Eagles News: Dallas dealing with multiple key injuries heading into Eagles vs. Cowboys

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Cowboys could be without several starters Sunday vs. Eagles - PhillyVoice
Late in the fourth quarter in the Cowboys’ loss in New Orleans, Saints DT David Onyemata sacked Dak Prescott, who fell into Smith’s lower right leg. Smith hobbled off the field with help from medical staff, did not return, and reportedly needed a cart at some point. He was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, and he has missed each of the last two games, losses to the Packers and Jets. Smith did not practice at all during the week leading up to the Jets game, and was listed as “questionable,” even though there wasn’t much of a chance of him playing. According to Fisher, Smith “tested his ankle on the field before the Jets game and will attempt to work (at the Cowboys’ facilities) this week ... with nothing promised.” In Smith’s absence, Cameron Fleming has filled in. Fleming is not as good as Smith. #Analysis.

Eagles open as underdogs to the Cowboys in Dallas - BGN
The Philadelphia Eagles opened as 2.5 point underdogs in their Week 7 game against the Dallas Cowboys, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Home teams in a typical matchup are usually favored by three points, so this line is actually showing a little respect to the Eagles. And the line has actually since moved to the Cowboys being favored by just two points, which indicates some early money is being bet on Philly. Truth be told, there are reasons to feel bad about both of these bets. The Eagles’ offense can’t start fast and the defense is entirely shreddable. The Cowboys, meanwhile, have lost three games in a row due to poor coaching and injuries, among other issues. Which team can you really trust?

Babes On Broad #7: Primary Secondary Concerns - BGN Radio
Sam Wilson & Jessica Towne react to the Eagles ugly loss to the Vikings in Week 6 with an eye towards the secondary woes PLUS thoughts on Doug Pederson’s controversial fake field goal! Powered by SB Nation & Bleeding Green Nation!

Coming Up Short - Iggles Blitz
Injuries are the biggest issue. We expected Fletcher Cox to be playing at his usual level, as one of the most dominant players in the league. Cox is getting better each week, but hasn’t looked like the dominant DT we’re used to. DeSean Jackson has basically played in one game. He looked great, but has been missing since. Kamu Grugier-Hill had a great offseason and looked to be a breakout player. He got hurt and is just now getting back on the field. Malik Jackson and Tim Jernigan gave the Eagles great depth at DT. Jackson is done for the year and Jernigan hasn’t played much. Ronald Darby hasn’t looked 100 percent at any time this year. Avonte Maddox has had a few issues to deal with and is out now. Cre’Von LeBlanc hasn’t played a snap this year. We haven’t really seen the team that everyone raved about in August. And we won’t. Some of these guys won’t be back this year.

NFL experts predict: Non-QB MVPs, plus Week 7 upset picks and fantasy sleepers - ESPN+
Mike Clay, NFL writer: Eagles (+3) over Cowboys. After putting 13 touchdowns on the board against the Giants, Redskins and Dolphins during Weeks 1-3, the Cowboys’ offense has stumbled to six scores against the Saints, Packers and Jets over the past three weeks. Dallas is the home team in this one, yes, but the Cowboys have surrendered a ton of points to opposing offenses at AT&T Stadium in recent seasons, and the Dallas offense is dealing with multiple significant injuries, including one that limited Amari Cooper to three snaps in Week 6. [...] Field Yates, NFL analyst: Eagles (+3) over Cowboys. A matchup of 3-3 teams will determine who holds the NFC East lead after Week 7, and I expect Philly to emerge victorious on the road. While we know each team has its vulnerabilities, one area of strength for Philly that I think can decide this game is its outstanding run defense. Containing Ezekiel Elliott -- even if just a little bit -- will help the Eagles pull the upset.

The Starting 11: Who Really Wants to Win the NFC East? - The Ringer
1. It’s time to worry about the Cowboys. Coming off consecutive losses to the Saints and Packers, Jason Garrett’s team was already reeling. But the Cowboys’ 24-22 loss to the Jets is an entirely new low. Dallas fell into a 21-3 hole before halftime against Adam Gase’s previously winless group, and it took a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to even keep the game close. During the first three weeks of the season, the Cowboys offense looked revamped and revitalized under first-year coordinator Kellen Moore, but that group has fallen back to earth. There’s no single explanation for the Cowboys’ recent issues. Quarterback Dak Prescott averaged less than 7 yards per attempt against the Jets and failed to throw a touchdown pass for the second time in the past three games. Starting tackles Tyron Smith and La’el Collins both missed Sunday’s game, and the Dallas line struggled to keep Prescott clean and get much push in the running game. Wide receiver Amari Cooper went down with a quad injury in the first half and didn’t return, and no. 2 wideout Michael Gallup dropped two well-thrown balls before letting a third (slightly high) throw glance off his fingertips. The Cowboys also failed to convert a fourth-and-goal in the second quarter, and the Jets followed up the stop with a 92-yard touchdown pass that created a devastating 14-point swing.

Howie Roseman Under Microscope with Eagles at 12-10 Since 2017 Super Bowl - EagleMaven
Duplicating that Midas touch has proven difficult for Roseman, as it does for every decision maker whose team wins a Super Bowl one year then falls back, with the New England Patriots the notable exception. The Eagles are just 12-10 in regular season games since winning Super Bowl LII, including the 3-3 record they will bring to Dallas on Sunday night for a first-place battle in the NFC East. Roseman’s moves over that time have been … meh. He tried to make Michael Bennett work last year, but the defensive end was traded in the offseason. He tried to make Zach Brown work this year, but the linebacker was released on Monday. Mostly, it’s Roseman’s drafts these past two years that have, so far, misfired.

