Cowboys and Eagles Meet Monday in Winless Division

Football fans in the NFC East are facing a strange situation: their two most prominent teams are meeting Monday night with no divisional wins to their names in the last two weeks. The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, both 2-4, will play in Philadelphia. Because the New York Giants lead the division at 3-2-1, a win for either the Cowboys or the Eagles keeps them within striking distance of first place.

The division’s current slump is historic. According to league records, every team in the NFC East played twice in the last two weeks and won zero games. This is the first time that has happened in a division since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

The Eagles are coming off a four-game losing streak, their longest since 2020. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is out for the season with blood clots, forcing backup Tanner McKee to start. McKee had only two days of first-team practice before last week’s loss to Carolina. He expects to spend more time preparing with new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion this week.

“I feel like I have a good preparation process,” McKee said. He noted that he plans to meet with the coaching staff more often rather than working alone.

The Eagles’ rushing attack is also in flux. Star running back Saquon Barkley is dealing with a hamstring injury, and his backups Will Shipley and Tank Bigsby are also hurt. Carson Steele, signed from the practice squad last week, injured his shoulder against the Panthers. Dameon Pierce was the only back to carry the ball in that game, gaining 35 yards.

Dallas has its own challenges. The Cowboys rank 30th in the league in defense under first-year coordinator Christian Parker. Offensively, they scored only 29 points in their last two losses. Quarterback Dak Prescott has started consecutive games where Dallas scored fewer than 20 points for the first time since 2019.

Owner Jerry Jones spoke at the NFL’s annual fall meeting on Wednesday. He said he does not expect to make more coaching changes this season. He described the recent hiring of defensive assistant Mike Pettine as a strategic move.

The Cowboys are favored by 4 points and hold a 72-58 lead in the all-time series. Kickoff is at 7:15 p.m. CST on ESPN. After Monday, the Eagles will play at Washington on Nov. 1, then host the Giants.