This week could be an important one for the Dallas Cowboys. At 2-4, they're still alive in the NFC East and can begin to make up some ground by securing a win against an ailing division rival.
The Philadelphia Eagles go into this one with Jalen Hurts, who is excpected to miss the remainder of the season with blood clots in his lungs. That scary injury has them leaning on Tanner McKee, who made just the third start of his career in Week 6.
For Dallas, they enter as the favorites but cannot take their opponent lightly. That said, here are three key areas they must focus on to make sure they leave Week 7 with a win.
Make Tanner McKee uncomfortable
Dallas was supposed to win in Week 5 when they were facing an 0-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers team with undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels starting under center. That wasn't how things went down as the Cowboys failed to get consistent pressure on the rookie and wound up losing 24-16.
This week, they will face another backup in Tanner McKee, who was 26-of-45 for 215 yards with a touchdown pass in their Week 6 loss to the Carolina Panthers. He has more experience than Daniels and will be able to find success if he's given time. That's why Dallas has to find a way to get after him and keep McKee from gaining confidence. That's easier said than done with this defense, but they showed some positive signs in Week 6 as they recorded three sacks on Jordan Love.
Get Javonte Williams going
Javonte Williams ran for 1,201 yards while averaging 4.8 per attempt in 2025. This year, he has just 317 yards while averaging 3.7 per attempt through six games. The lack of consistency in the ground game has been a major issue for Dallas, and that needs to change against the Eagles.
While Philadelphia has some disruptive defensive tackles, they're still just 19th in the league in run defense, which means there should be room for Williams to operate. If he takes advantage of that, it will keep the pressure off the shoulders of Dak Prescott, while also keeping their suspect defense on the bench. Williams is in the unique position of being able to help Dallas both offensively and defensively by running well.
Dak Prescott must protect the football
Turnovers have been a killer for the Cowboys this season. In Week 3, Jake Ferguson coughed up the ball after catching a shovel pass, which killed a potential scoring drive against the Baltimore Ravens. Interceptions have also been a problem as of late, with Dak Prescott throwing four interceptions over the past two weeks.
Not all of those were on Prescott, with Ferguson allowing one pass to bounce off of his hands and land in the arms of a Tampa Bay defender, ending their potential comeback in Week 5. Regardless of whose fault it is, the Cowboys need to protect the ball in Week 7. Due to injuries in Philadelphia, Dallas is the superior team right now and can't afford to lose. Ensuring they protect the ball will be a major key for them as they simply can't afford to make anything easy on the Eagles.
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