Fresh off four consecutive wins over four teams that didn’t look like playoff contenders, the Eagles face another sub-.500 team this week, but this one always inspires.
The Birds will be traveling to AT&T Stadium in Dallas for a game Sunday (4:25 p.m., CBS3) against a team in trouble.
Not only have the Cowboys played well below par for the most part, they also have battled key injuries. None of them are as difficult as the one now to quarterback Dak Prescott, who went out early Sunday with a hamstring injury.
While owner Jerry Jones was saying it was likely Prescott would go on injured reserve and miss at least four weeks, it was learned Wednesday that the absence may be longer, with the tendon of his hamstring partially torn and pulled away from the bone. Prescott was said to be seeking a second opinion, but his would-be counterpart this week wasn’t laying any bets about the 3-5 Cowboys being anything but the tough challenge they always are, even without their starting QB.
“They’ve had really good talent over the years,” Jalen Hurts said of the Cowboys, who likely will start Cooper Rush in Prescott’s place. “I think they’ve got great (defensive backs) and obviously up front, the way they rush the passer, they do that really well.”
Hurts would know that, since he’s never gone to Dallas and beaten the Cowboys in their glitzy palace, not once since becoming the Eagles’ go-to QB late in the 2020 season. In fact, the Eagles have lost in six straight visits to Arlington, Texas.
“We know it’s a tough place to play,” Hurts said.
Yet he probably has never had a better chance to win there. The Eagles are functioning well on offense after switching to more of a running attack behind Saquon Barkley, who has rushed for 925 yards and six TDs on 157 carries, along with a pair of receiving scores.
To that end, Hurts is healthy, hasn’t had a turnover in weeks and is anticipating a full-on attack against the down-and-out Dallas dudes.
Perhaps helping matters is Dallas Goedert, who missed the last two games with much more mild hamstring issues but returned to practice Wednesday.
“It’ll be cool this week to see how we can get everybody involved,” Hurts said. “Obviously having Dallas back is a big piece and a big component for us and we’re all excited about that.”
Although A.J. Brown’s knee injury he suffered against Jacksonville Sunday left him limited on Wednesday and still questionable for the Cowboys game, Hurts talked of looking forward to having his offense operating on all cylinders soon.
“I like to win,” Hurts said. “It’s not a specific formula for it. It’s what I love. It’s what I enjoy. I know my teammates enjoy the same thing. But there’s a process to that. We talk about … being multiple, being able to do different things, being able to attack people in different ways. That takes being able to do it all.”
The Cowboys can muster some hope in the anticipated return of Micah Parsons, the uber talented edge rusher who hinted at a return after missing four games with a high ankle sprain.
“You know, my chance is high, but we’re just trying to see how the practice week goes, see where the challenges are at, seeing what measures we’ve got to take to see how we want to play this game,” Parsons told Associated Press. “Just got to get the feel of the rush. I feel like I’m starting all over.”
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NOTES: Wednesday was a rest day for both Hurts and Barkley, who admitted to playing a little banged up during the win over the Jaguars Sunday. … On the Eagles not making a move at the trade deadline Tuesday, head coach Nick Sirianni said he feels fine about that: “I really feel strongly about our team and where we are,” he said. “I just feel so strongly about our team, and (GM) Howie (Roseman) has done a great job building it to date. It didn’t feel like, at that time, that there was anything to do. So yeah, I feel really good about the people we have here.”
