It’s Dallas week, and the stage is set for Monday Night Football at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Philadelphia Eagles will host the Cowboys in Week 7, with the NFC East matchup giving both teams a chance to reset after rocky starts. Philadelphia and Dallas both enter at 2-4, though neither is buried yet in the division race.
The New York Giants hold the early lead at 3-2-1, but they’ve already made a quarterback change, turning to J.J. McCarthy with Jaxson Dart out for the season.
For the Eagles, the recent slide has been steep. They’ve dropped four in a row, the longest losing streak of the Nick Sirianni era, and the latest came at home in a 24-15 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Tanner McKee was in at quarterback for that one, and the offense never found much traction, finishing with just 222 total yards. The situation got even more difficult the next day, when the Eagles learned they would likely be without Jalen Hurts for the remainder of the season due to blood clots.
Through six games, Philadelphia’s offense has struggled to stay afloat. It ranks 30th in yards per game at 255.5 and is tied for 28th in points per game at 17.7.
Tanner McKee spoke to reporters after the Eagles' loss to the Panthers in Week 6.
Dallas comes in with its own problems. The Cowboys are on a two-game losing streak after falling at home to the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football and then losing 23-13 to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. That makes this matchup with Philadelphia the Cowboys’ third straight primetime game.
Defensively, it hasn’t been much prettier for Dallas under former Eagles defensive backs coach Christian Parker, now the Cowboys defensive coordinator. The Cowboys rank 30th in yards per game allowed at 382.5 and 25th in points per game allowed at 26.5.
The question now is whether McKee and the Eagles can shake loose enough offense to turn things around.
Here’s the viewing info for Eagles-Cowboys:
The game is Monday, Oct. 26, with kickoff set for 8:15 p.m. ET from the Linc. It will air on ESPN and ABC, with Joe Buck on play-by-play, Troy Aikman as analyst, and Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge on the sideline.
The game will also stream on ESPN.com, the ESPN app and Disney+.
NBC Sports Philadelphia’s pregame coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET Monday with "Birds Huddle" followed by "Birds No Huddle" and "Eagles Pregame Live." After the game, NBC Sports Philadelphia will carry "Eagles Postgame Live."
The NBC10 Philadelphia forecast for Monday calls for sunny skies during the day, with a high of 72 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 50 degrees.
The Eagles’ next game after this one is another primetime NFC East matchup, a Sunday Night Football trip to face the Washington Commanders in Week 8.
Saquon Barkley had a positive message to share in the Eagles locker room after returning to the practice field on Thursday.
In Other News...
Makai Lemon Suddenly Faces A Huge Eagles Test Against Dallas
The Eagles are piecing together their offense at an awkward time, with DeVonta Smith, Dontayvion Wicks and Dallas Goedert all missing practice and leaving their availability for Monday night against Dallas up in the air. That uncertainty only adds to the challenge for a unit that is already adjusting to a new look under backup quarterback Tanner McKee, and it puts even more pressure on the depth chart to hold up when the lights come on against a familiar division rival.
Makai Lemon is one of the players who could be asked to do more, and the rookie has already logged a significant share of offensive snaps this season. He has sounded comfortable with his progress, even as the workload has grown around him, and Philadelphia may need that kind of readiness in a hurry if the pass-catching group remains thin by kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Still Have One Big Jalyx Hunt Question Before Dallas
Jalyx Hunts path back has been a careful one since the knee and ankle scare at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where he came out of the game banged up enough to miss the Panthers matchup. He was back at practice the following week, but the return has not changed the reality that the Eagles are still managing his recovery closely as Dallas approaches.
Hunt has made it clear he does not want to rush back before he is medically ready, and that leaves his availability for the Cowboys game in question. For a Philadelphia defense that values every healthy edge it can get, the final decision on Hunt is one of the more important injury watch items heading into the weekend. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles May Need Makai Lemon Right When Pressure Is Highest
The Eagles could be staring at a very different passing game when they line up for Week 7 against the Cowboys, with the receiver room potentially stripped down at the worst possible time. If Philadelphia is missing DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert and Dontayvion Wicks, the offense may have to lean harder on rookie Makai Lemon, who has already been part of the rotation but has not yet had much room to separate himself in a crowded and uneven attack.
Lemons first six games have been more about glimpses than sustained production, and the bigger question now is whether the Eagles can finally put him in positions to matter. The staff has not always found a clean way to use him, but with the pressure rising and the options thinning, this could be the week they need to build the plan around him rather than around the names ahead of him. [Read more 🡒]