PHILADELPHIA − Something has got to give with one of the worst offenses in the NFL (Eagles) going against one of the worst defenses in the NFL (Cowboys) in a Monday Night Football game on Oct. 26.
The Eagles’ offense has proceeded to get only worse now that quarterback Jalen Hurts is lost for the season because of blood clots in both lungs, with Tanner McKee replacing him. And the Eagles will be without their top two wide receivers in DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks, and running back Saquon Barkley is listed as questionable.
So it’s not like McKee has a full deck to work with.
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McKee was 26-for-45 for 215 yards in the Eagles’ 25-14 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 18. It was his third career NFL start. The game against the Cowboys will be his fourth.
That is not the Eagles’ only issue, of course. That explains why they’re 2-4, having lost four straight.
As a team, the Eagles have amassed fewer than 250 yards in each of their last four games. They’re averaging 218.5 yards per game during that stretch. To put that in perspective, Tennessee is averaging a league-worst 236 yards per game this season.
It’s possible that left guard Landon Dickerson will come off injured reserve, and center Drew Kendall could return as well after missing two games with a knee injury.
That will help, but only to an extent.
The Eagles have scored just 3 points in the first quarter this season and 6 points in the third quarter under first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, whose new system doesn’t seem to be working.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said “everything is on the table,” in regard to fixing the offense, but then said Mannion will continue calling plays.
And Mannion has doubled down on his confidence in that system working, even with the mostly immobile McKee replacing the mobile Hurts.
“You look at a lot of the things that we need to improve, and I think they’re totally fixable,” Mannion said. “It’s a double-edged sword, right? You look at [the results], and you can get frustrated by it. You can also look at that and put a silver lining on it and say, ‘Man, if we just handle our simple stuff, we’re going to yield a better result.”
The Cowboys defense could be the remedy. After all, the Cowboys are also 2-4 because their defense ranks last in rushing defense (150 yards allowed per game) and 30th in total yards allowed (383 yards per game).
Then again, the Cowboys traded for cornerback Joey Porter, and Dallas’ defense has improved since he joined the lineup two games ago. Plus, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams could be going against a banged-up Eagles interior line.
And McKee isn’t agile enough to escape.
Here’s how we see the game going:
Our prognosticators are Martin Frank (Eagles beat writer/columnist, Delawareonline.com), Greg Giesen (sports strategist, Delawareonline.com), Tom McGurk (sports editor, Courierpostonline.com), Tom Moore (sports columnist, Phillyburbs.com), Bob Jordan (sports editor, app.com), Bert Bainbridge (sports trending reporter & columnist, Northjersey.com), Tom Haines (Pennsylvania state planning), Kevin Tresolini, (college sports reporter, Delawareonline.com), Michelle Ganassi (audience director & die-hard Steelers fan, Delawareonline.com), Tom Rimback (sports writer, Courierpostonline.com), Brandon Holveck (high school sports reporter, Delawareonline.com)
Martin Frank
The Eagles could be without edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Nolan Smith, and possibly Jalyx Hunt. If they can’t get pressure on QB Dak Prescott, it could be a long night for the Eagles’ secondary against WRs CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. The only way the Eagles can pull this out is with a ball-control offense. If Barkley, Dickerson and Kendall are back, they can do it.
The pick: Eagles 26, Cowboys 24
Greg Giesen
Jalen Hurts is out for the season and Saquon Barkley hasn’t played since Week 3. Thing is, it doesn’t matter. The offensive line is porous. Even if Hurts and Barkley were there, the Eagles wouldn’t be successful without the protection they’ve expected for years. And, without sustained drives on offense, the defense is gassed in the second half. The season is done. I’m sure the Eagles might win another game (I’m looking at you Arizona), but until the offensive line improves, it’s hard to imagine a victory. And on Monday night at The Linc, expect an ugly evening as the hated Dallas Cowboys push the losing streak to five.
The pick: Cowboys 24, Eagles 13
Kevin Tresolini
The Eagles are at a low point, and lifting themselves out of it appears unlikely because those assigned the duties and paid the salaries to excel and win football games, coaches and players both, have utterly failed. And now comes a Monday night bout with despised Dallas for which it’s difficult to summon any optimism the Eagles may actually rise to the occasion, despite the 2-4 Cowboys’ own mediocrity.
The pick: Cowboys 23, Eagles 16
Bob Jordan
The line a week before this game had the Birds as almost a touchdown dog at home! Maybe that’s motivation?
The pick: Eagles 21, Cowboys 20
Tom Moore
By late Monday night, the Eagles will have won all but five of their last five games.
The pick: Cowboys 17, Eagles 13
Tom McGurk
If there haven’t been enough bad clouds hovering over the City of Brotherly Love lately, a loss to the rival Cowboys in the national spotlight will take the doom and gloom to another level.
The pick: Cowboys 20, Eagles 13
Bert Bainbridge
The Eagles score a few more points than they did against the Panthers, but it’s still not enough as the Birds losing streak extends to five games for the first time in a decade.
The pick: Cowboys 27, Eagles 17
Brandon Holveck
The Eagles are in the wilderness, as am I, picking their games at a .500 clip so far this season. My belief in a semi-turnaround on offense has expired even as the Birds get set to face one of the league’s worst defenses.
The pick: Cowboys 23, Eagles 17
Tom Haines
Yes, the Eagles will win again sometime this season, but it won’t be Monday night. Tanner McKee and the patchwork offensive line are clearly not-ready-for-primetime players.
The pick: Cowboys 23, Eagles 16
Michelle Ganassi
I respectfully disagree with the group (well, most of the group). As a proud member of Steelers Nation, I know rivalries bring out something different, especially on a big stage. I’m taking the Eagles over the Cowboys, and I fully expect the memes afterward to be glorious.
The pick: Eagles 14, Cowboys 7
Tom Rimback
The who-are-these-guys Iggles face the predictably disappointing Cowboys on a Monday Night Football game that should open with an old-school rendition of Dandy Don Meridith singing ‘Turn out the Lights.’ What happens when the moveable object meets a resistible force? Who cares?
The pick: Eagles 9, Cowboys 6
Overall records
6-0: Bainbridge
5-1: Giesen, McGurk, Moore
4-2: Frank, Tresolini, Rimback
3-2: Ganassi
3-3: Haines, Holveck, Jordan
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Sign up for the “Eye On The Eagles” newsletter, emailed to your inbox every Friday morning. Read his coverage of the Eagles‘ championship season in “Flying High,” a hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Can Eagles injured offense beat Cowboys D? Our experts score predictions
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