Eagles take aim at depleted Cowboys

The Eagles have surprised almost everyone but themselves with an NFLbest 8-1 start, their finest launch since the 2004 Super Bowl season. And still it’s not enough.

When Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, on a conference call last week, said the Eagles are “as good a team as there is in the league right now,” it confirmed the underlying sentiment in the Philly locker room.

“I think people still think we’re not that good,” linebacker Nigel Bradham said. “I mean if you look at it it’s like people still pick against us. They might pick us more now but nobody’s really thinking we’re that good.”

The Eagles have the opportunity to show people, including Garrett, that no team is better when they oppose the Cowboys Sunday night at AT&T Stadium (8:30, NBC10, WIP 94.1-FM).

There’s a lot at stake for both teams.

Four wins and the Eagles clinch a playoff berth.

Five victories give them the NFC East pennant.

Seven triumphs and the Eagles clinch a playoff bye.

Those magic numbers decrease if the teams directly beneath them lose.

Looking at the Eagles’ schedule, only the Los Angeles Rams (7-2) appear a serious threat to prevent them from winning out.

The Eagles will be favored against the Seattle Seahawks, two weekends from now, now that star safety Kam Chancellor has been shelved. Three-fourths of that starting secondary is injured.

The biggest problem for Doug Pederson is keeping the Eagles focused on the task at hand, in this case the Cowboys (5-4), who last week played like the Cleveland Browns after losing Ezekiel Elliott to suspension.

All the Cowboys have going for them right now is their 2-0 division record and home field. The Eagles are 3-0 in the loop.

“It’s hard, obviously because the team, rightfully so, is being praised in a lot of areas and they’re well deserved of the credit and the praise,” Pederson said. “But at the same time we understand that we can’t look past this week, we can’t look past this game. It’s a division game on the road, national spotlight again. It is two teams that are undefeated in the NFC East. I’d like to say that every game is important, but none more important than the one we’re facing Sunday night.”

The Eagles-Cowboys rivalry might be more visceral for the fans than the players. There are a lot of new faces on the Birds, not the least of which is sturdy defensive tackle Tim Jernigan. To him, playing the Cowboys isn’t quite like those Ravens-Steelers slugfests he got up for.

“But I’ve had this one circled on my schedule before I even knew it was a rivalry,” Jernigan said. “I can’t wait to play the Cowboys. They’ve got a great offensive line. We’ve got a great defensive line. It’s going to be a good one. It’s going to be on.”

The Cowboys likely will play without All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith, who’s nursing a couple of injuries. Sean Lee, the unofficial MVP of the defense, is out with a hamstring strain.

While quarterback Dak Prescott insists the Cowboys won’t change who they are, he was sacked eight times last week when his team fell behind in a 27-7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

“We believe in what we do,” Prescott said on a conference call. “Regardless of the personnel or the individual that we’re missing, we’re still going to run the ball. We trust our offense, we trust our line. Our offense is going to stay the same. We’re going to be a balanced team that likes to play aggressively.”

The Eagles are undefeated since losing Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters, middle linebacker Jordan Hicks and running back Darren Sproles.

Moreover, the Eagles now are comfortable giving newly acquired running back Jay Ajayi the full complement of plays. If the run game travels well, the Eagles could turn the Sunday night game into a yawner.

The challenge is quieting the outside praise – or the lack, thereof.

“It’s pretty much playing physical and remaining focused,” Bradham said. “We know Dak is a great quarterback who has tremendous mobility. And they’ve still got a really good offensive line. They’ve got three Pro Bowlers on it. It’s still a great team. Don’t discount them just because they’re missing two or three guys. That’s like us. We’re missing a couple guys and we’re still a great thing. It’s one of those things.”

For the Cowboys, it’s about survival. The last thing they need to be thinking about is their bad fortune of taking on an Eagles team that owes them after surrendering a decision to them in overtime last year.

“I thought they were a good team last year,” Garrett said. “Obviously they’re as good a team as there is in the league right now. They’ve played awfully well to this point in the season. They’re just a really complete team. They’re really good in all three phases. They play the right way.”