Dak Prescott OUT; Dallas Cowboys QB Cooper Rush Key to Win at Philadelphia Eagles?

The Cowboys head to Philadelphia to take on the NFC East rival Eagles on Sunday night. They'll do it without Dak Prescott, and here are some keys to the game that could contribute to a Dallas win.

The Dallas Cowboys visit inhospitable territory this weekend as they prepare for a Sunday Night Football matchup with the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Cowboys are enjoying a surprising four-game winning streak with backup quarterback Cooper Rush under center. ... and that status will continue, as the Cowboys - after maybe playing some "mind games'' - will list Dak Prescott as OUT for the game ... maybe one last time.

Rush hasn't put up imposing numbers statistically, but his performances have been steady and effective, and he's avoided mistakes. Rush is 65-of-105 with four touchdowns and zero interceptions while being sacked just five times during the winning streak.

But the Eagles can boast a streak of five games won since the season started. In fact, Philadelphia has now won eight consecutive regular-season games dating back to last season, the longest streak in the league.

How can the Cowboys maintain the momentum gained with Rush at quarterback and walk out of Philly with a win over the yet-undefeated Eagles?

It begins with the play of the defense. The Eagles have a good offensive line, but the Cowboys' defense is presumably better. Dallas ranks seventh in the league allowing 311.4 points per game, but more importantly, third in the NFL allowing just 14.4 points per game. Only Buffalo and San Francisco are better.

The defense has played a perfect strategy of "bend, but don't break" this year, and it's benefitted the offense.

That trend will have to continue on Sunday night, as the Eagles rank second in the league with 419.8 yards per game, and fifth in scoring at 27.0 points per game.

It'll be up to "Lion-backer'' Micah Parsons to contain Eagles' quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is the heart and soul of the Philadelphia offense. (See "Micah Announces 'How Cowboys Win This Game!'')

A defensive touchdown and/or takeaway wouldn't hurt things, either.

Another key to a Cowboys win will be the play of Rush, who will have to continue his consistent and mistake-free play against Philadelphia. 

Last week, Dallas beat Los Angeles despite Rush throwing for just 102 yards. He may need a better showing to beat the Eagles, as the Cowboys probably won't be able to rush for 160-plus yards as they did against the Rams. 

Rush might not need to pass for 350 yards, but he's got to get the passing game going in order to open up the run game against a strong defensive front for Philadelphia. Receiver CeeDee Lamb could help the cause with a big game.

But the key for Rush may be "game management.'' Dallas can't gift the Eagles any possessions in the form of turnovers.

And lastly, it would be nice to see the Cowboys' offense play with a short field for a couple of possessions. That can be accomplished by return man KaVontae Turpin showing what he showed us in the preseason. 

Turpin may need to break a couple of returns, if not for a touchdown, then at least into Eagles territory for a short field for Rush and the offense.

Dallas is a six-point underdog and yet has a good chance at a win Sunday night, but it might take a near-perfect performance against an excellent Eagles team on their turf.

Make sure to follow along with in-game updates as they happen with CowboysSI.com.

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