It all started back on September 25th, 1960. The Philadelphia Eagles took on the Dallas Cowboys for the very first time; a game in which the Birds were victorious.
The score was 27-25, a close game that would set the pace for this historical rivalry for years to come.
The (3-3) Philadelphia Eagles will travel to Arlington, Texas to take on the (3-3) Dallas Cowboys for the sole lead in the NFC East. This matchup is crucial, as it could likely come in to play come playoff time.
Tension is already heating up between the two teams, as Doug Pederson called his shot this week. In an interview with 94WIP, a local Philadelphia radio show, Doug Pederson said,
“We’re going down to Dallas, our guys are gonna be ready to play. And we’re gonna win that football game and when we do we’re in first place in the NFC East…”
Four days after the Birds’ head coach claimed a win, Cowboys star edge rusher Demarcus Lawrence spoke to the media and had a response:
photo via: DallasNews.com“We’re ready. Can he play the game?” “…He might want to shut his ass up and stay on the sideline”
This will be the 121st time the two franchises meet (including playoffs), with the Cowboys leading the all-time series 68-52.
In the most recent matchup, the Cowboys won a thriller in overtime; a game Eagles fans would prefer to forget.
Carson Wentz finished with a solid outing that game: 22 completions of 32 attempts, 228 passing yards, and three touchdowns. This was also the game in which Dak Prescott lit up the Eagles’ secondary for 455 passing yards and three touchdowns of his own.
It is important to note that, while Dallas holds a comfortable lead in the all-time series matchup versus Philadelphia, the Birds have the advantage since 2000, beating the Cowboys 23 times and losing only 16 times.
The main reason why Dallas has such a grasp on the series lead is due to their sheer dominance in the ’70s; winning 17 games against Philly while only losing three.
You can thank Cowboys legends Roger Staubach, Mel Renfro, Rayfield Wright, Drew Pearson, and many more for the countless victories during that decade.
Here are the statistics for key Cowboys players if we were to space out their current stats over a sixteen-game pace:
QB D. Prescott – 5,024yds / 29 TD / 16 INT / 102.9rtg (5 rushing TD)
RB E. Elliott – 1,309yds / 13 TD / 4.3ypc – – 48rec / 373yds
WR A. Cooper – 88rec / 1,373yds / 13 TD / 15.6ypr
Here are some notable sixteen-game paces for key members of Philadelphia’s offense:
QB C. Wentz – 3,888yds / 32 TD / 8 INT / 94.3rtg (3 rushing TD)
RB J. Howard – 792yds / 11 TD / 4.5ypc – – 16rec / 125yds / 3 TD
RB M. Sanders – 531yds / 0 TD / 3.5ypc – – 35rec / 584yds / 3 TD
TE Z. Ertz – 88rec / 976yds / 3 TD
There are many interesting tidbits to discuss within these ‘season stats’, such as Dak’s passing yardage total. It also should raise concern to Cowboys fans that Prescott is on pace for 16 interceptions.
If these totals were to hold, this would mean that Cowboys’ running back Ezekiel Elliott would have produced yet another extremely productive season.
Miles Sanders has interesting sixteen-game paces as well, surpassing 1,000 total yards from scrimmage his rookie season.
Jalen Mills is now confirmed to be starting against the Cowboys; his first action in 2019. While he isn’t Jalen Ramsey, the Birds will be happy to get back arguably their best-rostered cornerback.
This Sunday night showdown will be anything but predictable, and it surely will have Philly and Dallas on the edge of their seat throughout.
Featured Image: BleedingGreenNation.com All statistics via: ProFootballReference.com
