All the Philadelphia Eagles need to do is watch film of the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers game two weeks ago. That game alone ought to convince the Eagles they shouldn't take the Cowboys lightly when they meet Saturday at Texas Stadium (ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET).

Even though the Eagles beat the Cowboys 44-13 in their first meeting in Week 3, it's a scary game for the Eagles, who are trying to lock up home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. At the time, Quincy Carter was the Cowboys' quarterback, and Dallas was running the ball with Emmitt Smith in order to get him the all-time career rushing record.

Theismann's Keys

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES Offense: Run, run, run -- The Eagles must run the ball effectively to open up their passing game. People get a misconception about the West Coast offense, thinking it's all about the passing game. But Reid likes to run the ball, and Duce Staley is having an excellent season. Behind Staley and Dorsey Levens, the running game should allow Feeley opportunities in the passing game to work against the Cowboys' young secondary. Defense: Bring the heat -- The Eagles lead the NFL in sacks. They will be on their way to Chad Hutchinson. And if they happen to tackle Emmitt Smith and Troy Hambrick along the way, that will be fine. Either way, they will be coming with Hugh Douglas and company. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson will put all kinds of pressure on the Dallas offense. DALLAS COWBOYS Offense: Convert big plays -- Hutchinson will have opportunities for big plays down the field. He will have to hit them. If he gets a shot with Antonio Bryant and Joey Galloway, he can't miss them like he has been doing. Since he became the starter, Hutchinson has probably missed Galloway three times for sure touchdowns. He can't do that against the Eagles. Defense: Stop the run. -- I like the Cowboys' defense and their matchup against the Philadelphia offense. If their offense doesn't mess it up for them, the Cowboys can hang with the Eagles. Dallas has to stop the run and force the ball into Feeley's hands.

Since then the Cowboys' defense has gelled and played better football. They have made a quarterback change, going from Carter to Chad Hutchinson. And they had a chance to beat the 49ers, another playoff team, before losing when San Francisco rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

If the Eagles believe the Cowboys are a young, struggling, dysfunctional football team, they could wind up like New Orleans last week, losing at home to Minnesota. Or like San Diego, a team that was undefeated until the then-woeful Jets pounded the Chargers at home. In light of the upsets this season, the Cowboys are a scary opponent for the Eagles.

Although he is not my top Coach of the Year candidate, Andy Reid has done a terrific coaching job this season. People began to realize how good a coach Reid is when Donovan McNabb played an entire football game on a broken leg and threw more touchdown passes (four) than he had in any other game this season. McNabb didn't run, indicating that a pocket quarterback -- not just a mobile one -- can operate the Eagles' offense effectively. That is to Reid's credit.

The Eagles are still driven by their defense, one of the league's best. Offensively, the Eagles have been able to maintain with A.J. Feeley at quarterback. Remember, when the Eagles played the Bucs in a meaningless game to end the 2001 regular season, it belonged to Feeley, who led them to victory in the fourth quarter.

In the absence of McNabb and Koy Detmer, Feeley understands his role, knowing he doesn't have to go out and win football games. He just has to manage the offense the way the coach wants it done.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys have had one former baseball player replace another former baseball player at quarterback. I believe there are professional football players and then there are professional baseball players. The only rare athletes who have been exceptions to the rule were Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson.

At the quarterback position, there is too much time that needs to be invested to become a quality player. Hutchinson hasn't played poorly, but he hasn't been spectacular either. Owner Jerry Jones spoke last season about winning 10 games. But the Cowboys may struggle to win 10 games combined over the next two or three years, depending on the growth of their quarterback.

Cowboys head coach Dave Campo -- much like Marty Mornhinweg in Detroit -- is stuck in a situation where he has a young quarterback who is just learning how to play professional football, along with a young team around him. And Campo may not have the chance to see the fruits of his labor. The coach ends up being the sacrificial lamb, as Chris Palmer was in Cleveland shortly after he began coaching Tim Couch.

If the Cowboys make a coaching change, and it's an offensive-minded coach, Hutchinson will have to learn another system. Jones' dilemma will be trying to maintain a sense of consistency for the growing curve of his team, especially on offense.

Defensively, the Cowboys start a rookie (Derek Ross) at one corner who is backed up by another rookie (Pete Hunter). With veteran Darren Woodson out, they have a rookie at one safety (Roy Williams) and a second-year player at the other (Tony Dixon), and he's backed up by another rookie (Keith Davis). Plus, they have new players in defensive tackle La'Roi Glover and linebacker Kevin Hardy. Despite the newness, the Cowboys are eighth in the league in points allowed per game (20.1).

Don't think Dallas can't upset Philadelphia's plans, even though the Eagles may be the NFC's best team. One reason I like the Eagles and Tampa Bay is that they both get solid special teams play. And in the playoffs, games could come down to punt returns, field position, field goals and blocked kicks. If the Eagles had McNabb, I would pick them over the Bucs -- but he won't be on the field Saturday in Dallas.

A game analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football, former NFL QB Joe Theismann won a Super Bowl and a league MVP award.