Cowboys on the Prowl: Cowboys Lurking as Trap Game Threatens Eagles’ Dominance

The Philadelphia Eagles face a high-stakes NFC East showdown against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17, with a win securing the division title and keeping their top-seed aspirations alive. Yet, the Cowboys—eliminated from playoff contention—enter the matchup riding a wave of momentum and carrying a spoiler mentality.

“They’ve got more to lose than we do,” Cowboys star Micah Parsons said this week, underscoring the dangerous dynamic at play. With no postseason pressure on their shoulders, Dallas has every reason to play aggressive, loose football while Philadelphia must navigate the weight of postseason implications.

Dallas has won four of its last five games, including a 26-24 upset over the playoff-bound Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. A resurgent defense has been central to their success, with cornerback DaRon Bland breaking up passes in four straight games and delivering his best performance of the season against Tampa. Alongside Jourdan Lewis, Bland will face the tall task of containing Eagles wideouts A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

Philadelphia’s aerial attack, already struggling with an average of just 183 passing yards per game (second-worst in the NFL), will now rely on backup quarterback Kenny Pickett. With Jalen Hurts sidelined by a concussion, Pickett faces a tough task against a fired-up Dallas secondary and relentless pressure from Micah Parsons, who leads the NFL in sacks and pressures since Week 9.

Parsons, just half a sack away from double-digits for the fourth straight season, will be a constant presence in Philadelphia’s backfield. While the Eagles boast one of the league’s best offensive lines with Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson anchoring the edges, containing Parsons will be critical to keeping Pickett upright and the offense functional.

In their earlier meeting this season, Dallas effectively bottled up Saquon Barkley, limiting the NFL’s leading rusher to just 66 yards on 16 carries. With Hurts sidelined, Dallas will likely stack the box and dare Pickett to beat them through the air—creating a high-risk, high-reward scenario for Philadelphia’s offense.

The Eagles can’t afford to overlook this matchup or let playoff scenarios cloud their focus. Division rivalries have a way of flipping the script, and Dallas has all the motivation it needs to play spoiler in front of its home crowd. If Philadelphia hopes to avoid a disastrous stumble, they’ll need to match the Cowboys’ intensity and overcome a defense playing some of its best football of the season.