Andrew Noel, Staff

Cowboys vs Eagles is always one of the best games of the NFL season, and the latest installment of this long-time rivalry certainly lived up to their hype, with the Birds edging out their longtime foes, 28 to 23. The sides will rematch in Dallas on Dec. 10 in what is sure to be another thriller. 

Sunday’s game pretty much summed up the Eagles season so far, with them not playing a great brand of football but still finding a way to win. The two main issues plaguing the Eagles this season are turnovers (ranked 23 out of 32 in most turnovers in the NFL, going into yesterday’s game) and defensive consistency, with them being ranked 20th out of 32 in points given up per game. The turnover issue did not show its ugly head Sunday, with the Eagles ending the game with zero turnovers, but fans will want to see a few games similar to Sundays before they get comfortable. The defensive issues were a problem, once again, with the team giving up 23 points. A win is a win, but the Eagles cannot constantly rely on big offensive games if they want to keep playing deep into January. The Eagles have so far gotten away with these issues but will need to clean them up before it’s too late.  

The Eagles week nine win gives them a fantastic record of 8-1 going into the bye week. While this is a fantastic spot to be in, the Eagles cannot afford to get complacent, as their next six games are the most challenging schedule possible in the NFL. After they return from the bye, the Eagles go to Kansas City in a Monday Night Football blockbuster. Following the Super Bowl rematch, they have the perennial contending Bills at home, followed by an NFC Championship game rematch in Philadelphia against the hated 49ers. After this, they have the previously mentioned rematch with Dallas (in Dallas), then they have to make the 3,000-mile trip to Seattle and face the surprising Seahawks.  

The main criticism of the Eagles, both last year and this year, was that, while they won lots of games, they did it while facing weaker opponents. The next “easy” game on the Eagles’ schedule isn’t until Christmas, when the rival Giants come to town. Between now and then, we will find out a lot about the Eagles and if they are Super Bowl contenders or pretenders. 

The Eagles, despite the NFL’s best 8-1 record, have not played great football all season. Sure, they have won the games, but both games versus the Commanders and the week one tilt versus the Patriots could have both easily ended up in losses. When facing the NFL elite, the Eagles will not be able to get away with their mistakes and the inconsistency they had over the next six weeks, or the results will be ugly.  

The next seven weeks of football will tell us a lot about this Eagles team. It will be the most adversity they have faced since Carson Wentz tore his ACL in the Super Bowl-winning 2017-18 season. We all want to go to another parade in February. This next stretch of games will tell us if that’s a realistic possibility.