Eagles Film Preview: If the offense can’t take advantage of this Cowboys defense …

Each week, I’ll publish two film-room previews: one focusing on the offense and one on the defense. These are primarily film-based, focusing on the schemes, tendencies, and matchups that could shape Sunday’s game, with all statistics coming from the Fantasy Points Data Suite. I also record a video version for Patreon, where I break down the plays in greater detail and where you can further support my work.

I was frustrated enough last week to call for changes to the Eagles’ offense, and watching the Cowboys’ defense hasn’t changed my mind. It has, however, made this week feel like a pretty significant test. The Cowboys have been terrible defensively. They improved against the Packers, but they still have a long way to go before I’d call it average. With Saquon Barkley returning and Landon Dickerson (?) potentially back too, the Eagles need to get something going. Sean Mannion, in particular, seems to believe execution is the main problem with the offense. Well, this is the week to prove it. There are weaknesses everywhere to attack, and another performance where the offense cannot function would leave me with very little hope.

Pass Defense

The first thing that stands out is the communication. Or, more accurately, the lack of it. Since the beginning of the season, the Cowboys have repeatedly allowed receivers to run into completely vacant areas of the field. These aren’t always difficult throws into tight windows. Sometimes, two defenders cover the same route while another receiver runs free. In the example below, both defenders take the flat, leaving nobody responsible for the corner route.

The Cowboys rank last in EPA per dropback allowed, and the coverage busts help explain why. This is a defense that plays a lot of zone and asks defenders to communicate and exchange routes as receivers move through their areas. Even the Eagles, with Vic Fangio himself, have struggled with communication at times because of new players in the secondary. So, imagine Christian Parker teaching this system for the very first time. Those rules take time to learn, and I wouldn’t expect the same volume of mistakes to continue forever. However, the Eagles have to make the Cowboys demonstrate that they have fixed them. They cannot line up, run the same static combinations repeatedly, and make the secondary’s job easy.

Christian Parker’s defense has played zone on approximately 70% of its charted dropbacks, with Cover 3 its most frequent coverage at 38%. The defense also uses Cover 1 substantially, along with Cover 4 and Cover 6. It’s similar to the Eagles’ defense in many ways. The Eagles should have opportunities to test how the Cowboys handle combinations that put multiple receivers into the same area. Motion, switch releases, crossing routes, posts and corners should all feature in the plan. I want to see the Eagles force defenders to make decisions and communicate after the snap.

Flood concepts are an obvious option. Send routes through one side of the field at different depths and make the defenders establish who is taking each receiver. Motion can change formation strength before the snap, while a switch release can change which receiver attacks which space afterward. None of this guarantees a coverage bust, but the Cowboys have provided plenty of evidence that those exchanges can cause problems. I will be disappointed if the Eagles don’t repeatedly test them.

There should also be opportunities to build a rhythm without needing every completion to be explosive. This is supposed to be a bend-but-don’t-break style defense. Opponents have completed 83.6% of targeted throws traveling 10 yards or fewer against the Cowboys. Their linebackers and underneath defenders have allowed too many easy catches, and intermediate throws have been particularly damaging. Dallas Goedert and the Eagles’ receivers should have chances to find space if the concepts give them sensible spacing and the quarterback has a clear progression. This defense leaves a lot of open field to attack.

Even if the communication improves, the Cowboys have an individual problem at cornerback. DaRon Bland has been struggling badly. The Eagles need to identify who Bland is covering and make that matchup a regular part of the offense. Last week, I wanted them to target Akayleb Evans because the Panthers’ film showed clear opportunities against him. They didn’t do it enough. I don’t want to spend another week watching an opposing cornerback struggle against everyone else while the Eagles barely make him work. DeVonta Smith can win against Bland, but the Eagles should challenge him with their other receivers too.

The next example initially looks like another communication error because the receiver ends up so open. On closer inspection, Bland loses the matchup. He jumps inside, loses his footing and cannot recover when the receiver breaks outside.

There is a balance here. I want the Eagles to challenge the Cowboys’ communication with combinations, but I also want them to exploit a straightforward individual advantage when it presents itself. Too often this season, it has felt as though the Eagles are determined to run their offense regardless of who is standing opposite them. This week should be about making the Cowboys defend the things they have shown they struggle to handle.

I’m not treating this as an automatic offensive breakout because of the Cowboys’ defensive line and how they looked against the Packers (which, to be fair, does have a dreadful offensive line). The Cowboys have a credible pass rush, and the Eagles’ protection has been bad enough that any credible rush is a concern. Their overall pressure rate ranks 14th at 36.5%, which is a much healthier number than their coverage results. Rashan Gary is a dangerous edge rusher, Quinnen Williams remains excellent, and Kenny Clark produced an impressive sack against the Packers to show that he can still play, conveniently against his former team!

