Eagles still trying to salvage NFC East crown without Hurts as they host Cowboys on Monday night

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tanner McKee spent most of his two seasons widely considered one of the top young backup quarterbacks in the NFL.

He’s got work ahead with the Eagles to prove he can cut it as a starter.

McKee inherited the starting spot with Jalen Hurts on injured reserve and expected to miss the rest of the season because of blood clots.

Heading into Monday night’s home game against Dallas, Philadelphia (2-4) has lost four straight for the first time since 2020. Coach Nick Sirianni took over the following season.

It’s not all on McKee. The Eagles have scored only 58 points over the four losses.

McKee also only had two days of first-team reps headed into the meaningful start of his career last week against Carolina — he made two other starts after the Eagles had clinched a playoff spot. That will change with more than a full week to practice under first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion.

“I feel like I have a good preparation process,” McKee said. “Going to meet a little bit more with (the coaching staff) more than just doing it by myself, I guess. I think stick to the process. Obviously stings a little more. There’s things that are more frustrating and you make a mistake or something like that.”

McKee is tasked with leading a banged-up Eagles team into the playoffs, which might seem out of reach in any other season. Just not in this season’s NFC East.

The New York Giants lead the division with a middling 3-2-1 record, and the Cowboys are 2-4.

The past two weeks was the first time since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger that every team in a division played twice and all failed to register a win.

The Eagles follow Dallas with another primetime game on Nov. 1 at Washington. They then host the Giants to finish a divisional stretch that ought to reveal whether this is a lost season or one that still has some hope.

The Cowboys are trying to get out of their funk.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said this week he does not anticipate making any more coaching changes this season. Jones said Wednesday at the NFL’s annual fall meeting that the hiring of longtime defensive assistant Mike Pettine earlier this month was strategic and unique.

The Cowboys rank 30th in the league in defense under first-year coordinator Christian Parker. They also struggled offensively while losing their past two games, scoring just 29 points combined.

Need to know

Dallas (2-4) at Philadelphia (2-4).

When/where to watch: Monday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, ESPN.

Latest odds: Cowboys by 4.

Against the spread: Cowboys 3-3; Eagles 1-5.

Last week: Cowboys lost to the Packers 23-13; Eagles lost to the Panthers 25-14.

Last meeting: Cowboys beat the Eagles 24-21 on Nov. 23, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.

Series record: Cowboys lead 72-58.

Matchup to watch

Eagles’ running game vs. the Dallas defense. The Eagles are a mess with Saquon Barkley and his two backups sidelined by injuries. There remains a chance Barkley could return from a hamstring injury that has cost him the last two-plus games. Will Shipley and Tank Bigsby, his two backups, have also been hurt. Carson Steele, who was signed off the practice squad last week, suffered a shoulder injury in last week’s loss to Carolina.

Dameon Pierce was the only Eagles running back to get a carry against a Panthers defense that had allowed the 30th-most yards rushing per game. He rushed for 35 yards.

The Cowboys have allowed 4.7 yards per carry this season.

Stats and stuff

— Over the last 10 seasons, Dallas is 40-16 (.714) against NFC East opponents. That’s the second-best win percentage against division opponents in the NFL since 2017. Only Kansas City has been better.

— Javonte Williams is the second player in Cowboys history with seven rushing touchdowns in the first six games of a season. Emmitt Smith had 11 through six games in 1995 and eight in 1994.

— The Cowboys have scored fewer than 20 points in consecutive starts by Dak Prescott for the first time since 2019, when they lost 13-9 to New England and 26-15 to Buffalo. That team missed the playoffs.

— CeeDee Lamb is closing in on 8,000 career receiving yards and would become the 13th player in NFL history — and the first Cowboy — to hit the 8,000-yard mark in 102 games. Lamb ranks third in the NFL with 48 receptions, and it’s the most in franchise history through the first six games.

— The Eagles must go 7-4 the rest of the way to finish with a sixth straight winning season under Sirianni.

— Against Carolina, Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith had his 25th career game with seven-plus receptions, second-most in franchise history behind tight end Zach Ertz with 31.

— Tight end Dallas Goedert needs one catch to move into third place on the Eagles’ career list. He has 426 receptions, trailing only Harold Carmichael (589), Ertz (582) and Pete Retzlaff (452).

— The Eagles have committed 10 or more penalties three times during their four-game losing streak.

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