The Dallas Cowboys enter Monday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles at 2-4, but an unraveling NFC East has kept their division hopes firmly alive. After producing 30.5 points per game through the opening month, Dallas has managed only 29 total points across consecutive losses, creating urgency for Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and the rest of the roster heading into a pivotal rivalry game.
Despite the Cowboys’ recent slide, no NFC East club has established control. The Giants sit first at 3-2-1, though they have already turned to J.J. McCarthy as their third different starting quarterback before reaching the season’s halfway point. Washington is 1-4-1 and has gone 0-2-1 in its early division matchups, while Philadelphia has lost four straight games and absorbed major personnel losses.
The Eagles have seen All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson retire, while quarterback Jalen Hurts is expected to miss significant time because of blood clots. Philadelphia also has several other prominent players dealing with injuries, leaving Monday’s matchup as an opportunity for Dallas to revive its season while further damaging a division rival.
Lamb said the Cowboys remain confident that their roster can contend if the club starts playing a more complete brand of football. He pointed to complementary football as a central need and said the players believe Dallas has the talent level to win the division.
“The division is there for anybody to take, so there’s no reason it can’t be us,” Lamb said. “We know where we have fallen short and what needs to improve. We have to play together in all phases, because we believe our roster stacks up with anyone’s. Now we need to show it on Sundays and Mondays.”
Dallas needs balance on both sides of the ball
The Cowboys’ offensive troubles have centered on Prescott’s recent turnover issues and a ground game that has not provided enough support. Prescott has thrown two touchdown passes and four interceptions during the past two losses, and he has not recorded more than one touchdown pass in a game since Week 2.
Dallas has also struggled to establish the run, averaging 3.7 yards per attempt. Its 122 rushing attempts are the fewest in the NFL, leaving the offense overly dependent on Prescott while limiting the balance needed to control games.
The defense has been unable to compensate. The Cowboys rank 12th in scoring offense but are 25th in points allowed. They have the league’s lowest-ranked run defense and also sit among the bottom 10 teams against the pass, placing pressure on every phase to improve quickly.
Prescott said the Cowboys cannot afford to rely on the failures of their rivals. With remaining games against every NFC East opponent, including multiple matchups against some division foes, he views the Eagles game as the immediate test Dallas must pass.
“Why not Dallas?” Prescott said. “Everything is still in front of us, and we still have division games left to play. But we have to approach them one by one and take every win available. This is the biggest game because it is the next one, and after losing two in a row, we cannot let another one get away.”
