There was a time, and I’m old enough to remember, when the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins were the powers in the NFC East. The Cowboys developed into America’s team during the 1970’s and were likely to show up in the playoffs as often as Santa Claus does at Christmas.
Their dominance, after those years with Tom Landry as head coach, were reignited in the 1990s when Jimmy Johnson built a team that won three Super Bowls in a four-year span beginning in the 1992 season.
When I was in the front office with the Oakland Raiders, going back to the 1970’s, the cellar dwellers in the NFC were the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. But, over the past three decades, Dallas and Washington have missed the postseason a lot more than they have participated, and the New York Giants and Eagles have each won a pair of Super Bowls.
The Eagles were among the favorites to get back into the playoffs this year before the season started, they won the Super Bowl just two years ago and were in the playoffs last season. Then this season opened, and the wheels fell off the Eagles band wagon. They struggled to an opening win at home over the Washington Commanders, who have only won one game this year. In second week action, the Eagles needed a last-minute touchdown to edge another team that has won only one game this season, the Tennessee Titans.
Still, with Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley, the Eagles had all the firepower they needed to be favored on the road a few Mondays ago when they met the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. The Bears saddled the Eagles their first loss of the season … and they haven’t won since. The Los Angeles Rams handed Philadelphia a home loss before they were edged in London by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Then the world came crashing down on a team that had lost three in a row and got news that their All-Pro Quarterback, Jalen Hurts, was facing more than a simple injury. He had a blood clot that was moving, a potentially life-threatening condition that has sidelined him for the year and sent the Eagles into their contest last week against the Carolina Panthers with inexperienced quarterback Tanner McKee.
The combination of an injured Barkley and absence of Hurts left the Eagles overmatched in their home loss to the Panthers, 25-14. Given the Panthers were blown out on their home field yesterday by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 43-13, makes that home loss for the Eagles look even worse.
This is where bad gets good.
Yes, the Eagles have hit rock bottom … and you know what happens when a team gets here? They bounce up.
Their opponent tonight, the Dallas Cowboys, should be at rock bottom given their recent play. Their defense is still a sieve and their expected prolific offense behind Dak Prescott has struggled while becoming the first team this year the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat two weeks ago. Last Sunday night, the Cowboys suffered a double-digit loss in Green Bay while putting up only 13 points.
If the Cowboys defense is still no good, and it’s not, and their offense is struggling, they need a motivational boost to get back on track.
Instead, they meet a team tonight that has all the motivational cards in their hand. They are home underdogs and don’t view the Cowboys as a team as bad as they are, but rather an opponent that the world thinks is likely to hand Philadelphia a fifth straight loss.
The Eagles losing streak began on a Monday night, and it’s also going to end on one.
Qoxhi Picks: Philadelphia Eagles (+4½) over Dallas Cowboys