Philadelphia offense vs. Dallas defense

	EAGLES OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	14
	Pass	31
	Tot. Yds.	30
	Scoring	29
	Int's allowed	13
	Sacks allowed	43
	COWBOYS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	9
	vs. Pass	15
	Total yds. allowed	9
	# of Ints.	20
	# of Sacks	28
	Turnover differential	+8

The Eagle offense played respectably last week against a Cardinal defense that has been steadily improving. QB Donovan McNabb appears as though he is the real deal, demonstrating the arm strength to throw the deep ball, the ability to throw the touch pass, and enough scrambling skills to give defensive coordinators headaches.

McNabb finished Cards game 19-31 for 157 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also had nine carries for 67 yards. McNabb also showed patience, spreading the ball to seven different receivers. Against Dallas this week, the Eagles will need McNabb to be sharp.

The Cowboys have a talented front seven, particularly now that DT Leon Lett has returned, so running the ball will not be an easy task. Lett will require constant double teams when Philly runs the ball, and judging by OC Steve Everitt's season to this point, he will need all the help he can get. There have been several occasions over the past few weeks where big defensive tackles have blown Everitt three yards into the backfield on short yardage situations.

The Cowboy defense is aggressive, and tends to over-pursue, so if Duce Staley is going to get loose, it will most likely be on counters and delays. Philadelphia has been breaking in rookie WRs Na Brown and Dameune Douglas over the past few weeks, and he looked especially good against Arizona with an average of over 15 yards per catch. These two young receivers will be tested against Deion Sanders and Kevin Smith, one of the more experienced corner tandems in the league.

Dallas lost a tough game last week against New England, but played sound defensive football against the Pats, holding them to only 13 points. Game planning against the Eagles this week is a little more difficult than against the Patriots. The Eagles have a viable running game with RB Duce Staley, and QB Donovan McNabb is a threat to scramble every time he drops back to pass.

In passing situations, the Cowboys will need to designate a spy to shadow McNabb all over the field -- most likely DT Hennings. When Philadelphia runs Staley, most of the focus will be on the right side of the Cowboy defensive line, which means Hennings and RDE Greg Ellis will have to be at the top of their games against the strong point of the Eagle offensive line. When rushing McNabb, the Dallas defensive line players need to stay in their lanes, and not allow McNabb to get outside, where he becomes dangerous carrying the football.

Depth is a concern on the Dallas defensive front four.

Not only did the Cowboys struggle running the ball, but QB Troy Aikman was sacked three times. This week against the Eagles, it appears as though Allen and Stepnoski will return, although neither at 100 percent. What this means is that Dallas needs to simplify its run-blocking schemes, allowing its players with a size advantage to drive-block the Philadelphia front four, neutralizing any quickness advantage the undersized Eagles might have.

As New England did last week, Philadelphia will overplay the run against Dallas. This will continue until Aikman can stretch the defense by completing some passes downfield. The only receiver on the roster capable of really stretching a defense is WR Rocket Ismail. The Eagles have two solid cover corners, so expect the defense to take some risks to put pressure on Aikman. Aikman must take advantage of these situations and capitalize on single coverage to soften up the Philadelphia defense.

Philadelphia's defense, despite being riddled with injuries, has continued to fight and play hard every week. Last week, the Eagles held the Cardinals to 54 total rushing yards and only two offensive touchdowns. The Eagles got into trouble late in the game because of an inability to get to Cardinal QB Jake Plummer. Additionally, the Eagles secondary and linebackers dropped six potential interceptions.

Against the Cowboys this week, the Eagles need to game-plan to stop Cowboys' RB Emmit Smith. Eight and nine-man fronts will be the order of the day for the Eagles defense. Last week, the Patriots did the same thing -- forced the Cowboys to beat them through the air, and Dallas was unable to do it. Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Johnson has enough confidence in his cornerbacks -- RDC Bobby Taylor, LDC Troy Vincent and nickel corner Al Harris -- that he will take a lot of risks to get pressure on Aikman.

One player of whom the Eagle defense needs to be wary of TE David Lafleur. Lafleur is a horse, who blocks like a third tackle and is a terror to bring down if he catches the ball in the open field. Aikman will likely look to Lafleur, as Eagles' LOLB James Darling has had some difficulties this year, both tackling with a cast on his hand and running with tight ends and running backs. Darling has been seeing less time lately, as rookie Barry Gardner has been worked into the lineup more and more each week.