Dallas Cowboys Face Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7 with Hurts Out

The Philadelphia Eagles will play without their starting quarterback and two top wide receivers when they host the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night at Lincoln Financial Field. The game begins at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN and ABC. Bookmakers have the Cowboys favored by 4.5 points, with an over/under total of 43.5 points.

Philadelphia enters the contest after losing four consecutive games following a 2-0 start. Injuries have decimated the roster. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is out due to blood clots in his calf and lungs. Wide receivers DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks are also sidelined. Running back Saquon Barkley, guard Landon Dickerson, and linemen Jonathan Greenard and Jalyx Hunt are listed as questionable.

The Cowboys arrive with their own offensive concerns after losing back-to-back games. They scored 29 points in those two losses, a drop from 30-plus points in each of their previous three contests. In those last two games, the Dallas offense struggled against blitzes. Quarterback Dak Prescott went 20 of 38 for 194 yards with no touchdowns when facing extra rushers. The team also managed only 98 combined rushing yards in that span.

The defensive matchup presents a specific challenge for Dallas. The Eagles blitz on only 24.1% of drops, the fourth-lowest rate in the league. By comparison, the Buccaneers and Packers blitzed Prescott on 38.8% of his drops in Weeks 5 and 6. Head coach Vic Fangio has rarely deployed such an aggressive strategy, having blitzed on at least 38% of opponent drops just once since becoming the defensive coordinator. This lower blitz rate may alleviate some pressure on Prescott, though the Eagles' secondary remains a strong unit.

The Eagles' offensive line is a major factor in the game plan. Philadelphia ranks 20th in expected points added per dropback for opponents. They allow 60.4% completion rates and 7.0 yards per attempt. However, they have given up eight touchdown passes while picking up only three interceptions. The team has also been aided by 14 opponent drops, the second-most in the league. If the Cowboys can generate pressure, they may exploit the weakness in Philadelphia's protection.

Running back Saquon Barkley fully practiced on Friday for the first time since a hamstring injury. He has averaged 5.5 yards per carry in the two games he has completed while healthy this season. The Eagles may lean on a pass-heavy approach if Barkley is not active, as backup quarterback Tanner McKee has a career record of 16 of 45 for 179 yards when under duress. McKee has a 15.1% sack rate in those situations.

The Cowboys have allowed at least 165 rushing yards to their last five opponents. Those teams have averaged 4.7 yards per carry against Dallas. The Eagles are limited in the passing game without Smith and Wicks, leaving Makai Lemon, Darius Cooper, and Dallas Goedert as primary targets. The Cowboys may use Joey Porter Jr. to cover Cooper or Lemon, while Cobie Durant is expected to return to the lineup, potentially displacing Daron Bland.

The game marks a test for both teams to stop their losing skids. The Eagles have lost four in a row, while the Cowboys have dropped two straight. The outcome will likely hinge on whether Dallas can maintain offensive rhythm against a thinner Eagles roster or if Philadelphia can capitalize on its defensive strengths despite the personnel gaps.