As the Philadelphia Eagles prepare to face off against the Cowboys in Week 10, Nick Sirianni finds himself in a predicament he hasn't yet faced in his head coaching career: facing off against a Dallas team that just isn't very good.
Now sure, the Cowboys aren't exactly New York Giants bad or anything, but they aren't that much better either, as they're 3-5 and just placed their starting quarterback on IR, borderline guaranteeing a few more wins before Dak Prescott is eligible to return to the field.
Are the Eagles going to take the Cowboys for granted despite, well, everything that happened against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9? Or are they instead going to use this opportunity as a chance to absolutely dominate their division rivals in a statement win?
While Sirianni can't, in good faith, guarantee the latter, he did tell reporters on Friday that he doesn't plan on doing the former either, as he isn't taking this Cowboys team for granted.
“I still really have a lot of respect for this football team. They have got a lot of good players. They’ve got good coaches. And we’re going to have to be on it, going up there into a difficult place to play and be on it,” Sirianni told reporters.
“So we’re preparing that way. When we put on tape, you watch tape different ways. Sometimes you watch it in the flow of the game, and sometimes you watch it as cut-ups. And when you’re watching cut-ups, you’re like, ‘Whoa, man, that’s a tough one to stop’ or ‘This is a tough scheme to stop’ or ‘This is a tough player to stop.’ They have our full attention. This is a rivalry game. This is a big-time game against a big-time opponent, and I haven’t been a part of a team that’s won there yet. So that’s the goal, to go down there and win against a good opponent.”
Now granted, would any head coach say they are going to take an opposing team for granted? Would Sirianni say that, after nearly losing to the coach who came before him, he was looking ahead to Week 11 against the Washington Commanders? Heavens no, but then again, Sirianni does have a propensity for doing unusual things, so you never know; maybe he's got some reverse psychology up his sleeve to take down Dallas. Fortunately, he kept things on the up and up in his presser, and the Eagles will hopefully follow through on his declaration.
Nick Sirianni vows to end the Eagles' losing streak in Dallas
If the Eagles are able to take care of business against the Cowboys in Week 10, it's going to mark another momentous occasion for Philly's football franchise, as it will mark the end of their losing streak in AT&T Stadium, which is sitting not-so-pretty at six games. Like Philly's losing streak in Cincinnati earlier in the season, Sirianni is aware of his team's historical issues and hopes to solve them in 2024.
“Yeah, you’re always eager to get out there and win the next football game. I think the way I feel about the team – obviously, we haven’t won there since I’ve been here. I kind of look at this the same way as New Orleans. Same question was provided for us in New Orleans. ‘Hey, you guys haven’t won there since whenever.’ Merrill made it very clear that we hadn’t won in Cincinnati ever with the awesome voice he has,” Sirianni told reporters.
“And that doesn’t mean anything to us. Unless it was something like the weather or the dome, we’ve just got to go out there and play a good game against a good football team. And handle their crowd and their noise and things we do for any football game. We’re treating this week like every other week. We’re looking to get better this week to give ourselves the best chance to win against a really good opponent.”
Considering how things have shaken out for the Eagles heading into Week 10, with Prescott on IR, plenty of other players injured, and momentum at Philadelphia's back, it certainly feels like this is Philly's game to win.
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