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It’s finally gameday on Christmas Eve after a short 6-day turnaround following last week’s 25-20 victory over the Chicago Bears. The Philadelphia Eagles will battle the hated Dallas Cowboys today at 4:25 p.m.
Prior to kickoff, the Eagles announced three minor roster moves heading into Week 16. They signed linebacker Christian Elliss to the active roster, then elevated punter Brett Kern and placed tight end Tyree Jackson on injured reserve. Philadelphia also upgraded receiver Zach Pascal from questionable to no injury designation. He’s good to go.
Head coach Nick Sirianni has never hidden his affection for Pascal and all the “dirty work” he does that doesn’t show up in the box score. He only has 14 catches for 144 yards and 1 touchdown this season, but he’s been a workhorse on special teams.
“I love Zach Pascal. Zach Pascal for the five years or four years I’ve been with him, has always done the dirty work. Always,” Sirianni told reporters on October 30. “Zach doing all the little things that are important to a football team, that’s sweet, right? I love to see that because I love the guy. You aren’t around a guy for that long and not have a good relationship with him.”
Ian Book Serving as Backup QB, First Time Active
Ian Book will serve as the backup quarterback behind Gardner Minshew with Jalen Hurts on the shelf. Book, a fourth-round pick of the Saints in 2021, will be making his Eagles debut on Saturday as he’s been inactive through 14 games. Whether he sees any snaps will depend on if Minshew suffers an unexpected injury.
Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen talked about the challenges of prepping a quarterback who hasn’t played during his media availability earlier this week. No one is worried about Book.
“Young player that’s really smart,” Steichen said of Book. “He can spin it really well, has good fundamentals, good technique, caught on to the offense really well. He’s been doing a nice job and is continuing to grow.”
Sirianni has a close relationship with Tommy Rees, the offensive coordinator at Notre Dame which is why the Eagles claimed Book after the Saints released him coming out of training camp.
“We did a lot of work on him. We liked him in the pre-draft process,” Sirianni said of Book on September 1. “One thing Tommy always said about him, and now this is a guy that won a ton of football games for him and his program at Notre Dame, is how good of a leader he is.”
Eagles Wearing All-Black Uniforms in Dallas
You want to know how everyone knows the Eagles mean business this week? They are breaking out the all-black uniforms, complete with their new black helmets. The last time the team wore the black threads was November 27 when they defeated the Green Bay Packers 40-33 on Sunday Night Football.
This will mark the first time the Eagles are donning their all-black uniforms in a road game, according to the Inquirer’s Bob Vetrone. A win over the Cowboys on Sunday would also deliver a season sweep for Philly on their division rivals and secure the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
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