Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Keys to Win, Micah Parsons Illness & Inactives

Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Keys to Win, Micah Parsons Illness & Inactives

The Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles will write a new chapter in their storied rivalry with a lot at stake in Week 14.

The Cowboys have reeled in the Eagles, and with a chance for the division (albeit briefly) up for grabs, this game is perhaps the biggest of the season.

But if the Cowboys are to get vengeance for their Week 9 loss and draw level on wins with the Eagles, how does coach Mike McCarthy's team do it?

But doing these five things.

But first, the inactives: WR Jalen Brooks, RB Deuce Vaughn, CB Noah Igbinoghene, CB Eric Scott, OT Asim Richards and emergency third QB Trey Lance. So ... 

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Micah Parsons is sick but does plan on playing - a key of a sort all by itself.

USA Today

Now, to the five keys.

1. Control the emotion: We all know this game has a lot riding on it, and given the rivalry, the emotions will be running hot early on.

What Dallas has to do is channel that emotion into something productive, as we saw what happened in the games against the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers.

No silly offside penalties, no late hits, no nothing that can extend Eagles' drives or gift them good field position.

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Control the emotions; don't let them control you, Dallas. ... and let the famously out-of-control Nick Sirianni, the Eagles coach, act the fool.

2. Heed Bosa's blueprint: Containing the running ability of Jalen Hurts is what Nick Bosa says helped the 49ers smack the Eagles last week.

The Cowboys must use Bosa's blueprint and close the gaps that allow Hurts to escape and extend plays. We have seen the damage he can do when outside of the pocket, and his legs add another dimension to the Eagles' running game. 

Don't let Hurts get outside and go for big gains. Keep him contained and force him to throw.

3. Target the Eagles' slow secondary: If there ever was a game to use Brandin Cooks' blistering speed downfield, this is it. 

The Eagles' secondary has shown that when forced to chase, they don't have too many gears to cycle through. 

If CeeDee Lamb, Cooks, Jake Ferguson, Michael Gallup, and Tony Pollard can get loose downfield against Darius Slay or Reed Blankenship, they will have a tough time keeping up.

There's a glaring weakness as the Eagles have given up the third-most passing yards in the NFL this season (average 278 against), and in four of their last five games, the Eagles defense has given up 400+ total yards. Dak Prescott and his weapons could feast.

Dak Prescott and the Cowboys have a chance to take the lead in the NFC East with a win over the Eagles / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

4. Get them turnovers: The last time Dallas played the Eagles, they didn't get an interception, but they forced three fumbles (all of which somehow bounced back to Eagles players).

But here's a surprising nugget of info on Hurts: He has a fumble in each of his last six games. Yes, you read that right. He has six fumbles in six games, and again, there is a weakness to exploit.

After the Cowboys got three fumbles in Week 9, can they snag one that might change the direction of the game? Recent history would suggest that Hurts will give Dallas a chance. This time, can they take it? 

By the way: These Cowboys are 9-0 in games where they have at least one interception. And when they don't get a pick? They're 0-3.

5. Help Steele Protect Dak Prescott: The best five returned with a vengeance, as in three of their last four games, the offensive line didn't give up a sack. But against the Eagles last time (five sacks) and the Seahawks (four sacks), Prescott was easily accessible.

With the likes of Hasson Reddick, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, and Jalen Carter, the Eagles have the power to get after the quarterback. ... and right tackle Terence Steele is going to need help.

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While the Eagles rank 13th for sacks (34), it is often the timing of them (see the Eagles game vs. Dallas in Week 9) that makes them game-changers.

If Dak is to put up enough points to slay the Eagles and their slow secondary, he needs time to throw. ... and if all of this works out? Our Mike Fisher's prediction of a 31-27 Dallas win can work out, too.