NFLBALLS

Monday Night Football, Week 7 | October 26, 2026 | Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys game is one of the few NFL matchups that does not need any extra marketing. The two NFC East franchises have been trading blows since September 30, 1960, they have met 134 times including the playoffs, and they will meet twice more this season. The difference this year is the mood. Tonight, Monday, October 26, 2026, the rivalry arrives as a battle of two teams that are both 2-4 and both desperate. Kickoff at Lincoln Financial Field is set for 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN, which is 5:45 a.m. IST on Tuesday morning for viewers in India.

Philadelphia is the more surprising name in the basement. The Eagles have lost four straight games, their longest losing streak under head coach Nick Sirianni and their first four-game skid since 2020. Franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts is on injured reserve with a blood clot in his calf and will miss at least four games, so Tanner McKee is under center for the second week in a row. Dallas is not in much better shape. The Cowboys have dropped two straight, they managed only 13 points in a 23-13 loss at Green Bay, and a defense that is learning a new scheme has been battered by injuries.

Philadelphia Eagles: A Season Falling Apart at the Worst Time

A year ago the Eagles were NFC East champions, finishing 11-6 in 2025 with a roster that looked built to last. Through six weeks of 2026 that picture has changed completely. Philadelphia started 2-0 with narrow wins, then lost four in a row against opponents that were not all elite. The skid also ended a franchise-record streak of 76 consecutive games at .500 or better, which ended when the Eagles lost to Jacksonville in London in Week 5.

The season opened with a 24-22 home win over Washington. Hurts threw for 203 yards and three touchdowns, and Saquon Barkley ran for 83 yards on 15 carries. Week 2 was a grind at Tennessee, where Hurts threw two interceptions but still led a late drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown pass to Darius Cooper with nine seconds left in a 24-20 win. DeVonta Smith caught 10 of 13 targets for 117 yards and a score that day.

Then the wheels came off. Chicago beat Philadelphia 27-7 on Monday Night Football in Week 3. The Rams won 24-20 in Philadelphia in Week 4, the game in which Hurts took a cleat to his calf and Barkley left early with a hamstring injury. The Jaguars edged the Eagles 19-17 in London in Week 5. Then came the Carolina game, a 25-14 loss at home in which Tanner McKee went 26 of 45 for 215 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions but was sacked three times. After the game McKee said he knew the team needed him to be better, and the Eagles scored only 14 points for the second week in a row.

What Is Going Wrong for the Eagles Offense

• Philadelphia is averaging just 17.7 points per game, and the passing game has no real rhythm without Hurts’ mobility and improvisation
• Tanner McKee, a sixth-round pick who spent four seasons as Hurts’ backup, is learning a new offense under first-year coordinator Sean Mannion and went 26 of 45 for 215 yards in his first start
• The receiver room is thin, because DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) are both ruled out tonight, leaving Darius Cooper, Makai Lemon, Elijah Moore, and the tight ends to carry the passing game
• Saquon Barkley is questionable with a hamstring issue, but he practiced fully on Saturday and is expected to return after missing two games
• The Eagles have only six sacks as a team, so the pass rush has not been able to cover for the offense

Philadelphia Eagles Snapshot

Detail	Philadelphia Eagles
Division	NFC East
Head coach	Nick Sirianni
Offensive coordinator	Sean Mannion (first season)
Starting QB	Tanner McKee (Jalen Hurts on IR)
Home field	Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Recent form	2-4, four straight losses
2026 results	Beat Commanders 24-22 (Wk 1), beat Titans 24-20 (Wk 2), lost at Bears 27-7 (Wk 3), lost to Rams 24-20 (Wk 4), lost at Jaguars 19-17 (Wk 5), lost to Panthers 25-14 (Wk 6)
Key injuries	WR DeVonta Smith (out), WR Dontayvion Wicks (out), LB Nolan Smith (out), CB Michael Carter II (out), RB Saquon Barkley (questionable), G Landon Dickerson (questionable), EDGE Jonathan Greenard (questionable), EDGE Jalyx Hunt (questionable), TE Eli Stowers (questionable), TE Grant Calcaterra (questionable), CB Jakorian Bennett (questionable), QB Jalen Hurts (IR)

Looking at the Eagles’ standings picture, 2-4 is not the end of the road in a division this unpredictable. The New York Giants lead the NFC East at 4-2-1 after a Week 7 overtime win over Houston, and every other team is within range. A win tonight would pull Philadelphia level with Dallas and keep a very winnable division race alive, while a loss would push the Eagles to five straight defeats and into real trouble.

