The biggest matchup of the Dallas Cowboys season has arrived.
A rematch versus the rival Philadelphia Eagles is on deck for Dallas on Sunday Night Football under the bright lights of NBC and AT&T Stadium.
The Cowboys’ other bully, the San Francisco 49ers, did Dallas and the rest of the NFL a favor this past Sunday night.
San Francisco walked into Philadelphia with their boom box blasting Kodak Black and put up 42 points on the hapless Eagles just like they did to Dallas in Week 5.
Eagles fans are quick to say that they scored 19 points while the Cowboys only scored 10.
While that’s true, celebrating that you lost better is loser energy, and that’s why the Cowboys will defeat them this Sunday.
In order to secure a victory to get to a 10-3 record and first place in the NFC East, it will take some bold play from the Cowboys and their players.
With that segue, let’s dive into my three bold predictions for the Cowboys versus the Eagles this week.
Remember that these are bold predictions for a reason. They might seem far-fetched but they are still in the realm of possibility.
Dallas Will Surpass 40 Points
You might be saying, “Mario, that’s not a bold prediction!”.
Part of me wants to agree with you, but that’s how dominant the Cowboys’ offense has been at home.
They have us thinking that scoring 40 points is the norm since they’ve done it four other times this season.
Dallas is the only team in the NFL to score 30+ points in each of their home games this season, and four in a row of 40+ is already an NFL record.
How likely is it that the Cowboys can make it five in a row?
The Eagles’ defense after their front four is atrocious.
Philadelphia ranks in the bottom third of the league in virtually every category besides sacks and rush defense.
With a defensive line rotation of Haason Redick, Josh Sweat, Jalen Carter, Fletcher Cox, Jordan Davis, and Brandon Graham, the Eagles pose problems for most offenses.
Dallas has a quick passing game that can act as an extension of the run game and also neutralize the fierce pass rush led by Redick.
The Cowboys’ offense has been so explosive at home, that I can’t envision a scenario where the Eagles defense holds them under 40 points unless Dallas chooses to slow the game down.
Jalen Hurts Will Have 2 Turnovers
This also might not seem so bold considering Jalen Hurts is near the top of the league in giveaways.
Hurts has thrown 10 interceptions and fumbled the ball away four times this year.
The Eagles’ offense is efficient, and despite the 14 turnovers from Hurts, they actually do a fair job of protecting the football.
Even in their 42-19 blowout loss to the 49ers, the Eagles did not have a turnover so it’s difficult to count on Hurts making a mistake even in obvious passing situations.
However, the Cowboys are the most ball-hawking secondary in the NFL, led by breakout star CB DaRon Bland.
Bland leads the league with eight interceptions, including the NFL record for single-season interceptions returned for touchdowns with five.
I would love for the Dallas defense to intercept a Hurts pass and return it for a touchdown like Trevon Diggs did the last time Hurts played at AT&T Stadium.
Truthfully, the best chance for turnovers is to force Hurts into fumbles.
He has fumbled in six straight games, and a fierce pass rush led by Micah Parsons will make that seven.
Dak Prescott’s QB Rating Will Exceed 140.0
If Dak Prescott can accomplish this, it will be the second time this season his passer rating is north of 140.0, and the second time in the past three games.
For comparison, Prescott’s QB rating was 142.3 on Thanksgiving versus the Washington Commanders.
His numbers for that game were 331 yards passing and four touchdowns on 68.8% completions.
With four other games of at least 300 yards passing, hitting those numbers is more than feasible.
In the Week 9 loss at Philadelphia earlier this season, Prescott was actually very close to that 140.0 QB rating mark with 138.3.
That was on the road in a hostile environment. Imagine what he can do at AT&T Stadium where the team has surpassed 40 points in four straight games?
Dak Prescott will get dangerously close to a perfect 158.3 QB rating on Sunday night when he leads the Cowboys to victory and first place in the NFC East.