Cowboys vs. Eagles: 3 things to know about the Eagles’ offense

After an ugly loss last Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys (10-4) are on a short week as they prepare to face their division rival, the Philadelphia Eagles (13-1). The Eagles, who have been undeniably the best team in football this season, have one of, if not the league’s best, offense.

Today we take a look at the high-powered Eagles’ offense and give you three things to know about the unit before the two teams square off on Christmas Eve.

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1) The league MVP possibly sidelined?

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has been phenomenal this season. The 24-year-old has thrown 22 touchdown passes to just five interceptions, completed 67% of his passes, and scored an astonishing 13 rushing touchdowns.

Hurts also ranks in the top five in the league in EPA+CPOE (0.155 2nd), EPA/Play (0.235 4th), and CPOE (3.3 3rd). Philadelphia’s signal-caller has played so well that he was the favorite on many boards to win the NFL’s MVP award.

Unfortunately for Hurts and the Eagles, the star quarterback suffered a shoulder injury during the team’s Week 15 win over the Bears, putting his status in doubt for Saturday’s game.

If Hurts is unable to go, it would be an enormous loss for the Eagles' offense. So much so that the Cowboys have moved from a 1-point favorite to a 5.5-point favorite (via DraftKings) in this game.

Hurts’ backup, Gardner Minshew, is one of the more talented backup quarterbacks in the league, but he certainly is nothing close to the MVP-caliber player that Hurts is.

It seems very likely that Hurts will miss this week’s game and it will be very interesting to see how different Philadelphia’s offense looks without him under center.

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2) An elite offensive line

One big reason why the Eagles’ offense has been so successful this season is the performance of their offensive line. Philadelphia’s offense, which is second in the NFL in total DVOA (18.3%) and leads the league in rush DVOA (19.4%), has been led by some of the best offensive line play in football.

Pro Football Focus has the Eagles’ offensive line ranked as the best pass-blocking line in the NFL (82.3) and sixth-best run-blocking (73.1) line in the league. Four of their five starters on the line have a PFF offensive grade over 74 and three of five have a pass-blocking efficiency grade of 98.5 or higher.

Veterans Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson have both been absolutely dominant this season, each putting together one of the best seasons of their careers.

Dallas’ calling card is supposed to be their pass-rush ability. This week they will face their toughest test as their go up against an Eagles’ offensive line which is pretty easily the best line in football.

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3) Potentially the best wide receiver duo in the NFL

It’s still hard to believe that the Tennessee Titans traded away A.J. Brown for just a mid-round first and third-round pick. Watching what Brown has done for the Eagles this season, especially when the two teams matched up in Week 13, has to make the Titans continue to have plenty of regret about their decision.

In his first season as an Eagle, Brown is posting the best year of his career. The 25-year-old has already set career highs in receptions (74) and receiving yards (1,204). Brown also has the second-most receiving touchdowns (10) in the league, finding the end zone four times over the Eagles’ last four games.

Brown may play the role of the Eagles’ Batman at the receiver position, but their Robin, DeVontae Smith, is pretty darn good as well. Smith, who was the 10th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has had another outstanding season. The 24-year-old wideout has hauled in 71 receptions for 901 yards and scored five touchdowns.

After a tough game last Sunday against the Jaguars, the Cowboys are going to need one of their young cornerbacks, Kelvin Joseph or Nashon Wright, to step up in a big way on Saturday. If they don’t, Brown and Smith are fully capable of putting together plenty of game-breaking plays.