Dallas Cowboys: Explosive Early, Stuck Now

The Cowboys are in their second season under head coach Brian Schottenheimer after finishing 7-9-1 in 2025. This year was supposed to be about an offense that could win shootouts with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens, and for a stretch it did. After a 28-20 opening loss at the Giants, Dallas hammered Washington 37-20 in Week 2. Prescott was 26 of 31 for 266 yards and four touchdowns in that win. The Cowboys then lost a 34-31 shootout to Baltimore in Week 3 and won a 34-30 shootout at Houston in Week 4. From Weeks 2 through 4 the group averaged roughly 34 points per game.

Then the offense dried up. A Thursday night loss to Tampa Bay in Week 5 (24-16), where Dallas scored three points over seven drives after an opening touchdown, was followed by the 23-13 loss at Green Bay on Sunday night. Prescott threw for 258 yards and a touchdown but also two costly interceptions, the Cowboys converted just 4 of 13 third downs, and they were shut out in the first half for the first time this season. Prescott and Schottenheimer both took the blame afterward. The team’s average has fallen below 17 points per game over the last two games.

What Makes Dallas Tick When It Works

• Dak Prescott leads the offense and still has the arm to put up 4-touchdown games, as he showed against Washington
• George Pickens has been the star in CeeDee Lamb’s absence and is the most dangerous deep threat on the roster
• CeeDee Lamb missed three games with a high ankle sprain, and he has said he expects to return for this game, which would give Dallas its full group of receivers for the first time since early in the season
• Jake Ferguson gives Prescott a dependable tight end, and Javonte Williams gives the backfield a physical runner
• Kicker Brandon Aubrey remains one of the most valuable weapons in the league whenever a drive stalls inside the 40

Dallas Cowboys Snapshot

Detail	Dallas Cowboys
Division	NFC East
Head coach	Brian Schottenheimer (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Christian Parker (first season)
Starting QB	Dak Prescott
Home field	AT&T Stadium, Arlington
Recent form	2-4, two straight losses
2026 results	Lost at Giants 28-20 (Wk 1), beat Commanders 37-20 (Wk 2), lost to Ravens 34-31 (Wk 3), beat Texans 34-30 (Wk 4), lost to Buccaneers 24-16 (Wk 5), lost at Packers 23-13 (Wk 6)
Key note	WR CeeDee Lamb expected back from a high ankle sprain; check the inactives list before kickoff

The Cowboys’ standing in the NFC East is just as awkward as Philadelphia’s. At 2-4 they are tied with the Eagles for third place behind the Giants, and they sit in the middle of a crowded NFC pile. The good news for Dallas is that the defense, which ranks near the bottom of the league in yards allowed at 382.5 per game, showed some signs of life against Green Bay. The bad news is that the offense has now wasted that improvement twice.

NFL Schedule This Week and What Comes Next

Tonight’s game closes out the Week 7 slate. For Dallas Cowboys games, the road does not get any easier after this, because the Cardinals visit AT&T Stadium on November 1 before the Eagles come to Arlington on Thanksgiving Day. For the Philadelphia Eagles schedule, the next listed game is a trip to face the Giants on November 8.

Team	Next Matchup	Date	Location
Dallas Cowboys	vs Arizona Cardinals	Sunday, Nov. 1	Arlington, TX
Philadelphia Eagles	at New York Giants	Sunday, Nov. 8 (1:00 p.m. ET)	East Rutherford, NJ
Both teams	Cowboys vs Eagles rematch	Thursday, Nov. 26 (4:30 p.m. ET)	Arlington, TX

That Thanksgiving rematch makes tonight even bigger. A team that wins at the Linc gets a division tiebreaker head start and a psychological advantage heading into the holiday game, so both locker rooms understand that this is really the first half of a two-part fight.

Head-to-Head History: The Full Timeline

Dallas holds the all-time lead in the series. Including the postseason the Cowboys are 75-59 over 134 meetings, and in the regular season alone the edge is 72-58. The two teams have met four times in the playoffs, with Dallas leading 3-1. The Cowboys have won four of the last six meetings, even though the Eagles dominated the 2024 matchups.

