Cowboys vs Eagles: Writer predictions for Cooper Rush’s first start of the season
Does anybody believe that the Cowboys can win?
The Dallas Cowboys are gearing up for their first clash with their bitter rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, though they won’t be doing so at full strength. While Micah Parsons returns from injury this week, Dak Prescott is out after a hamstring tear.
He won’t have a chance to square off against his former coordinator, Kellen Moore, who undoubtedly wants to one-up the team that unceremoniously showed him the door not too long ago. Odds of that happening seem pretty good, too, but do our writers have any faith in the Cowboys?
When Philadelphia has the ball
Contain Jalen Hurts
All of the talk right now has been about Saquon Barkley, and for good reason, but this Eagles offense is still all about Jalen Hurts. Their worst games this year have come when Hurts isn’t in a groove; the Eagles are 1-2 when Hurts has fewer than 200 passing yards, with the lone win coming against the Giants in a game where Hurts only attempted 14 passes all game.
Philadelphia has plenty of weapons, and Kellen Moore has some great ideas on how to use them. But just as Dak Prescott was the facilitator for this offense back when Moore ran the show, it all hinges on Hurts. And the best way to get him out of sync is by pressuring the quarterback: Hurts is 20th in EPA/dropback when under pressure. Perhaps Mike Zimmer can scheme some things up with Micah Parsons back in the fold.
When Dallas has the ball
Extend drives
The Cowboys offense wasn’t really working even before Dak Prescott went down, but especially not the run game. Rico Dowdle has been legitimately good - he’s third among running backs in rush success rate - but not enough to say that the answer this week is to establish the run.
Cooper Rush is the top backup precisely because he operates well within the structure of the scheme. He’s not going to create big plays, but he won’t set you back either. Moving the ball against this Eagles defense is hard, but if the Cowboys can just extend their drives and set up enough Brandon Aubrey field goals - keeping their defense fresh in the meantime - they may have a puncher’s chance.
Now onto the predictions from your BTB writers...
Tom Ryle (5-3):
As just about everyone said at one time in the Star Wars movies, I have a bad feeling about this game. The Eagles are looking salty, while the Cowboys are on the edge of things spiraling out of control. I like Cooper Rush, but I’m not confident in the O line or the running game. I think Philadelphia pushes them closer to the edge, or maybe over it.
I expect it to get ugly, like a 38-19 Eagles blowout.
Matt Holleran (4-4):
After the Dak Prescott injury news 2024 is officially a lost season for the Cowboys. Even with Micah Parsons returning, this Cowboys group is just not good enough to compete with any playoff contending teams.
The Eagles are one of the NFC’s best, and they are a nightmare matchup for Dallas. Their run game and pass rush present big problems for the Cowboys, and I don’t see them slowing either down at all. The nightmare season continues as the Eagles embarrass the Cowboys at home.
Give me Philadelphia, 40-13.
Jess Haynie (6-2):
I think Cooper Rush is good enough to help Dallas beat some teams. Unfortunately, the Eagles aren’t one of them. They’re rolling right now and may be the best team in the NFC East, just not by record. They’ll be motivated to heap more misery on the Cowboys, and there isn’t much we can do about it.
Eagles 41, Cowboys 23.
Brandon Loree (5-3):
The Cowboys season is rolling down the hill faster than Jack did to catch a pail of water. Dak Prescott could be out for the year. In his place, the Cooper Rush-led passing attack doesn’t scare many defenses even though he’s an extremely efficient backup. I didn’t see a scenario in which Prescott would have helpless Dallas win this game and with him out of the lineup it’s almost a near lock of a loss barring the impossible.
Kellen Moore lights up his old team and the Eagles win 33-21.
Mike Poland (3-5):
It’s tough to be positive this week against such a big divisional opponent. Dak is done (possibly for the season), Lamb has a shoulder injury, Parsons is questionable, Bland is out. On top of that Kendricks, Guyton and Diggs all have question marks on health. It feels like the Quincy Carter days all over again at the moment.
Cowboys lose this week, 28-16.
Dana Bartholomew (6-2):
The Cowboys’ roster needs to overcome even more injury issues this week, while reinforcements are slow to return. There is really nothing at this point in the season that is working in the Cowboys’ favor. While the Cowboys have done a good job containing the Saquon Barkley that played for the Giants, this Eagles’ Saquon Barkley is set up to have one of his best performances ever against Dallas.
Eagles win in a blow out, 35-10.
Brian Martin (5-3):
Without Dak Prescott and in a game they have absolutely no reason to win, I wouldn’t be completely surprised if QB Cooper Rush somehow led them to victory this week against the Philadelphia Eagles. That would be just like the Dallas Cowboys to win a game they have no business winning in the first place. That’s not what I’m predicting though because I think the Eagles easily take care of business in this Week 10 matchup.
Give me Philadelphia, 31-17.
Chris Halling (3-5):
I think no one expected the Cowboys to be 3-5 at this point of the season. Now that the team has lost Dak Prescott for the foreseeable future, it seems crazy to pick them to beat the Eagles this week.
But call me crazy. With Micah Parsons coming back, he has a big game and causes a few mistakes from Jalen Hurts and allows Cooper Rush to do enough to win the game.
Cowboys in a big upset, 23-17.
RJ Ochoa (6-2):
It is such a bummer how we keep running into these Cowboys/Eagles games where one team is not operating at full power, but even if Dallas were fully healthy I would have a hard time trusting them in this game and moment.
There is absolutely zero reason to trust this Cowboys team at the moment and they are about to be on some big-time television stages for all of the world to fully learn that lesson. Give me the Eagles in a massive blowout where it still feels like Philadelphia did not exactly look their best.
I’ll take the Eagles, 33-16.
David Howman (5-3):
The Cowboys get Micah Parsons back for this game, so at least we’ll get to see Mike Zimmer work with an actual tool in his bag. But Parsons isn’t enough to fix the issues this defense has right now, nor is he enough to make up for the lack of Dak Prescott.
I don’t really buy the Eagles as this juggernaut of a team - the offense is still caught between two identities, and the defense disappears in big moments - but they’ve proven good enough to beat several bad teams this year. And, frustratingly so, the Cowboys are another one of those bad teams.
Eagles win, 27-17.
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