The Dallas Cowboys have struggled to find consistent success on the field in the last three seasons. They’ve only produced one winning season, one division title, and one playoff win over that span, which certainly isn’t the standard in Dallas.
There is one thing the Cowboys have done a great job of since 2017 and that’s beat the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium. Winning all three games, the Cowboys have averaged over 34 points per game while holding the Eagles to just under 17 points per contest. The 2018 game was the only one in the last three years that was close and it featured career performances from the Cowboys’ three biggest offensive stars in a 29-23 win in overtime.
Dak Prescott set a then career-high with 42 completions (tied in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) throwing for 455 yards and three touchdowns. The recipient of every scoring pass was Amari Cooper who finished with 217 yards which is the second-highest total of his career. Ezekiel Elliott was also excellent in this game as he gave one of the best all-around performances since he entered the NFL in 2016. Although he didn’t score, he finished with 113 yards on 28 carries while adding another 79 yards on a career-high 12 receptions.
The 2019 contest in Arlington wasn’t even close as the Cowboys won 37-10. Elliott and Cooper would once again lead the offensive attack. Elliott had nearly 150 all-purpose yards (111 rushing, 36 receiving) and scored a touchdown. Cooper didn’t reach the end zone but caught all five of his targets for 106 yards. The Cowboys took a one-game lead in the NFC East with the win but the Eagles got the last laugh with a 17-9 win in Week 16 that denied Cowboys the division title which the Eagles clinched a week later.
Prescott didn’t play in last season’s game in Texas due to his season-ending ankle injury but the Cowboys blew out the Eagles 37-17. Like the previous two sccenarios Elliott and Cooper gave big-time performances yet again. The two-time rushing champion ran for 105 yards and added another 34 yards receiving. Cooper would gain 121 yards on just four receptions.
The Cowboys’ defense will be looking to not only continue a trend from this season on Monday night but one they’ve consistently shown against the Eagles during this home winning streak, creating turnovers. In the first two weeks of the 2021 season, the Cowboys lead the NFL with six turnovers, and they’ve forced eight against the Eagles the last three seasons at home.
A big reason for the Cowboys averaging over 30 points during this streak is dominating time of possession. They’ve had the ball for over 36 minutes per game thanks to the aforementioned Elliott and the running game keeping the chains moving by putting up 160 yards on average.
Although he’s relatively new to the rivalry, second-year wide receiver CeeDee Lamb realizes the importance of Monday night’s matchup with the Eagles.
“It don’t get any better than that,” Lamb said. “It’s our first division game, home opener, night game, Monday night, and, of course, we got Dak back. So just very excited for all that’s in front of us. I can’t wait to see how we perform.”
All eyes will be on this game as the Cowboys look to continue their dominance of the Eagles at home and gain early control in the NFC East.
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