Date	Winner	Location	Score	Notes
11/23/2025	Cowboys	Arlington	24-21	Dallas rallied from 21-0 down; Aubrey’s 42-yard field goal won it as time expired
09/04/2025	Eagles	Philadelphia	24-20	Eagles won the season opener
12/29/2024	Eagles	Philadelphia	41-7	Eagles’ most lopsided win of the recent era
11/10/2024	Eagles	Arlington	34-6	Eagles swept the 2024 season series
12/10/2023	Cowboys	Arlington	33-13	Dallas answered the first loss of the season
11/05/2023	Eagles	Philadelphia	28-23	Eagles won the first 2023 meeting
12/24/2022	Cowboys	Arlington	40-34	High-scoring shootout won by Dallas

The longer record is full of landmark games. The Eagles won the very first meeting, 27-25, on September 30, 1960. Dallas built the largest win in the series with a 56-7 rout in 1966 and went on to win 11 straight from 1967 to 1972, the longest streak either side has produced. Philadelphia’s best answer came in 2008 with a 44-6 victory, and the Eagles’ own longest winning streak is eight games from 1987 to 1991. The Cowboys’ 56 points in 1966 is still the most scored by either team in a single game, while Philadelphia’s high-water mark is 49 points in 2004.

A Few Things Worth Pointing Out

• The teams have met four times in the playoffs: the Eagles won the 1980 NFC Championship Game 20-7, and the Cowboys won in 1992 (34-10), 1995 (30-11), and the 2009 Wild Card round (34-14)
• The two teams have split the last two seasons of series results in dramatic fashion, with Philadelphia sweeping in 2024 and the two teams splitting in 2025, each winning one
• The road team has won several recent meetings, so home field in this rivalry has not been a safe bet
• Dallas has won four of the last six meetings
• This is the first of two 2026 games, with the Thanksgiving Day rematch scheduled for November 26 in Arlington

Eagles vs Cowboys Mythology: Sky Gods and Frontier Legends

There is a fun detail hidden behind the helmets that has nothing to do with the standings. In Greek and Roman myth the eagle was the bird of Zeus and Jupiter, the creature that carried the thunderbolt, and Roman legions marched behind a golden eagle standard called the aquila. Losing the eagle in battle was considered a disgrace worse than defeat. The cowboy belongs to a different kind of storytelling, the American frontier myth of the lone rider, the open range, and the Lone Star that Dallas wears on its helmets.

One side represents the sky and ancient empire, the other the dust of the prairie, which makes the contrast between the two fan bases feel almost scripted. In the end though, the rivalry has always been decided by ordinary football things: a 21-point comeback, a last-second field goal, a 41-7 blowout, a quarterback who was or was not healthy.

Three Eras of the Rivalry

Era 1: Dallas Takes Control (1960-1980). After Philadelphia won the first meeting in 1960, the Cowboys steadily pulled away. They built a decisive edge during the 1970s with a 17-3 record in the decade, and that run included the 56-7 win in 1966 and the 11 straight victories between 1967 and 1972. The Eagles’ 20-7 win in the 1980 NFC Championship Game is the highlight of the era for Philadelphia.

Era 2: Rough Football and Playoff Heat (1987-2009). This stretch produced some of the most famous games in the rivalry. The Eagles won eight in a row from 1987 to 1991, including the October 1990 game known as the Porkchop Bowl, when Philadelphia sacked the Cowboys’ quarterback 11 times. In the early 1990s Dallas rose to dominance, eliminating the Eagles in the 1992 and 1995 playoffs, and the Cowboys also won the 2009 Wild Card game 34-14.

Era 3: Shootouts and Swings (2022-Present). The recent meetings have been defined by volatility. Dallas won a 40-34 shootout in 2022, the teams split 2023, the Eagles crushed Dallas twice in 2024 by a combined 75-13, and in 2025 Philadelphia won the opener while Dallas pulled off a miracle comeback in November. Nothing about the last five years suggests that the results will follow the record books.

The Last Time These Two Teams Met: Cowboys 24, Eagles 21 (Nov. 23, 2025)

Tonight’s game is unplayed, so the November 2025 chapter remains the best guide for how this rivalry has been going. The Eagles came into AT&T Stadium as the division leaders, and for 30 minutes they looked exactly like it. Philadelphia opened a 21-0 lead on two rushing touchdowns from Jalen Hurts and a 16-yard touchdown pass from Hurts to A.J. Brown, and the Cowboys appeared to be heading to another humbling loss.

Instead, Dak Prescott led a comeback that ranks among the best of his career. Dallas scored 24 unanswered points, a run that included a record-breaking moment for Prescott in the Cowboys’ record books, and Brandon Aubrey ended the game with a 42-yard field goal as time expired. The win moved Dallas to 8-3 at that point in the 2025 season. The Eagles still won the division, finishing 11-6, while the Cowboys faded to 7-9-1.

