Both the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles can breathe easy heading into their NFL Week 18 regular-season finale. Each of them has clinched a playoff spot and could potentially face off again in the NFC Wild Card Round next week.
The Cowboys (11-5) are NFC East division champs and enter this game as the No. 4 seed. As division winners, they can fall no further than that. A win could put them as high as No. 2, but they will need plenty of help. Last weeks loss to Arizona eliminated them from the race for the highly coveted home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and a first-round bye.
The Eagles (9-7) enter this weekend as the No. 7 seed after securing their spot with a win at Washington last week. Based on NFL tiebreaker rules, they can actually lose this game and still move up to No. 6 depending on other results around the playoff bubble.
With little to gain, expect both teams to play it safe as they keep the larger goal of a Super Bowl championship in mind. That said, either of these longtime division rivals would like to win in order to gather a little extra momentum entering the postseason and for the slight chance of improving seeding. The Eagles come in hot, 6-1 in their last seven games, but were dismantled by the Cowboys 41-21 in prime time earlier this season. They would love to avenge that loss to their bitter NFC East rival. The Cowboys would like to get back into rhythm after they stumbled to a 25-22 loss last Sunday against the Cardinals.
Here are three things to watch for heading into Saturday’s match up.
1. Will the starters for each team play the full game?
For Dallas, the answer appears to be a resounding “yes.” Owner Jerry Jones made clear this week he expects little, if anything, to change with the game plan if he has anything to say about it. With that type of public proclamation, don’t expect Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy to change course. There are, indeed things to work on for this group after quarterback Dak Prescott fumbled three times (one lost) against the Cardinals and the team’s 10th-ranked rushing attack was held to just 45 yards and no touchdowns. It’s a far cry from the dominant performance Prescott (four TD passes), running back Ezekiel Elliott (2 TD’s) and the rest of the offense put together in a 56-14 thumping of Washington the week before.
Whether the Eagles pursue the same full-game, play-your-starters strategy is unclear. First-year head coach Nick Sirianni is keeping his cards closer to the vest; however, the team’s star running back Miles Sanders is not expected to play. Sanders is not fully recovered after sufferring a a broken hand in Week 16 against the Giants. That may be an indication that Sirianni might hold back with some other key offensive players (QB Jalen Hurts, ankle; T Lane Johnson, knee) who could benefit from additional rest. Keep in mind though, backup quarterback Gardner Minshew was sensational in his lone start this year (20-for-25, 242 yards, 2 TDs, 133.7 passer rating), so the Eagles may not be at much of a disadvantage if they dip down into their reserves.
2. Who will be out because of COVID-19 protocols?
Sadly, this is still a question that needs to be asked every week with the Omicron variant raging over the country like never before. Among the Eagles starters currently parked on the COVID list are Pro Bowl center Jason Kelce, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, tight end Dallas Goedert, cornerback Avonte Maddox, and safeties Rodney McLeod and Marcus Epps. Running backs Boston Scott and Jordan Howard, who had been sharing the backfield load with Sanders out, also have landed themselves on the list. The good news for the Eagles is those dozen players are now exempt from testing for the next 90 days, meaning all will be automatically eligible for their wild-card game next week. Running back will be the position affected the most. Illness and injury have depleted that position group for the Eagles leaving Kenneth Gainwell as the only healthy one on the roster guaranteed to play.
For the Cowboys, their big COVID-19 name is Defensive Rookie of the Year favorite Micah Parsons. The linebacker was added to the list on Wednesday joined by two other starters, tackle Tyron Smith, and cornerback Anthony Brown. All of them, unlike some of the Eagles players, are guaranteed to miss Saturday’s contest based on the ever-changing NFL quarantine rules.
Parsons and Brown performed well against the Eagles earlier this year, totaling an interception and a half-sack as Hurts was left off-balance throughout the night. Overall, the sheer number of Eagles potentially out puts them at a far greater disadvantage on Saturday night with respect to COVID protocols.
3. Who will be able to run the ball?
This question could be a moot point depending on how many running backs actually suit up. The league’s No. 1 rushing offense fell flat against the Cowboys the first time around, racking up a season-low 64 yards with Sanders only getting two carries. The Cowboys have improved dramatically against the run compared to last year but have shown signs of vulnerability.
The Cowboys running game has struggled mightily during the second half of the season after looking unstoppable in the first half. Ezekiel Elliott’s injury and the shuffling of the offensive line have had a major impact but it something that the Cowboys must remedy if the wish to have a chance at a playoff run.
Final Analysis and Prediction:
This one’s hard to handicap considering the sheer number of players who might be missing. What tips the scales here is how many running backs are eligible for the Eagles Saturday night. If Scott and Howard play, Philadelphia should win this rematch at home even if they choose to rest some of their starters. Gardner Minshew is more than capable of being a starting QB in his own right. The Cowboys looked a bit overmatched against a good Cardinals team and will be missing some of their key defensive playmakers on the road.
If the current COVID-19 list holds, Philadelphia might simply be down too many good players to stay competitive. The Cowboys technically have more to gain, potentially moving up the playoff seeding list, and their insistence on playing starters means you have to give them the edge while keeping a side-eye on which Eagles suit up to play.
Final Score : Dallas Cowboys 28 Philadelphia Eagles 14
*Photo by Joe Glorioso; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode