Philadelphia Eagles Offense Overrated? Weakness Gives Dallas Cowboys A Shot in NFC Showdown

Is Jalen Hurts' Philadelphia Eagles Offense Overrated? Weakness Gives Dallas Cowboys A Shot in NFC Showdown

When the Dallas Cowboys (9-3) host the Philadelphia Eagles (10-2) on Sunday, they’ll be going up against quarterback Jalen Hurts who, notably, is dealing with a knee injury.

Is it enough to sideline him in favor of backup Marcus Mariota, as David Carr suggested? No. But that doesn’t mean it won’t have a legitimate impact on Week 14’s proceedings.

Hurts’ mobility has been sapped a bit because of his ailment. In Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers, he ran seven times for 20 yards in what amounted to a 42-19 blowout loss. Philadelphia has been less aggressive in its deployment of Hurts, but the traditional ground game hasn’t picked up the slack. In fact, it has suffered.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott and Eagles QB Jalen Hurts will face off on Sunday Night Football / ClutchPoints

Since Week 8 - Hurts’ injury drew attention in Week 7 - the Eagles have struggled on the ground. By expected points added, their designed runs rank 21st in all of football. Their success rate on those runs (35.2 percent) ranks 24th. Philadelphia ranked second in both of those marks for the first seven weeks of the season.

As the passing offense has endured some turbulence after offensive coordinator Shane Steichen left for Indianapolis, the Eagles had grown used to relying on the ground game. Given the results, it’s hard to blame them. However, struggles on the ground have left them one-dimensional in recent weeks.

With less respect given to the run game and a bum knee hampering him, Hurts has hit a bit of a rough patch. Two of his worst four performances of the season, by quarterback rating, have come in the last three games.

That isn’t as much an indictment on Hurts as it is an opening for the Cowboys. Philadelphia hasn’t been shy about wanting to beat teams on the ground, epitomized by the most efficient play in football, the tush push. Like the 49ers, the Eagles can attack linebackers and otherwise vulnerable run defenses, which Dallas has shown to be.

The Cowboys defense currently ranks 30th in rushing success rate. While they’ve done an effective job at limiting explosives, down-to-down consistency has been a struggle. In a game that could certainly come down to the wire, burning the clock with the run could be a deciding factor.

Furthermore, Philly’s pivot to more drop-back passes plays into Dallas’ strengths: rushing the passer and forcing turnovers. The ability to do both will prove to be crucial on Sunday.

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Although the Cowboys came up short in Week 9, falling to the Eagles 28-23, limiting their rushing output played a role in keeping things close. Philadelphia ran for just 3.3 yards per attempt in that one. Dallas was a play away from stealing the first contest of the season series, and shouldn’t be surprised if this one remains as close.

Expect the offense to stay hot, but if the Cowboys' defense can’t strike when the Eagles are at their most vulnerable, they probably don’t deserve to win the NFC East anyway.