The lesson from that game applies tonight in two ways. First, the Cowboys do not need to play well for 60 minutes to beat Philadelphia. Second, the Eagles of that game had Hurts, and the Eagles of tonight do not. Surviving a 21-point deficit is a lot harder when the opposing quarterback is not Jalen Hurts, and equally Philadelphia would need to be much sharper than it has been to build such a lead.

Where Both Teams Stand Entering Tonight’s Game

Six weeks into the season the numbers show two teams that have mostly been undone by the same weaknesses: inconsistent offense, defenses that cannot get off the field, and injuries. Before looking at the numbers below, it is worth framing this Eagles vs Cowboys match player stats snapshot simply: the team that avoids turnovers and wins the quarterback pressure battle probably wins the game.

Stat	Philadelphia Eagles	Dallas Cowboys
Record	2-4	2-4
Current streak	Lost 4	Lost 2
Points per game	17.7	25.2
Points allowed per game	22.8	26.5
Yards allowed per game	Not ranked in the bottom five	382.5 (30th)
Team sacks	6	Not listed
Starting QB	Tanner McKee: 26/45, 215 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT in his only start	Dak Prescott: 258 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT in the last game
Key offensive weapon	Saquon Barkley (165 rush yds in two full games)	George Pickens, CeeDee Lamb (expected back)
Betting line	Eagles +4.5	Cowboys -4.5

The Eagles vs Cowboys stats tell an easy story about scoring. Dallas outscores Philadelphia by more than a touchdown per game, and the Cowboys’ passing volume is the main reason. Philadelphia, by contrast, has not scored more than 25 points since Week 1 and has scored 14 or fewer in two of its last three games. The Eagles’ defense is not the problem, since it allows fewer points than Dallas does, and that gap is what makes the Eagles a live underdog. If the Eagles can hold Dallas near 20 points, the offense only needs to find 21.

Best Top Players to Watch

Both rosters still hold plenty of talent, so the Eagles vs Cowboys matches always come down to which stars show up. The Eagles vs Cowboys match player stats through six weeks point to these names as the ones worth circling.

Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia. The most important player on the Eagles’ side tonight. In his two fully healthy games this season he has run for 165 yards at 5.5 yards per carry, and he has yet to score a touchdown. With McKee at quarterback and the receiver room short, the Eagles need him to carry the offense. If his hamstring holds, expect heavy usage.

Tanner McKee, QB, Philadelphia. A 26-year-old former sixth-round pick, now trying to stabilize the season in only his second start. He went 26 of 45 for 215 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions against Carolina but was sacked three times. His performance tonight is the single biggest variable in the game.

Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia. With both Smith and Wicks out, the veteran tight end becomes McKee’s safest target. Goedert was a limited participant earlier in the week with knee inflammation but is good to go. Analysts have already highlighted his receiving yards line.

Darius Cooper and Makai Lemon, WR, Philadelphia. Cooper caught the game-winning touchdown at Tennessee in Week 2, and Lemon is one of the young receivers who needs to step up. Both will see more targets than expected.

Top Players to Watch

Jalen Carter, DT, Philadelphia. The Eagles’ interior disruptor can change the game on his own. With Dallas’ offensive line under pressure, his ability to collapse the pocket is the kind of play that creates turnovers.

Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas. Prescott has shown he can score 37 on a good day and 13 on a bad one. Against a Philadelphia defense that has been bending but not breaking, accuracy and ball security will decide his night.

Top Players to Watch

CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas. If he plays, he gives the Cowboys a true No. 1 receiver for the first time in three games and relieves pressure on George Pickens. A high ankle sprain can linger, so watch his snap count.

George Pickens, WR, Dallas. He has been Dallas’ top receiver during Lamb’s absence. The Cowboys want to get him going early because slow starts have been a recurring problem for him.

Jake Ferguson, TE, Dallas. Prescott’s security blanket, and a good fit against a Philadelphia defense that is missing starters at linebacker and cornerback.

Brandon Aubrey, K, Dallas. In a game where both offenses may stall, a kicker who can make long field goals matters. He beat the Eagles at the buzzer last November.

Coaching Matchup: Sirianni vs. Schottenheimer

Nick Sirianni is the more established head coach and the only one with a Super Bowl title on his resume, but his 2026 season has been the toughest of his tenure. Brian Schottenheimer is in his second year in Dallas and is under growing pressure to show that the offense he designed can survive a bad week. Both coaches also have first-year coordinators calling parts of the game, which adds unpredictability to the plan on both sides.