The Cowboys aren’t constantly blitzing to manufacture everything, either. Their blitz rate is approximately league average, and they primarily rely on four rushers. They need those individual players to win quickly enough to give the coverage a chance.

I thought the Packers game was their best defensive performance of the season, with the rush arriving more quickly and producing three sacks. However, there were still open receivers and missed opportunities for the Packers to score more. It was progress, but it wasn’t evidence that everything had suddenly been solved. The Eagles have to respect the front without allowing it to dictate the entire offensive approach. Giving the quarterback timely answers and getting receivers into routes would be a useful start.

Joey Porter Jr. is the other reason the Cowboys might improve. He has settled into the defense well and represents a significant upgrade on what they had before. I liked his boundary coverage against the Texans, including his awareness when routes crossed through traffic. He gives them a cornerback who can contest throws and stay connected to receivers more consistently.

I wouldn’t describe Porter as someone the Eagles should avoid at all costs. Smith is good enough to win that matchup, and opportunities will come up depending on the route and coverage. But if the choice is between challenging Porter and challenging Bland, I know where I would prefer the football to go. Porter’s arrival makes it even more important for the Eagles to understand the matchups rather than treating both sides of the field as equally favorable.

Run Defense

The Cowboys’ run defense has been better than their pass defense, but that isn’t a particularly high standard. They have good players inside and can make individual runs look difficult. The weakness that repeatedly stood out to me was on the edge. Gary is much more convincing rushing the passer than setting a firm edge against the run, and the rotation behind him hasn’t consistently improved matters. Malachi Lawrence and Von Miller haven’t provided enough resistance there either.

The edge defenders and linebackers also struggle to fit together. If an edge crashes inside, somebody has to replace him outside. Too often, the Cowboys haven’t coordinated that movement, and the runner gets access to space before the defense can recover. The Eagles need to make those defenders handle width and movement rather than allowing them to attack the same landmark repeatedly.

The read-option example below shows the issue, although the Eagles can’t simply build the same quarterback running threat into this week’s plan. There are other ways to challenge those defenders. Jet sweeps, perimeter handoffs, and changes in the point of attack can all make Gary account for the outside. I would like to see a receiver carry or two. Make him defend the edge and tackle in space rather than letting him focus entirely on attacking the backfield.

Inside zone has been the most damaging run against the Cowboys statistically, but a lot of these runs end up breaking outside. My clear biggest takeaway from the film is still that the Eagles need to challenge the edge defenders and make the linebackers move. Inside-zone runs can also find space away from their initial aiming point when the defense loses its gaps.

What I don’t want is an afternoon of the Eagles lining up under center and repeatedly running straight into Williams and Clark without making either player’s job more difficult. Williams has been excellent, and the Cowboys’ overall defensive struggles shouldn’t hide that. There are snaps where he recognizes the play, defeats the block, and disrupts everything himself. The Eagles need to account for him when choosing where and how to attack.

This should be a week when Mannion’s outside-zone scheme finally produces something worthwhile. That doesn’t mean calling it twenty times regardless of the results. It means using formations, motion, and complementary plays to give the blockers a chance and make the edge defenders hesitate. Barkley’s return should matter, and Dickerson’s potential return would help too. I want a big Barkley game, but the coaching staff has to give him something better than another series of carries where he doesn’t have a chance to get going because of backfield penetration.

Final Thoughts

The Cowboys have enough talent up front to cause problems, and Porter has improved their secondary almost immediately. I also thought they took a step forward against the Packers. But this is still a defense that has allowed too many easy completions, too many coverage busts, and too many successful drives. The Eagles should be able to move the football against it.

I was frustrated last week because the problems felt bigger than one missed block or one incorrect read. The offense wasn’t consistently giving its players a reasonable chance. If Mannion and the rest of the coaching staff believe the scheme is sound and execution has held it back, this is their opportunity to prove it. Target DaRon Bland. Test the coverage exchanges. Give the quarterback answers against pressure. Make the edges defend the run. This defense has plenty of weaknesses you can attack.

I’m not expecting every offensive problem to disappear in one game, especially with Tanner McKee at quarterback. I am expecting the coaches to put a functional offense on the field and give him a chance. With Barkley back, Dickerson potentially returning, and this defense on the other side, there are no excuses for another performance where the entire operation looks broken. If the Eagles can’t get anything going this week, it becomes very difficult to see where the improvement is coming from.

Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions.If you would like to support me further, please check out my Patreon here!