Four weeks ago, the Philadelphia Eagles entered their Monday night contest against the Chicago Bears with a 2-0 record and a healthy Jalen Hurts.
After one of the most depressing months in recent franchise history, the Eagles return to the Monday night stage against the rival Dallas Cowboys with a four-game losing streak and without their captain and quarterback.
Tanner McKee will make his second straight start under center when the Eagles (2-4) host Dak Prescott and the Cowboys (2-4). As the calendar approaches the end of October, both sides still have hope in a wide-open NFC East where all four teams are coming off a loss in Week 6.
Despite all the doom and gloom with Hurts’ season-ending diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis, All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson’s retirement, the trade of center Cam Jurgens to Baltimore and running back Saquon Barkley’s hamstring injury, Philadelphia has a path to the playoffs if McKee can live up to his coaches’ expectations.
“I think he’s really sharp mentally. He’s accurate. He gets the ball out of his hands quickly,” offensive coordinator Sean Mannion said Wednesday. “I think he does all the things that you ask at the quarterback in terms of his pre-snap operation and being able to use his cadence, being able to handle things at the line of scrimmage if you need adjustments.
“So, I think he’s strong in a lot of those areas, and I think it opens up some things for us offensively.”
Before McKee’s Week 6 start against Carolina, the 2023 sixth-round draft pick’s two previous starts came against depleted Week 18 lineups in the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
He completed only 57.8% of his passes (26 of 45) against the Panthers for 215 yards with one touchdown and was sacked three times in the 25-14 home loss.
“I think I got quick with my feet a couple of times at the beginning of the game, trying to get the ball out, being a little rushed,” McKee said Thursday. “And so I think just trusting my footwork, trusting my reads, getting through progressions will ultimately benefit me a ton.”
The anticipated return of Barkley, who missed the last two games and most of Week 4, should take pressure off McKee and boost an offense that ranks 30th (255.5 yards per game) in Mannion’s first season as the play-caller.
Barkley returned to practice Thursday on a limited basis. However, receivers DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) and tight end Dallas Goedert (knee) all missed practice, as did linebacker Nolan Smith (concussion).
The Cowboys are coming off back-to-back losses to Tampa Bay and Green Bay in which the offense had more combined turnovers (five) than touchdowns (four).
Prescott has thrown a total of four TD passes in the four games since he threw four in a Week 2 win against Washington. He has a history of success against Philadelphia, however. Prescott is 10-5 with 3,944 yards, 26 TDs and nine interceptions in his career against the Eagles.
“We know we are better than what we have shown these past couple weeks,” said wide receiver Ryan Flournoy, whose 23 catches are third on the team behind stars CeeDee Lamb (48) and George Pickens (33). “That’s why I feel like we’re heading in the right direction. We’re having the right conversations, the tough conversations.”
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer isn’t waiting around for changes to happen.
“Am I frustrated and pissed off? You’re damn right I am,” Schottenheimer said Thursday. “But I’m gonna roll my sleeves up and I’m gonna go to work. And I’m gonna solve it.”
Dallas is getting a couple key pieces of its defense back, with linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and cornerback Cobie Durant returning to practice. Linebacker Dee Winters (calf), receiver/returner KaVontae Turpin (ribs) and offensive tackle Drew Shelton (hamstring) did not practice Thursday. Pickens (shoulder) was a limited participant.
The teams split the season series in 2025, with the games decided by a combined seven points. Dallas has not won in Philadelphia since a 51-26 blowout in Week 18 of the 2021 season.