The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are going to square off Sunday Night Football with the NFC East lead on the line. The game is expected to be tightly contested with both defenses playing extremely well. That means whichever team is able to win the battle at the line of scrimmage will have a major advantage.
On Thursday, the Eagles got some really good news on that front. Starting left tackle Jordan Mailata returned to practice and was joined by the rest of the offensive line. That's great news considering the pass rush the Cowboys possess, led by All-Pro Micah Parsons.
Jordan Mailata back at left tackle beside Landon Dickerson during individual drills. He plans to take part in team drills as well today. pic.twitter.com/l1MANrvfmG
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) October 13, 2022
Mailata missed the Eagles Game 5 win over the Arizona Cardinals with a shoulder injury. Despite the victory, the offensive line was not nearly as dominant as they had been the rest of the season. Philadelphia's tailbacks rushed for a season-low 78 yards. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts had to be very active rushing the ball, picking up 61 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
Pro Bowl center Jason Kelce, left guard Landon Dickerson and right guard Isaac Seumalo all practiced on a limited basis as well. In fact, all eight players that were limited Wednesday returned to practice Thursday. That's a great sign of a team getting healthy before the most important game of the season.
Much has been made of the matchup of the Cowboys front vs. the Eagles offensive line. But this game could end up coming down to the other side of the ball. How is Cooper Rush going to perform if the Cowboys are unable to run the football?