Grading all 32 first-round picks after Week 6 of the 2019 NFL season - PFF
Pick No. 22: OT Andre Dillard, Philadelphia Eagles. 2019 overall grade: 45.0. Jason Peters’ knee injury forced Dillard into action on Sunday afternoon, and things got off to a rocky start for the 22nd overall pick. Playing a career-high 47 snaps in his game against a tough Vikings defensive front, Dillard allowed a sack, a hit and seven hurries on the day — only two tackles have given up more pressures in a single game this season.

Linebackers in focus with NFC East showdown here - PE.com
With the release of Zach Brown on Monday and the uncertain status of the injured Nigel Bradham (ankle), the Eagles could be looking at Sunday’s critical Dallas game with a linebacking corps consisting of Nathan Gerry, Kamu Grugier-Hill, rookie T.J. Edwards, and Duke Riley, acquired just a couple of weeks ago in a trade with Atlanta. What they lack in experience, they make up for with the willingness to do anything to help the defense. Gerry has emerged as a playmaker in his third Eagles season. He understands all three linebacker positions and he’s been fast to the football. Grugier-Hill is healthy after missing the first few games with a knee injury suffered in Training Camp. Edwards went undrafted and the Eagles felt fortunate to sign him and add him to the spring roster. Riley has starting experience from his two-plus seasons in Atlanta, but he is still very much in the early stages of learning this defense.

Upon further review: Ten likes and dislikes from Week 6 in the NFL - The Athletic
It’s rare to see a coverage bust in the NFL so bad that the offense has its choice of not one, but two pitch-and-catch 50-plus yard touchdowns. That’s what we saw with the Eagles on Cousins’ 51-yard bomb to Stefon Diggs. Per Next Gen Stats, just 6.9% of Cousins’ throws were into tight windows. That was the fourth-lowest percentage for any QB in Week 6. The Eagles allowed guys to get open all game. They are getting some players healthy, and a trade is always possible with GM Howie Roseman, but right now that secondary doesn’t give them a chance of succeeding against competent passing attacks.

Making sense of Miles Sanders’ bizarre rookie year - NBCSP
It’s been a strange six weeks for Miles Sanders, who’s started out his NFL career struggling in what he was really good at in college and flourishing in what he wasn’t good at. Sanders is averaging just 3.5 yards per carry, which ranks 24th of 30 running backs with at least 50 carries. But he’s caught 13 passes for 219 yards, the eighth-most receiving yards in the league by a running back. He’s got five catches of 30 yards or more — he had only one in college — and that’s more than every wide receiver in the NFL other than Will Fuller of the Texans and D.J. Chark of the Jaguars. As Sanders’ carries have decreased — 45 in the first four games, 12 in the last two — his impact in the receiving game has increased.

NFL 2019 trade deadline: 12 buyers and sellers that could look to strike in-season deals - CBS Sports
BUYERS. Philadelphia Eagles. Record: 3-3. Potential trade targets: WR, DE, DT, CB. If DeSean Jackson can’t stay healthy, they need something else at receiver, unless Doug Pederson is confident he can get by with a plodding strategy. Defensively, just about any starting-caliber veteran of note would be a welcome addition to a unit that’s too often failed to pressure opposing quarterbacks, lost Malik Jackson for the season and has been ravaged by injuries at corner.

Week 6 DVOA Ratings - Football Outsiders
[BLG Note: The Eagles rank eighth in DVOA while the Cowboys rank fifth.]

Report: Cowboys’ Tyrone Crawford going on injured reserve - Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys have had a serious problem with their defensive line, with issues both stopping the run and getting to the passer. Crawford has been used both as a defensive end and a 3T tackle. While his production has certainly been limited, his versatility is valued by the team. Now the staff must figure out how to shore things up with him out.

Patriots suspend defensive end Michael Bennett for conduct detrimental to team - Pats Pulpit
Bennett’s playtime percentage has reduced in each of New England’s six games this season. He saw 37 defensive snaps against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the opener, and just 11 last Thursday night against the New York Giants. The 33-year-old Bennett has recorded five tackles and 2.5 sacks thus far into his stay under defensive line coach Bret Bielema. He’s been on the field of 35 percent of the downs.

Jets Sign DB Blake Countess - NewYorkJets.com
Countess, a fourth-year pro who played collegiately at both Michigan and Auburn, totaled 54 tackles, three pass defenses, two interceptions and one sack in 37 games for the Los Angeles Rams from 2016-18. The 5’10”, 191-pounder also returned kicks last season, tallying 419 yards on 17 returns for an average of 24.6 yards. Originally an Eagles’ sixth-round draft pick in 2016, Countess re-signed with Philadelphia in May and was waived Aug. 13.

Dolphins claim cornerback Ryan Lewis - PFT
The Dolphins have claimed cornerback Ryan Lewis off waivers from the Eagles, according to multiple reports. Philadelphia waived him Monday.

Los Angeles Rams trade next two first-round picks for Jacksonville Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey - Turf Show Times
Ramsey is an outstanding corner, but that is an unbelievable price tag. That’s ten years of two first-round caliber prospects and four years of a 2021 player for a player whose contract is up after next year. If the Rams want to keep Ramsey beyond 2020, they’re going to have to break market levels for him as their two first round picks hit just their second and third years in the league.

The XFL Draft was so sad - SB Nation
When the XFL Draft began Tuesday we all knew it was never going to be some big, exciting, lavish production with the entire sports world behind it. Nobody’s expectations were especially high, but somehow it managed to still live down to them. I was not prepared for how sad this event was going to be, or how unprepared the XFL seemed to be in holding a professional sports draft. I joined a crowd varying from 2,000-5,000 to check out the live stream.

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