Cowboys RB Zeke Elliott: 'Underdog S--- Don’t Matter' vs. Eagles; Dak Prescott Injury Upgrade & Practice Notebook

Not only is Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles a bitter rivalry, it's the biggest game in the NFL so far this season.

Mike McCarthy and the Dallas Cowboys got plenty of mileage out of being underdogs at the defending Super Bowl champs Los Angeles Rams last week.

And the Cowboys are favored to lose again this week at the Philadelphia Eagles.

Something to embrace?

“I don’t think we’re embracing anything,” Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott said at The Star. “Shit don’t matter, man. Underdog stuff don’t matter. All we’re worried about is this group in this building. I keep saying it over and over. That’s all that matters to us.”

That group is headed to a setting at the polar opposite of sterile perfection of SoFi Stadium. Sure, gone are the days of batteries inside snowballs and booing a nearly-paralyzed Michael Irvin on the turf at the Vet.

But that doesn't mean the Cowboys-Eagles rivalry has lost any luster or intensity. ... a topic of conversation at The Star as Dallas continued its practice work, highlighted by ...

*A slight shift in format, coach Mike McCarthy saying the Cowboys are practicing 25 minutes fewer today than normal.

"I wanted to get more walk-through, there’s more scheme, we need the detail, so we spent more time in the classroom,'' he said.

#DallasCowboys/#PhiladelphiaEagles Practice / Injury Report - thurs FULL STORY https://t.co/XpImtegZQ4 pic.twitter.com/38CxCrFCe0

— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) October 13, 2022

*Micah Parsons (groin) will continue to be limited through the week but he said there’s “no question'' he’s playing Sunday back in his home state.

*The continued rehab ramp-up of "antsy as f---'' QB Dak Prescott.

Said McCarthy: “Dak had a good day yesterday. It went well.”

Thursday, Cooper Rush is taking all the first-team snaps and will start at Philly, with Prescott, recovering from thumb surgery, still doing light throwing, and ...

He was today upgraded to "limited.'' ... which indicates that he practiced in some form.

*Cowboys lineman Jason Peters is fighting through his chest injury and the former Eagles star is looking forward to facing Philly and their fans, who he lovingly describea as "nasty" and "f---ing idiots.

“Philly, that’s my city,'' he said. "Just to go back, it’ll be great to beat ‘em.”

Sunday night’s resumption Lincoln Financial Field promises to add another memorable chapter to the bitter NFC East series, along with being the biggest game to this point of the NFL season.

“I don’t know if there’s any atmosphere like when we play the Eagles, if it’s here or there, especially at night,” Elliott said. “You know it’s going to be electric in the stadium and the emotions are going to be high. It’s going to be a fun environment.”

The stakes couldn’t be much higher in mid-October. The Jalen Hurts-led Eagles (5-0) are the last undefeated team in the league, while the Cowboys (4-1) are on a four-game winning streak with Dak Prescott returning soon.

First place in the division and in the NFC is on the line, not to mention the early psychological edge that goes to the victor.

Whatever happens, Elliott isn’t worried about the mental makeup of his group.

“We talk about resiliency,” he said. “You definitely have a brotherhood. I think this team has a different purpose, a purpose of going out there and playing for our brothers.

“When we go out there, we want to make sure we’re not letting each other down. When you go out there, you’re playing for something bigger than yourself. It gives you a lot of motivation.”

---

America's Team ALERT! Get your Dallas Cowboys game TICKETS from SI Tickets ... here!

Follow Art Garcia on Twitter

Follow FishSports on Twitter

Follow Cowboys / Fish on Facebook

Subscribe to the Cowboys Fish Report on YouTube for constant daily Cowboys live-stream podcasts and reports!