Factor	Philadelphia (Sirianni)	Dallas (Schottenheimer)
Experience level	Longest losing streak of his tenure	2nd season, 7-9-1 in 2025
Quarterback situation	Tanner McKee replacing injured Hurts	Dak Prescott, offense inconsistent
Offensive identity	Run game plus short passing under new OC Sean Mannion	Pass-heavy offense, explosive when Lamb and Pickens are both active
Defensive concern	Injuries at edge, cornerback, and linebacker	30th in yards allowed, new scheme under first-year DC Christian Parker
Program status	Reeling after a franchise-record streak ended	Searching for answers after back-to-back losses

Neither coach has much room for error tonight, and the winner will walk out of Lincoln Financial Field with a lot more breathing room than the loser.

Betting Angle: What the Odds Say

The line opened with Dallas favored by 4.5 points, and it has barely moved. The moneyline sits around Cowboys -225 to -227 and Eagles +185, and the total is 44.5, with some books at 44. Kalshi’s prediction market gives Dallas about a 64 percent chance to win. Roughly two-thirds of the spread money, about 68 percent, is backing the Cowboys.

Despite that public support, many analysts are leaning the other way. Several well-known handicappers have listed Eagles +4.5 as their best bet, pointing to the fact that this is a division game, that the Eagles are at home, and that a 4.5-point road spread is a lot to lay with a team that scored 13 points last time out. Others prefer the under, arguing that Philadelphia’s offense cannot score without Hurts and that Dallas has not been efficient away from home. The Cowboys are 4-6 in their last 10 road games, scoring 26.5 points per game and giving up 29.4.

The key betting numbers to remember:

• The spread is Cowboys -4.5, and because it includes a half-point there cannot be a push
• A Dallas win by exactly four points would still cover for the Eagles
• Cowboys -4.5 and Eagles +4.5 are both priced near even money, around -108 to -112
• Anyone leaning on Eagles vs Cowboys match player stats before making a pick should weigh Barkley’s status heavily, since a late scratch would move the line

As with any betting discussion, this is information rather than a recommendation. Odds change quickly, and none of this is a guarantee of anything.

Prediction: Cowboys 24, Eagles 20

This one has the feel of a low-scoring grind with a late finish. Dallas has the better quarterback situation, the more dangerous receiving group if Lamb plays, and a recent history of finding ways to beat Philadelphia, including the November comeback in Arlington. Philadelphia has the home crowd, a defense that has been better than the record suggests, and the possible return of Barkley.

The Eagles’ biggest problem is that their offense has produced only 14 points in each of its last two games and now has to play without DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks. Even if Barkley returns, a one-dimensional approach is easy for a defense to anticipate. McKee needs a clean night, and the Eagles need to keep Prescott from rolling.

The Cowboys have their own issues, including the 13-point output in Green Bay, the third-down failures, and an injury-hit defense that is still learning Christian Parker’s scheme. A fourth straight Eagles loss is far from certain, and a one-score finish either way looks likely. Public predictions mostly cluster around Dallas by three to seven points, with a few picking the home team outright. A final score around 24-20 in favor of Dallas fits both the spread logic and the modest-scoring expectation.

If Barkley sits or gets hurt early, the Eagles’ chances of covering fall sharply. If Lamb is inactive, the same is true of Dallas’ offense.

Where to Watch Eagles vs Cowboys

• TV: ABC and ESPN
• Streaming: Fubo and the ESPN app with a qualifying subscription
• Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (5:45 a.m. IST, Tuesday, October 27)
• Weather: An outdoor stadium in late October, so check the forecast closer to kickoff
• Tickets: Resale prices started around $100

The short answer on where to watch Eagles vs Cowboys is ESPN or ABC, and a full set of Eagles vs Cowboys highlights will be posted shortly after the game ends.

What’s Next for Both Teams

For Philadelphia, the season is at a real fork in the road. A win would snap the longest skid of the Sirianni era, bring the Eagles level with the Cowboys and keep them close to the Giants in a division that nobody has taken control of. A loss would mean five straight defeats, a 2-5 record, and serious questions about whether the team can make the playoffs without Hurts. The next few Eagles games, starting with the November 8 trip to the Giants, will show whether this team is fixable.

For Dallas, the stakes are similar. A road win would end the two-game slide, raise confidence before the home game with Arizona on November 1, and put the Cowboys in position to take a big step in the division when the Eagles come to Arlington on Thanksgiving. A loss would leave Dallas below .500 with lingering questions about the offense and the defensive scheme, and it would put even more pressure on Schottenheimer.

Either way, tonight’s result will shape both Thanksgiving week and the NFC East picture, and the Eagles vs Cowboys stats from this game will carry into the next one.

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Source: NFL