They are the two most important words in Eagles land.
Dallas Week.
The question this week is whether Andy Reid protege Doug Pederson will be able to mimic his old boss' excellence in coming off the bye week, or if the Birds' will be rusty from the week off as they invade Dallas for a prime time Sunday night matchup with the hated Cowboys.
So far this season Pederson has displayed the kind of magic touch that Jon Dorenbos could appreciate.
The Eagles roll into Dallas with the best record in the NFL at 8-1. The Cowboys are fighting for their lives at 5-4 and coming off a spanking by the Falcons.
They will be without their offensive stud, running back Ezekiel Elliott. Offensive left tackle Tyron Smith, whose absence last week almost got QB Dak Prescott killed, is questionable. On defense, Eagles killer Sean Lee is out.
For the Eagles, only receiver Alshon Jeffery is banged up, with a sore ankle, but he's expected to play. Cornerback Ronald Darby is expected to get back on the field.
Everything points to an Eagles' win.
So why am I a bit antsy? A loss here could just about doom the Cowboys' post-season hopes. Desperate teams are often dangerous teams.
It will be up to Carson Wentz and the Eagles' offense to set the tone early, hog the ball, step on the Cowboys' necks and not let up.
The biggest challenge the Eagles face this week is regaining the precision they displayed in sprinting out to a 8-1 start.
This one could come down to a duel between two young stud QBs, Carson Wentz and Dak Prescott. Last year Prescott was everyone's darling. But without Elliott, and with his offensive line ailing, this year has been a struggle. Wentz has better weapons this year, and the Eagles should be able to move the ball on the ground and exploit the Cowboys with tight end Zach Ertz without Sean Lee to defend him.
I think they get the win, but I don't think it will be easy.
THE PICK: Make it Eagles 29, Cowboys 17. A late Eagles TD will make this one look easier than it actually will be. It won't be pretty. But right now the Eagles are just a better team than the Cowboys. A loss would have all kinds of negative repercussions for the Birds. While they will remain comfortably ahead in the NFC East, they are in a duel with several teams with best record in the NFC and possible home field advantage in the playoffs. That should be their motivation.
LAST WEEK: Actually you have to go back two weeks. I expected the Eagles to beat Denver in large part because it was the Broncos third straight road game and came on a short week after they had to go to Kansas City on a Monday night, back to Denver, and then across the country to face the Eagles. But I never saw the offensive explosion the Birds dropped on the Broncos highly rated defense, and the total domination of the Birds on defense. The win has the rest of the NFL looking up at Doug Pederson's Birds, sitting pretty at 8-1 mark. I was on board with another win and raised my personal mark on the year to 7-2.
GAME BY GAME: Chiefs 27, Eagles 20. (My Pick: Chiefs 33, Eagles 17)
Eagles 30, Redskins 17. (My Pick: Eagles 26, Redskins 13)
Eagles 27, Giants 24. (My Pick: Eagles 23, Giants 17)
Eagles 26, Chargers 24. (My Pick: Chargers 27, Eagles 17)
Eagles 34, Cardinals 7. (My Pick: Eagles 29, Cardinals 24)
Eagles 28, Panthers 23. (My Pick: Panthers 26, Eagles 17)
Eagles 34, Redskins 24. (My Pick: Eagles 31, Redskins 19)
Eagles 33, 49ers 10. (My Pick: Eagles 24, 49ers 10)
Eagles 51, Broncos 23 (My Pick: Eagles 23- Broncos 19)
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