Eagles-Cowboys player matchups to watch in Week 10

The Eagles (6-2) are heading to North Texas to face the Cowboys (3-5) in an NFC East showdown on Sunday afternoon.

Here are some key matchups to watch:

Eagles defense vs. Cooper Rush

Cowboys starting quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a hamstring injury last week and won’t be playing in this Week 10 game. So Cooper Rush, their longtime backup, will face the Eagles. In his career, Rush has a 5-1 record as a starter in 2021 and 2022 with his one loss coming to the Eagles in Philly on Oct. 16, 2022.

In that game back in 2022, the Eagles won 26-17 to improve to 6-0 on the season. Rush in that game threw for just 181 yards and a touchdown but was picked off three times — twice by C.J. Gardner-Johnson and once by Darius Slay. The Eagles were up 20-0 in that game before the Cowboys made it a tad closer but the Eagles never trailed.

This season, Rush has completed 22 of 29 passes (56.4%) for 167 yards with 1 touchdown and one interception. He completed 13 of 25 passes last week in a loss to the Falcons once Prescott exited. The Cowboys don’t have a very strong rushing attack to lean on either; they’re 31st in rushing yards this season.

The Eagles’ defense has been humming since the bye week in this four-game winning streak. The defense have given up just 44 points in these four games — an average of just 11 points per game. And they have given up just 858 yards (214.5) during this span. That’s the best mark in the NFL over the last four weeks. So they might be able to feast on a backup quarterback in Week 10.

Cooper DeJean vs. CeeDee Lamb

The Cowboys’ best offensive weapon suffered a shoulder injury in Week 9 but might be able to tough it out against the Eagles on Sunday. Lamb is fantastic. This season, Lamb has 53 catches for 660 yards and 4 touchdowns and he has been to three consecutive Pro Bowls.

Lamb lines up everywhere but a bunch of his snaps come in the slot. In fact, according to ProFootballFocus, Lamb has played 235 snaps in the slot to 208 lined up wide. So we could see a really exciting matchup between Lamb and rookie Cooper DeJean.

The Eagles defense has been great since the bye week and DeJean is a big reason why. Putting him in at the nickel corner spot has really transformed that entire side of the ball. Among all NFL corners with at least 100 snaps in coverage, DeJean has PFF’s second-highest coverage grade behind just Zyon McCollum.

DeJean this season has given up 14 catches on 21 targets for 97 yards. He has two pass breakups and has made huge plays on 4th downs in back-to-back weeks.

Josh Sweat vs. Tyler Guyton 

After going the first three games of the season without having a sack, Josh Sweat has 5 in his last five games including a 2-sack performance against the Jaguars on Sunday. And now he’ll face a rookie first-round pick in Tyler Guyton out of Oklahoma.

The Cowboys have given up a ton of pressure on the edge this season. Right tackle Terence Steele has given up 6 sacks and 25 pressures, while Guyton has given up 4 sacks and 19 pressures. 

Fred Johnson vs. Micah Parsons

After a really strong performance against Trey Hendrickson a couple weeks ago, Johnson had some struggles against Josh Hines-Allen on Sunday afternoon. Johnson gave up a team-high five pressures and two sacks, according to ProFootballFocus.

Meanwhile, Parsons hasn’t played since Week 4 because of a high ankle sprain but could make his return in this one. Parsons is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL and rushes from both sides of the line. But with Lane Johnson over there on the right side of the Eagles’ offensive line, the Cowboys will probably want to get Parsons lined up over Fred Johnson. Fellow edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence has also been out with a foot injury.

Eagles WRs vs. Cowboys DBs

The Cowboys have been without DaRon Bland all season but there’s a chance he could make his 2024 debut against the Eagles on Sunday. Bland was an All-Pro last season with a league-high nine interceptions and five pick-6s. If Bland can return, then the Cowboys have a formidable cornerback duo with Bland and Trevon Diggs, who has started all eight games this season. And while he’s undersized, Jourdan Lewis has been a solid nickel corner for a while.

But the Eagles have a strong duo of receivers with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Smith took over in a crucial moment last week against the Jaguars after Brown left with a knee injury. The good news is that Brown’s injury isn’t considered serious and there’s a chance he can play this weekend. But Smith is now dealing with a hamstring injury.

Saquon Barkley vs. Cowboys run D

The Eagles have transitioned into a run-first offense in recent weeks behind the strength of their Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley. That doesn’t mean they can’t or shouldn’t pass — but Barkley has been so good it would be crazy to not feed him the rock. Through eight games, Barkley has already surpassed 1,000 scrimmage yards and has 925 on the ground with a 5.9 average.

The Cowboys have the No. 30 ranked run defense in the NFL in yards and are 23rd in average yards per attempt, giving up 4.6 yards per pop. And they’re dead last in EPA/rush (+0.16) this season as a run defense, per NextGen Stats. The Cowboys are also giving up 3.21 yards after contact per attempt; just four teams have given up more.

Bonus: Eagles ST vs. KaVontae Turpin

The Cowboys have an elite return man in KaVonte Turpin, who returns punts and kicks for them. As a punt returner, he has nine returns for 146 yards (16.2) and a touchdown. As a kick returner, he has 13 returns for 444 yards (34.2) with a long of 79. Turpin has the top kick return average in the NFL among players with over 10 attempts and the second-highest punt return average among qualified players.

The Eagles’ special teams units have been pretty good all season aside from a few disastrous plays. The easiest way to find disaster in this game is by kicking the ball to Turpin.

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