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The Cowboys played their worst defensive game of the season against Eagles coach Chip Kelly’s hurry-up offense, giving up a season-high 464 yards, including 256 on the ground.
The Cowboys (9-4) did their best to get through last Thursday's 41-28 victory against the Chicago Bears, setting up Sunday's rematch against the Eagles (9-4) at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and another showdown for first place in the NFC East. The game kicks off at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Their minds never strayed too far from the Eagles, even while in Chicago last week.
“We definitely got a chip,” defensive end Jeremy Mincey said. “You are going to have a chip. They beat us on Thanksgiving. They had their way with us. No man on this roster likes that. We know we didn’t play up to our potential. We didn’t do what we were supposed to do. We are excited to have a second chance.
"That's all we've been talking about. Even during the Chicago game, I had to [say], 'Hey, hush, man. We've got to finish beating Chicago and then we'll get to it.'"
The Cowboys have been mentally ready. But the primary reason they believe things will be different in the rematch is that they are now physically ready as well.
The Thanksgiving game came on a short week. The Cowboys had just four days to prepare for Kelly’s fifth-ranked offense after playing on the road against New York Giants on Sunday night prior to the holiday game against the Eagles on Thursday.
The Cowboys were weary physically and mentally. They didn’t use full pads during the week and only held light, jog-through practices.
It was hardly the proper way to get prepared for Kelly’s fast-break style. The Eagles ran a play three times per minute in the first half on Thanksgiving while building a 14-point lead. They called a play every 19.1 seconds on the first two drives alone.
This time the Cowboys have 10 days between last Thursday’s game against the Bears and Sunday’s game at Philadelphia. They will be rested and prepared.
“A full week helps,” safety J.J. Wilcox said. “It does. It gives us a full week to go at it. But no excuses, we have to play better.”
What also helps, according to the Cowboys, is getting to see the offense for a second time. They will know what to expect. They will have a better understanding of the tempo.
They say they'll be ready.
“It makes a difference,” Mincey said. “We didn’t know what to expect. They came out the gate fast. Now we know we know what’s going on. It took us to the second half to know what’s going, and we played a lot better. We got a good feel for what’s going on now.”
But the primary thing the Cowboys believe they have to do and will do the second time around is stay disciplined.
Running back LeSean McCoy creased them for 159 yards on 25 carries primarily because the Cowboys didn’t set the edge and were too aggressive in their pursuit.
Quarterback Mark Sanchez repeatedly burned them for big plays because the Cowboys didn’t trust their technique and assignments and they tried to do too much.
“Lot of the guys weren’t disciplined in their alignments and assignments,” defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford said. “We had too many mistakes, too many loafs. That can’t happen.”
Wilcox typified the Cowboys problems in the first game with a number of missed tackles. “I know I was trying to do too much,” Wilcox said.
So what did they Cowboys learn?
“Stay in your gap and do your assignment. Do your job. Don’t try to do too much. Don’t try to be a hero. Do your job to the best of your ability.” Wilcox recited.
As far as the game plan is concerned, stopping McCoy is Line 1. Not only did he key the Thanksgiving Day victory against the Cowboys but he also set the tone in the Eagles’ win in the 2013 season final with 131 yards on 27 carries.
By contrast, the Cowboys held McCoy to 55 yards on 18 carries in a 17-3 victory last October.
When McCoy is going good, he makes the passing game easier for the Eagles quarterbacks. You stop him; you slow down Kelly’s offense.
The Cowboys watched the Seattle Seahawks do just that in a 24-14 victory against the Eagles last Sunday. They played sound, gap defense. They pursed to the football and tackled well in holding McCoy to 50 yards on 17 carries.
“Well, it’s what good defenses do,” coach Jason Garrett said. “So we just have to get back to doing that. That’s something we’ve done for a lot of this year, and the reason we’ve been fairly good defending the run. The biggest thing, really, is you have to do it down-in and down-out. I think Seattle did a very good job of that.
"They set the edge, they were in the gaps, they tackled well, they ran to the ball—all the things that good defenses do to stop the run. To me, it’s about getting back to doing it and doing it every down, because Philly has a good offense and they run the ball as well as anybody in the league.”
The Cowboys certainly took notes in watching the Seahawks stone the Eagles offense like none else this season. And they plan to do the same.
But the Cowboys’ focus will mainly be on themselves and doing what they were supposed to do the last time.
They are well-rested. They are prepared. They hope to make amends in a big way.
“We are definitely going to go out there and show them and everybody else who has doubts about our defense that that wasn’t our defense the last game,” Crawford said. “We are going to play how we like to play and how we do. We are going to run fast. We are going to go for the ball. We are going to do the stuff we like to do. Hopefully, it’s a different outcome.”
Clarence Hill covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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