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First place in the NFC East will be on the line when the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys rumble on Sunday Night Football. The game always has extra juice since it’s a division rivalry; however, this one hits harder with all the new actors on the stage.
One of those new leading men is Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Brown. He’s experiencing Dallas Week for the first time. Just another game, right?
“Some people over here just don’t like the Cowboys, and the Cowboys don’t like the Eagles,” Brown told reporters. “For me, I don’t know, I don’t take it that serious.”
That’s not to say that Brown hasn’t been briefed on how much the Eagles-Cowboys rivalry means to the city. (Cue Jason Kelce’s comments). He’s seen the trash-talking on social media. He’s heard older teammates in the locker room express how much this game means. Brown understands the magnitude. He’s just unwilling to let it affect his preparation.
“All the rivalry stuff, and all the going back and forth, you’ll never see me go back and forth unless somebody like do something that they’re not supposed to do on the football field,” Brown said. “Now I’m going to take it there. Other than that, I’m just trying to win games.”
James Bradberry: ‘Not Too Many People Like the Cowboys’
Pro Bowl cornerback James Bradberry got a taste of the rivalry during his two seasons in New York. The Giants and Cowboys are pretty fierce NFC East rivals, too. But throw those divisional constraints out the window. According to Bradberry, everyone hates Dallas.
“I don’t know too many people that really like the Cowboys in the league,” Bradberry said. “So it’s going to be a big game regardless.”
What Bradberry is looking forward to is a hype crowd at Lincoln Financial Field. If 30,000 crazy Eagles fans can take over an away game in Arizona, imagine the possibilities in their house versus their most hated rival.
“I’m just looking forward to the atmosphere in the stadium,” Bradberry said. “I know this is a big rivalry. This is a big game for both parties, so I’m just looking forward to the atmosphere.”
Brandon Graham: ‘We Gotta Play Big Boy Ball’
The Cowboys (4-1) enter the NFC East showdown just one game behind the Eagles (5-0) for first place. It’s a winner-take-all situation, one that should be won in the trenches. Both squads like to run the football and play defense, so the contest should give off old-school vibes, conjuring up images of 4th-and-1 (twice).
Pro Bowl defensive end Brandon Graham knows a lot of guys are going to be walking off that field with bruises, black and blue.
“We just gotta play big boy ball this week because we know they coming for the NFC East and this is going to be the first start of it,” Graham said. “And we playing Dallas. They don’t like us. We don’t like them. And we know what it’s going to be, in the trenches. It’s going to be one of those games where we gotta fight for everything we want. And I’m excited for that.”
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