Key 1. Duel of the titans. On one side there is Dak Prescott with his 3,234 yards with 70.1% completion rates for 26 touchdowns and six interceptions, and on the other side there is Jalen Hurts with his own 2,995 yards with his 66.5% completion rate with 19 touchdowns and ten interceptions, both undisputed leaders of their respective squads. Prescott arrives truly fired up with weapons everywhere and full confidence of being able to lead his team in this December march, while Hurts himself will have to leave behind the disappointment of the loss against San Francisco including physical ailments and having been momentarily removed from the game due to possible concussion. It has been a season of changes in offensive philosophy for Dallas, with all this about a shorter game at the beginning of the season, but after seeing this last stretch of home games, it seems that they have taken the governor off the accelerator and vertical play is certainly on the order of the day. The big question is which of the two will uncover the aerial game first when testing each other in their first offensive series.
Clave 2. Air festival. Wow, both teams have weapons to take to the air. On one side is AJ Brown with his 1,164 yards on 81 receptions with seven touchdowns, while on the other side is CeeDee Lamb with his own 1,182 yards on 90 receptions and her own seven visits to the end zone. For Philadelphia, the probable reappearance of star tight end Dallas Goedert is a real incentive, since apart from his 38 receptions for 410 yards before his forearm fracture injury in the victory against Dallas, Hurts has only connected four passes with another tight end throughout the season. The same cannot be said for Dallas’ tight ends, with a fully-fledged Jake Ferguson contributing 46 receptions for 498 yards and five touchdowns. Luke Schoonmaker has shown momentary flashes and suddenly there is talk of Peyton Hendershot’s reappearance after being activated to the roster with the possibility of playing on Sunday.
Key 3. Tanks also count. The combination of Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle has been effective with an average of 4.1 yards per carry on 243 carries for 998 yards with seven touchdowns while D’Andre Swift has been the workhorse with Jalen Hurts himself being the second runner-up with his twelve scores on the ground, most of them in the shadows of the diagonals in this much-discussed “tush-push” formation. Certainly the running game counts, but when it comes to throwing the ball to the running backs, the Cowboys have the advantage considering the effectiveness of using Pollard and Dowdle coming out of their running back position to deal with the second line of resistance. For such an important game with the month of December in the balance, a runners’ duel is not expected, preferring the verticality and explosiveness of the aerial game, but when it comes to keeping the opposing defense honest, the blue-silver ground offense will have the advantage if it is about closing the game with carries with the desire to kill the clock.
Key 4. Defensive boarding. Both Vaqueros and Águilas have high-octane defensive squads ready to attack the rival at the door. On one side is Haason Reddick with his nine sacks and nine other tackles behind the line of scrimmage, while on the other side is Micah Parsons with his 11.5 sacks and thirteen tackles for loss of yards. They both have a supporting character who will make this game a true chess duel between the defensive coordinators as they move their pieces in an effort to break into what seems to be an aerial festival from start to finish. On this side the advantage is on the side of the hosts, since cornerbacks James Bradberry and Darius Slay seem to be at the bottom of the table in terms of yards allowed, something that must have McCarthy and Brian Schottenheimer rubbing their hands. For DeRon Bland, dealing with AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith and a questionable Julio Jones will be under the microscope, after seeing how he struggled in his own one-on-one against DK Metcalf more than a week ago, being a challenge for Stephon Gilmore and Jourdan Lewis being able to deal with Jalen Hurts’ deliveries. Of particular interest will be to see if refugee Shaq Leonard makes his debut with the Eagles after flirting with the Cowboys and deciding to wear green.
Key 5. Carnival atmosphere. For the fans of the lone star team, there is no more anticipated feast than this one, where the Cowboys face the Eagles in the majestic AT&T Stadium for divisional supremacy in what is expected to be a full house. Against Seattle, the respectable man showed up from start to finish, supporting his team in every way, knowing the importance of putting pressure on the opponent and sending Seattle back to the great northwest with a 41-35 defeat. This has to happen again, the fans are responsible for making the arena in Arlington vibrate, doing their bit taking into account that with the calendar turning to the month of December with only one regular season game left on the cowboy card, There is no better time than now. The hope is to be able to send these birds back to the east of the American union, thus equaling the record of wins and losses with a view to the visit to the hall of horrors known as Hallmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, the home of the Bills from Buffalo where the fans are truly talkative.
2023-12-08 20:01:49
#Keys #Game #Eagles #Cowboys
