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There was an overwhelming consensus in the Eagles’ locker room. Dak Prescott will play on Sunday. No doubt.
Many Eagles players didn’t even know that the Cowboys quarterback was dealing with a right shoulder injury. It’s a pretty significant one, too. Prescott missed Cowboys practice on Wednesday and he reportedly won’t throw the football until Saturday, according to his head coach.
“He just banged it up and it’s hard for him to function right now,” Jason Garrett told reporters. “[I] don’t want him throwing much in practice today.”
The injury is on his AC joint and definitely affects his throwing motion. However, there doesn’t seem to be much concern about Prescott missing Sunday’s game. He has never missed a start in his entire playing career going back to his college days at Mississippi State.
Eagles Players React to Prescott’s Injury
Fletcher Cox played with Dak Prescott at Mississippi State. The quarterback was a redshirt freshman when Cox was a senior. Cox fully expects Prescott to suit up and he doesn’t intend to prepare any differently.
“He’s hurt? I wish he wasn’t hurt,” Cox told reporters. “I don’t do anything differently. I won’t prepare any different. We know he’ll play. There’s no doubt. He knows what this game means. He will play.”
Teammate Brandon Graham shared Cox’s sentiment, then added that the team might have to pay more attention to Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys’ running game.
“I guess 21 [Elliott] is going to get the ball then. We got to make sure we do our part,” Graham said. “I’m worried about us. You know what I’m saying? Nothing else.”
Defense Focused on Stopping Ezekiel Elliott
The Eagles have never beaten the Cowboys when Ezekiel Elliott has been on the field. They are 0-for-5.
Elliott has racked up 163 yards from scrimmage in all five games, including going over 100 yards in four of them. Their offense starts and ends with No. 21 and that trend should continue this week as Dak Prescott deals with a shoulder injury.
“We understand Zeke is the guy and things are going to go through him,” Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said. “We know the focus is on Zeke and trying to at least slow him down.”
While Prescott’s injury adds a new wrinkle, the Eagles know they have to respect the Cowboys as a whole. Dallas ranks No. 1 in the NFL in total offense, thanks to a strong set of skill players that includes Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Tavon Austin and even old-man Jason Witten.
“So it’s not just him [Elliott], but there’s a lot of other stuff,” Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. “They got some big-play receivers. But he’s a strong contact runner and we’re going to have to put a lot of hats on him. It’s not going to be one-on-one tackles. It’s going to have to be gang-tackling, team defense in order to limit his yards and limit his effectiveness.”
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