Really? 1st place in division on the line

Matchup in weak NFC East will determine direction of race from midway point

PHILADELPHIA — Whatever you maythink of the Philadelphia Eagles and the rest of the teams in the NFC East, at least one of them is guaranteed to host one playoff game in January.

Sunday night’s clash between the Eagles and visiting Dallas Cowboys will be crucial in determining that pecking order.

So without further ado, let’s cut right to the chase and look deeper into this nationally televised matchup.

About the Cowboys

Under new head coach Mike McCarthy, the Cowboys have lost two in a row and four of their last five.

Theylost quarterback DakPrescott for the season to a gruesome ankle injury in a Week 5 win over the New York Giants and lost his backup, Andy Dalton, indefinitely when he suffered a concussion in last week’s 25-3 loss at Washington.

Zeke Elliott (113 carries, 458 yards, five TDs) is their leading rusher but has fumbled five times , losing four.

Explosive wide receivers Amari Cooper (53 catches, 583 yards), Cee Dee Lamb (36, 497) and Michael Gallup (19, 371) make their offense dangerous at all times, but injuries have decimated the offensive line, giving their quarterbacks precious little time to make decisions. After Ben DiNucci replaced Dalton, he was sacked as many times (three) as he was able to get passes off.

Five of their offensive linemen are on the injured reserve list, including starting tackles La’el Collins and Tyron Smith and starting center Joe Looney.

About the Eagles

Like the Cowboys, injuries have put their offensive line depth to the test, with starting left tackle Andre Dillard, starting left guard Isaac Seumalo and key reserves Jason Peters and Jack Driscoll on injured reserve and starting

right guard Brandon Brooks on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.

Peters had been re-signed to step in for Brooks and moved back to left tackle when Dillard went downbefore getting injured himself.

The Eagles also will be without top rusher Miles Sanders. And quarterback Carson Wentz has absorbed an NFL-high 28 sacks.

On the other hand, the Eagles have had three extra days to prepare after their 22-21 victory over the NewYork Giants on Oct. 22.

Storylines

Mutiny on the Bounty: A week after some Cowboys players anonymously criticized the coaching staff for failing to prepare them for games, McCarthy went on the record with criticism of his players for not retaliating against Washington’s Jon Bostic following the cheap shot that gave Dalton his concussion. Happy times in Dallas.

Injury omen: A year after an injury limited Eagles WRDeSean Jackson to nine receptions for 159 yards in three games, he now faces the possibility of finishing this season with 13 receptions for 155 yards in four games after being placed on the injured reserve list Monday.

Battlefield promotions: Eight of the Eagles’ 10 TD receptions this season have come from players who used to be on their practice squad.

Where and when will Peters play?: Peters this week was cleared to return to practice andis eligible to comeofftheshort-term IR list. But according to coach Doug Pederson, they don’t know if they’ll plug him back in at right guard or left tackle, whereJordan Mailata has beenimproving while getting valuable reps for the first time in his three-year career.

“Wehaven’t been real committal one way or the other, but he definitely can help us at left tackle, and he’s had the right guard experience,” Pederson said Wednesday. “So we basically just need to see him moving around [Thursday and Friday] and see where he can best help us.”

Injuries

Cowboys: QB Andy Dalton (concussion) is doubtful.

Eagles: TJack Driscoll (ankle), CBCraig James (hamstring), WR Alshon Jeffery (calf ), CBCre’von LeBlanc (quadricep) and RB Miles Sanders (knee) are out. DE Genard Avery (elbow) and LB Nathan Gerry (ankle) were placed on the injured reserve list.

T Jason Peters, TE Dallas Goedert, WR Jalen Reagor, LB T.J. Edwards and S Rudy Ford are eligible to come off the injured reserve list.

Pederson would not say on Friday if Peters would be activated this week or where he would play if he was. But he hinted that Mailata should brace for being bumped out.

“Don’t take me wrong here,” Pederson said. “I love where Jordan’s at. I love where his growth is, right? But at the same time, sometimes if Jason Peters starts at left tackle, it allows

Jordan to see big picture as well and kind of step back and observe that way, and sometimes that helps young players too.

“But whatever the decision is there at left tackle and really the whole offensive line, these guys are prepared, they are excited and they are ready to go. We are playing a really good front and it’s going to take all those guys to put up a good performance.”

Key matchups

Eagles pass rush vs. Cowboys OL: No matter who the Cowboys run out there at quarterback, this will be the top key to any success the Eagles may have, because even the rawest rookie thrower could make the Eagles’ secondary pay for the mismatch the Cowboys receivers will enjoy against the Eagles defensive backs.

“Particularly when their quarterback was healthy, that was a very, very lethal combination,” Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said, “and not just Gallup and Lamb and Amari, but even the other guys. All those guys were productive when they got in there, 85 [Noah Brown], 11 [Cedrick Wilson], Wilson and Noah, those guys all made plays. And it’s going to be a group effort getting those guys stopped. It’s not a game where you just take one guy away and you’re going to limit them.”

Eagles LBs vs. Elliott: If the Cowboys are not always facing third-and-long, Elliott can and will make the night long for the Eagles. He’s still an elite runner despite his struggles. And he has had some big games against the Eagles.

Eagles WRs vs. Cowboys secondary: The Cowboys have allowed 243 points, including 16 TD passes, in seven games. The Eagles have an emerging group of receivers led by Travis Fulgham and Greg Ward. Being able to keep the ball moving and win the time-of-possession battle also will depend on howwell this group performs for the Eagles.

Eagles RBs Boston Scott and Corey Clement vs. Cowboys’run defense: The Cowboys rank 27th in the NFL in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert 50.5% of the time. If the Eagles can’t run the ball or abandon the run too early, it will become increasingly difficult to exploit this shortcoming.

Fierro’s pick

Every game will be a struggle for the Eagles this season because of a dizzying array of injuries that have forced them to consistently mix in new pieces each week.

That said, they might finally be in a position to avoid sweating out a tight finish in the closing minutes because of how much of a train wreck the Cowboys and their dysfunctional defense has become.

Eagles30,Cowboys17: (Season pick record 4-2-1)

Next up for the Birds

The Eagles have next weekend off, then return to action on the road against the NewYork Giants on Nov. 15.