3 bold predictions for the Cowboys as they try to play spoiler for the Eagles

The Dallas Cowboys 2024 season is winding down and they finish up with two division rivals in Weeks 17 and 18. First up this week it’s the soon-to-be NFC East champion, Philadelphia Eagles. Philly is looking to sweep the season series from Dallas and keep their hopes alive of grabbing the No. 1 playoff seed in the NFC and a first-round bye. There shouldn’t be much resistance with Dallas’ two biggest offensive stars out for the season, Dak Prescott and now CeeDee Lamb.

So, the Eagles (or Beagles) have everything to play for and a lot to lose. On the flip side, the Cowboys are playing for nothing more than pride and to play spoiler at this point. Of course, they don’t want to get swept by Philly but if they can harm their playoff run in any way, surely every person in Big D employed by Jerry Jones will sign up for that. With that said, let’s get some bold predictions going for this NFC East battle.

Philly will drop 50 on Dallas

It sounds like a lot of points, and it is. But let’s keep in mind that this is a division rivalry and the Eagles beat the Cowboys 34-6 in Week 10. Dallas had 146 total yards on offense in that game, while Philly’s offense went running back by committee for 187 rushing yards. Jalen Hurts had four touchdowns in that game, two through the air and two on the ground. The Cowboys were shut out in the second half of that game at home.

This week shouldn’t be any different with the Eagles fighting to stay alive for the No. 1 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye in the postseason. They’ll need help but with Detroit and Minnesota facing off in Week 18, there is still hope for Philadelphia. So, there is extra incentive to beat down the Cowboys this week if you’re playing for Philly.

The Cowboys will have at least 6 sacks

Despite what seems like an inevitable loss, that doesn’t mean the Cowboys won’t have anything positive to go their way in this game. Although Dallas was blown out the last time these teams met, they were able to bring down Jalen Hurts with five sacks. If sacks equaled points on the board, the Cowboys would have a few more wins this season.

It’s wild because Dallas has one of the worst defenses in the league this year yet the defense ranks fourth (46) in the NFL in sacks. That is quite remarkable, especially since they weren’t really getting home earlier in the season. While the overall defense has regressed compared to the past couple of years, the pass rush has been more consistent over the second half of the season. It won’t be easy but expect the Cowboys to be on Hurts’ tail all day.

The Eagles will hold Cooper Rush under 75 yards passing again

Yes, a bit extreme possibly but in the Cowboys’ last meeting with the Eagles, Cooper Rush passed for a measly 45 yards. In today’s NFL, that’s the equivalent of one drive for most quarterbacks but Dallas wasn’t able to get anything going in that Week 10 matchup. It will be tough to duplicate but the Eagles will still hold Rush under 100 yards which is still rare in this day and age.

To Rush’s credit, he’s bounced back since and even passed for 354 yards the very next week against the Houston Texans in a loss where he passed the ball 55 times. If the Cowboys hope to compete and win this game that won’t be the recipe. If Rush is forced to drop back more than 30-35 times in any game that’s almost a guaranteed loss. But since the Cowboys aren’t likely to win this one against the Eagles anyway, hell, go crazy.