 2 scores.

The Eagles still boast the NFL’s No. 10 run defense but are 25th in yards per carry, giving up 5.0 per pop. And in Arizona last week, the defense missed 11 tackles, according to ProFootballFocus. It’ll be a big week for the Eagles’ bear front on early downs with Jordan Davis, Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave clogging the middle.

Cooper Rush vs. Eagles defense

Through his four starts, the Cowboys are 4-0 and Rush’s stats won’t blow you away. He’s completed 61% of his passes for 839 yards and 4 touchdowns. But he hasn’t thrown a single interception and he’s been very careful with the ball. That’s been the Cowboys’ recipe. Don’t turn the ball over on offense, let that defense do its job.

What has stood out about Rush?

“Efficiency,” Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon said. “I think he is playing very efficient right now. He knows where to go with the ball. He is accurate. He is running the offense. They put a lot on the quarterback's plate to get him in ideal calls, and he’s doing that.”

The Cowboys are leaning on their strong running attack even when they aren’t running. Rush is significantly better using play action. With play action, according to PFF, Rush is completing 69.7% of his passes with an average of 9.4 yards per attempt. Without it, he’s at 57.6% and averaging 6.2. It’s tricky because the Eagles want to stuff the run, but they can’t bite too hard on play action.