Can it get much more exciting than this? It's Week 9, Sunday Night Football, and the Philadelphia Eagles are hosting their hated rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, for sole possession of first place in the NFC East.
Both teams are 5-2 and coming off blowout victories. Who has the edge? Let's take a look at some of the matchups.
When the Eagles have the ball
Eagles Pass Offense vs. Cowboys' Pass Defense
This is probably the most important matchup. When Eagles' quarterbacks have had time this year, they have been pretty close to unstoppable.
However, as we saw against the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins, the offensive line has had lapses, and this has caused the offense to become stagnant.
The player to watch for the Cowboys is outside linebacker Demarcus Ware. Along with Jared Allen and Julius Peppers, Ware is one of the most dangerous pass rushers in the NFL.
A freakish combination of size and speed, Ware has been a problem in the past and will need to be accounted for on every play.
The onus will be on the Eagles' prized offseason acquisition, left tackle Jason Peters, to get out and keep Ware out of the pocket.
On the occasions that Ware does get around, the interior line will need to provide McNabb with room to step up on the pocket.
Up front, the Cowboys are solid, led by Ware and Pro Bowl tackle Jay Ratliff and have been getting great pressure. The Eagles' offensive line is still jelling and will face their biggest test so far on Sunday.
In the secondary, the Cowboys are young. Terrence Newman is solid at corner, but elsewhere, the Cowboys have had problems.
Mike Jenkins, a former first round pick, starts at the other cornerback position but has not lived up to his draft status yet. On the other side, the Eagles' receivers are as good as any team's.
Desean Jackson, one of the fastest receivers in the NFL, has had a breakout year so far. The Cowboys will likely use Newman on him; it will be interesting to see if they leave Newman in one-on-one situations with Jackson.
Last year, Newman had a lot of trouble with Jackson, most notably being burned for 60 yards in the first meeting.
Most likely, they will shade a safety toward that side, and leave Jenkins one-on-one with rookie Jeremy Maclin.
This is a matchup the Eagles can exploit. Maclin beat Corey Webster last week for a touchdown, and has the speed, size and body control to make plays consistently downfield against man-to-man coverage.
The double coverage on Jackson will also lead to opportunities for Brent Celek, Jason Avant, and the Eagles' running backs in the middle of the field.
Quarterback Donovan McNabb is coming off a near flawless performance. If given time, he should be able to pick apart the Dallas secondary.
Edge: Eagles
Eagles' rushing offense vs. Cowboys' rush defense
The Cowboys come into the game ranked sixth against the run, and their front seven is big. The Eagles have not been particularly successful running the ball, relying mostly on occasional big plays.
However, Brian Westbrook had moderate success against the Redskins before leaving with an injury. And the Giants' front four gave up two big runs against the Eagles.
Again, the Eagles' offensive line is still jelling. However, a couple of big runs may be all they need to make the Cowboys think twice about blitzing, setting up the pass.
The Eagles are not going to run as the bulk of their offense; but establishing some semblance of a rushing attack will help the passing attack.
Edge: Cowboys
When the Cowboys have the ball
Cowboys' passing offense vs. Eagles' passing defense
Tony Romo has been playing like a man possessed. He has not thrown an interception in four games, and has been making big plays with his newfound star at receiver, Miles Austin.
Austin is a big, physical receiver: the kind who has given the Eagles' smaller defensive backs trouble in the past, and he will most likely make a couple of catches.
However, Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown will keep him from taking over the game the way he has the past few weeks. The Eagles' cornerbacks dominated the Cowboys' wide receivers last year.
The Eagles' problem, of course, is the tight end. From Fred Davis to Kevin Boss to Zach Miller, opposing tight ends have had some field days against this Eagles' defense. And the Eagles have not faced anyone like the Cowboys' Jason Witten, arguably one of the three or four best tight ends in the NFL.
Both teams are 5-2 and coming off blowout victories. Who has the edge? Let's take a look at some of the matchups.
When the Eagles have the ball
Eagles Pass Offense vs. Cowboys' Pass Defense
This is probably the most important matchup. When Eagles' quarterbacks have had time this year, they have been pretty close to unstoppable.
However, as we saw against the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins, the offensive line has had lapses, and this has caused the offense to become stagnant.
The player to watch for the Cowboys is outside linebacker Demarcus Ware. Along with Jared Allen and Julius Peppers, Ware is one of the most dangerous pass rushers in the NFL.
A freakish combination of size and speed, Ware has been a problem in the past and will need to be accounted for on every play.
The onus will be on the Eagles' prized offseason acquisition, left tackle Jason Peters, to get out and keep Ware out of the pocket.
On the occasions that Ware does get around, the interior line will need to provide McNabb with room to step up on the pocket.
Up front, the Cowboys are solid, led by Ware and Pro Bowl tackle Jay Ratliff and have been getting great pressure. The Eagles' offensive line is still jelling and will face their biggest test so far on Sunday.
In the secondary, the Cowboys are young. Terrence Newman is solid at corner, but elsewhere, the Cowboys have had problems.
Mike Jenkins, a former first round pick, starts at the other cornerback position but has not lived up to his draft status yet. On the other side, the Eagles' receivers are as good as any team's.
Desean Jackson, one of the fastest receivers in the NFL, has had a breakout year so far. The Cowboys will likely use Newman on him; it will be interesting to see if they leave Newman in one-on-one situations with Jackson.
Last year, Newman had a lot of trouble with Jackson, most notably being burned for 60 yards in the first meeting.
Most likely, they will shade a safety toward that side, and leave Jenkins one-on-one with rookie Jeremy Maclin.
This is a matchup the Eagles can exploit. Maclin beat Corey Webster last week for a touchdown, and has the speed, size and body control to make plays consistently downfield against man-to-man coverage.
The double coverage on Jackson will also lead to opportunities for Brent Celek, Jason Avant, and the Eagles' running backs in the middle of the field.
Quarterback Donovan McNabb is coming off a near flawless performance. If given time, he should be able to pick apart the Dallas secondary.
Edge: Eagles
Eagles' rushing offense vs. Cowboys' rush defense
The Cowboys come into the game ranked sixth against the run, and their front seven is big. The Eagles have not been particularly successful running the ball, relying mostly on occasional big plays.
However, Brian Westbrook had moderate success against the Redskins before leaving with an injury. And the Giants' front four gave up two big runs against the Eagles.
Again, the Eagles' offensive line is still jelling. However, a couple of big runs may be all they need to make the Cowboys think twice about blitzing, setting up the pass.
The Eagles are not going to run as the bulk of their offense; but establishing some semblance of a rushing attack will help the passing attack.
Edge: Cowboys
When the Cowboys have the ball
Cowboys' passing offense vs. Eagles' passing defense
Tony Romo has been playing like a man possessed. He has not thrown an interception in four games, and has been making big plays with his newfound star at receiver, Miles Austin.
Austin is a big, physical receiver: the kind who has given the Eagles' smaller defensive backs trouble in the past, and he will most likely make a couple of catches.
However, Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown will keep him from taking over the game the way he has the past few weeks. The Eagles' cornerbacks dominated the Cowboys' wide receivers last year.
The Eagles' problem, of course, is the tight end. From Fred Davis to Kevin Boss to Zach Miller, opposing tight ends have had some field days against this Eagles' defense. And the Eagles have not faced anyone like the Cowboys' Jason Witten, arguably one of the three or four best tight ends in the NFL.
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