All eyes will be on Arlington, Texas tonight when the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys face off on ‘Sunday Night Football’ at AT&T Stadium. Both teams are 3-3, and a win put the winner in the early driver seat for NFC East supremacy.
With the Eagles needing a quick start to avoid falling behind early, here are three things to watch when the Birds are on offense.
1. Andre Dillard’s future is now
Dillard will get his first NFL start at left tackle against the Cowboys, filling in for Jason Peters, who could miss more than a week.
Entering the NFL, Dillard carried a top-10 grade and was a first-round pick, meaning he was drafted for moments like tonight. Dillard will be asked to protect Wentz’s blindside with veteran Robert Quinn having accumulated five sacks in four games. Dillard enjoyed his baptism in the Birds loss to the Vikings and should be fully equipped to deal with the noisy surroundings he’ll be performing in.
2. Feed Jordan Howard
Whether it be via the RPO or with Carson Wentz under center, the Eagles need to feed Jordan Howard early and often. The Cowboys are vulnerable against the run and the Eagles highly rated offensive line can be buoyed from the confidence of starting the first quarter off with a bang. Howard has been effective at gashing opposing defense, with almost 20% of his runs going for first downs.
Howard is averaging 4.8 yards per carry out of the shotgun (33-160) and 4.1 when Carson Wentz is under center (33-137). Such a stat-line suggests that Howard can be effective in any formation, lessening the needs for the Eagles to only feed him on early downs.
3. Allow Wentz to attack Dallas deep!!!
Wentz’s 12 touchdowns to 3 interceptions are the league’s third-highest touchdowns-to-interceptions differential, trailing only the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson (plus-14) and Patrick Mahomes (plus-13).
Wentz is only 9-for-28 for 341 yards, three TDs and three interceptions on throws of 20 or more yards this, but that doesn’t mean that Doug Pederson shouldn’t dial-up some big play attempts. Wentz is averaging his fewest yards per attempt since his rookie year and even without DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia must figure out ways to challenge the Cowboys deep. Whether it Miles Sanders or Nelson Agholor, the Eagles have to focus on the deep ball.
