Clarence Hill: 5 Things the Dallas Cowboys need to do to beat the Philadelphia Eagles

The Dallas Cowboys (10-4) have been waiting for the this rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles (13-1) since losing 26-17 in the first meeting between the two teams at Lincoln Financial field in October.

The Cowboys played without quarterback Dak Prescott, who missed five games with a fractured right thumb.

The second meeting, set for Saturday at AT&T Stadium, was supposed to be a showdown for the NFC East title but those expectations took a hit when the Cowboys lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars last week.

The Eagles will win the division and claim home-field advantage in the playoffs with one win in their final three games.

But motivation remains high for the Cowboys with Prescott back in the fold.

“I think everybody in this locker room is looking forward to this rematch in that sense. When you play a team that’s a division rival, understanding the long history that comes with these two teams, understanding that they’re playing their asses off. They’re having a hell of a season,” Prescott said. “For them to be in our division and that they control the destiny in winning the division right now, yeah, you just want to get in and get another shot and make sure you put your best foot forward in doing so.”

For the Cowboys, it’s not just about beating the Eagles. It’s about gaining momentum and confidence for a possible playoff run.

The Cowboys have already clinched a playoff spot, marking the first time they have reached the playoffs in back-to-back years since 2006-2007.

“If anything, it’s about making a statement to ourselves,” Prescott said. “It’s about, as you look at the season, we’ve had some games where we played really well and some games where we bit ourselves in the foot and had some games where we didn’t and we lost. So yeah, this is about putting our best foot forward, putting our best effort out there and proving it to ourselves in all three phases that we’re a hell of a team and we can go get it done against one of the best teams in the league whether they’re in our division or not.”

Said running back Ezekiel Elliott: “Made the playoffs before; I want to make a run. You can make the playoffs and lose in the first round. That does not taste good, don’t feel good. It’s almost worse than not even going to the playoffs. So I mean just do whatever we can to get back to that team this week is doing what we need to do to get ready to beat Philly and then just building on that and making sure we put our best foot forward when the playoffs come.”

Clarence Hill: 5 Things the Cowboys need to do to beat the Eagles

Mentally-tough Dak Prescott plans to keep firing

Interceptions, interceptions, interceptions.

That is all that’s being talked about regarding Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who has seven in the past four games.

They have not all been his fault but Prescott knows he must rid them from his game while also not letting them become a mental block with approach to the game.

“Not to brag, but I’m pretty mentally tough. I wouldn’t worry about that for one second with me, I’m not,” Prescott said. “I’m sure not hesitant or scared to stay I’m struggling a little bit, so, when something like that is happening, it’s about knowing who you are, continuing to double down on that, staying focused. Understanding that yes, some things are out of your control. I’m just trying to get better.

“When you’re in a rut, I guess you can call this, as I’ve talked about, one way or the other, the other team is getting their hands on the ball, I can’t allow that to change the way that I’m playing this game.”

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy wants Prescott to stay aggressive and keep firing. Prescott never had any plans of changing his style of play, which has the Cowboys scoring more points and converting more third downs than any team in the league over the last eight weeks.

“I mean, he doesn’t have to, honestly,” Prescott said of McCarthy telling him to keep firing. “I can’t say we’ve sat down and discussed that, but yeah, that’s part of it when you play this game, when you’re throwing the ball into tight windows, when you have the trust that I do with receivers, sometimes things happen. As much as I can say we’ve got to avoid these, some of them are just going to happen. So for me, it’s as I said, controlling what I can, being in charge in the way I respond, the way I show up each and every day and I’m not going to allow that to change my confidence in myself or my confidence in my guys that I’m throwing it to or the way I approach this game.”

Continue to dominate the Eagles and NFC East

The Cowboys are 7-3 against the Eagles with Dak Prescott at quarterback and they are 26-6 against the NFC East since 2016 when Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott showed up as rookies.

While Eagles have dominated the NFL in 2022 with a 13-1 mark, they don’t scare the Cowboys, who 3-1 in the division with the lone loss to the Eagles when Prescott was sidelined with a fractured right thumb.

“I think it just shows when you play a team that you’re familiar with, obviously playing teams twice a year obviously helps and we’re familiar with this team,” Prescott of his record against the Eagles and the division. “As you said, it’s a division game, all the past stats, all the numbers, the statistics up to this point of the season, none of that stuff matters. It’s about who comes out there, who is more physical, who’s focused and who gets the job done better in those 60 minutes. So excited for it.”

Elliott said their past success helps build confidence for Saturday’s game. But they are not taking anything for granted.

“Each game is a different one,” Elliott said. “You know, the division game is gonna be tough. These are the toughest ones of the year and especially towards the end. You know, once we getting closer to the postseason. We both know each other inside out and you know, just gonna come down who makes the least mistakes.”

What will the Cowboy do at cornerback?

The Cowboys will be going away from Kelvin Joseph at left cornerback, who failed in his debut as the replacement for the injured Anthony Brown.

The team is looking at Nahshon Wright, Trayvon Wright and Deron Bland on the outside opposite Trevon Diggs.

If the Cowboys go with the rookie Bland, who has been excellent in replace of the injured Jourdan Lewis as the slot, look for Mackensie Alexander to be called up form the practice squad to play slot cornerback.

Either way, it’s a position the Eagles will target for big plays.

Look for Tyron Smith to go entire way at right tackle

Tyron Smith got the start at right tackle against the Jaguars last Sunday for the first time since his rookie season in 2011.

It was Smith’s first game of the season after suffering an avulsion fracture in his right hamstring in the preseason.

Smith split reps with Jason Peters against the Jaguars but the goal is for him to go the entire way against the Eagles as the Cowboys hope to develop some line chemistry and continuity heading into the playoffs.

WR T.Y. Hilton will make Cowboys debut

Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton will make his Cowboys debut against the Eagles Saturday.

It won’t be in place of Noah Brown who had the critical drop that turned into a pick-6 in the overtime loss to the Jaguars last week.

The Cowboys remain high on Brown, who caught two touchdown passes in the game and would been given a game ball of they had won.

James Washington appears to be the odd man out. Washington has no catches in two games since returning from a fractured foot that caused him to miss the first 12 games of the season.

Hilton is more of a vertical threat and he has picked up the offense well since signing with the Cowboys last week. At age 33, Hilton said he still has blazing speed to take the top off a defense.

“You have to respect me. You have to account for me,” Hilton said. “I can still run so if you think you’re just gonna come up there and play press man-to-man and not get ran by, then you’re crazy.”