NFL: Cowboys travel to Philly to face the undefeated Eagles

CNN
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The Dallas Cowboys (4-1) and Philadelphia Eagles (5-0) face off in Week 6 with NFC East paramountcy on the line.

The Cowboys, against all odds, are riding a four-game win streak. The team’s season began with a catastrophic season-opening loss to the Buccaneers, during which starting quarterback Dak Prescott sustained a thumb injury.

That injury turned out to require surgery, sidelining Prescott for multiple weeks and thrusting the reins into the hands of backup quarterback Cooper Rush.

Rush’s experience at the helm was limited to one career professional start against the Minnesota Vikings back in 2021.

During that game, he notched a win with an impressive stat line: 30 of 47 for 325 yards with two touchdowns (including a come-from-behind game-winner) and an interception.

Now entering Week 6 of the 2022 season, Rush has yet to lose a career start and has given the Cowboys momentum heading into the second-third of the season.

The Eagles are the league’s only team that hasn’t lost yet. With a win on Sunday, they would become the fourth team in the Super Bowl era to begin a season with a 6-0 record and have a positive turnover differential in each victory.

The biggest reason why they haven’t lost a game so far this season? Explosive offense.

The Eagles are one of the most effective teams once in the red-zone and have one of the league’s best run games.

They have scored 18 of 20 times they’ve entered the red-zone, with touchdowns on 13 of those drives. That’s 90% scoring success and 65% touchdown scoring. Eleven of those 13 red-zone touchdowns have come via the running game, with six from quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Hurts and the Eagles will be feeling the pressure from the Cowboys defense on Sunday.

Through five games, Dallas has only allowed five touchdowns and is third in the league in points allowed per game.

Linebacker Micah Parsons has recorded multiple sacks in three of his first five games this season. In Week 5, he earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week after recording five tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. All this to say, it won’t be easy for either side to climb to victory.

A strong offense met with a well-matched defense could turn into a shootout and rely more heavily on special teams.

Cowboys kicker Brett Maher is one of the league’s more accurate kickers, going 13-for-14 on field goal tries including some from longer distances.

The Eagles’ kicker situation is a little more uncertain.

In Week 5, 22-year-old Cameron Dicker made his debut. After signing to the team just days prior, “Dicker the Kicker” cashed both extra point attempts and two field goals, including the winning 23-yarder. It was a performance impressive enough to earn him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, but inexperience could show in his subsequent showing.

Kickoff for the NFC East battle is Sunday night at 8:20 p.m. ET.

Week 6 presents a rematch of last season’s dramatic divisional playoff featuring the Buffalo Bills (4-1) and Kansas City Chiefs (4-1).

Ahead of this week’s contest, the two teams boast the league’s highest-scoring offenses. Kansas City averages 31.8 points per game, while Buffalo averages 30.4.

The matchup also hosts two of the league’s most dynamic quarterbacks: Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.

The pair are no strangers, as this will be the fifth time they’ve faced off over three seasons. Since they have joined the league, they have competed for AFC supremacy, constantly switching off as the first- and second-best quarterbacks in the division.

Currently, Mahomes leads the league with 15 touchdown passes, Allen is close behind with 14.

Tune into the quarterback showdown on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.

Seattle Seahawks rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen has been making a case for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

He leads all rookies with three interceptions this season and has earned an interception in each of the last three games. To top it off, he’s recorded with a fumble recovery and a blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown.

With an interception against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6, Woolen would become the third rookie since 2000 to record an interception in at least four consecutive games.

The Seahawks and Cardinals face off on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.

Here’s how to catch these teams and others across the league in action, from wherever you are.

Australia: NFL Game Pass, ESPN, 7Plus

Brazil: NFL Game Pass, ESPN

Canada: CTV, TSN, RDS, NFL Game Pass on DAZN

Germany: NFL Game Pass, ProSieben MAXX, DAZN

Mexico: NFL Game Pass, TUDN, ESPN, Fox Sports, Sky Sports

UK: NFL Game Pass, Sky Sports, ITV, Channel 5

US: NFL Game Pass, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, ESPN, Amazon Prime