Cowboys-Eagles preview

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Chip Kelly likes to keep things simple.

"I think they're going to do what they do, and we're going to do what we do," the Eagles coach said.

"Hopefully we can be as successful again, but I know they're going to give us their best shot. I think that will be a really interesting matchup, their O-line versus our D-line."

It was a matchup decided clearly on Thanksgiving, as the Eagles outrushed the Cowboys 256-93 on their way to a decisive 33-10 victory. 

It was an advantage that came as the visiting front-seven overpowered what many believed the best offensive line in football.

DeMarco Murray, the league's leading rusher, was held to a season-worst 73 yards and the team's only touchdown on the day, and Tony Romo threw two interceptions and was sacked four times in that game, their third straight defeat.

But the Cowboys would respond from that skid with a 41-28 showing against the Bears in a Thursday night meeting at Soldier Field.

Romo rebounded with 205 yards and three touchdowns in that game, and did not throw an interception as the Cowboys clinched their first winning season since 2009. 

Murray added 179 yards rushing, his season-best, and a touchdown, securing a 100 yard performance in his eleventh appearance for the team this season. He is 167 yards shy of Emmitt Smith's single-season Cowboys rushing record.

A win Sunday night for the Eagles could clinch a postseason appearance as the leaders of the NFC East.

"We know what's at stake. We can't make it bigger than it is," Murray said of the rematch. "We've got to come out and try not to do too much; just stick to our gameplan, stick to our identity of what we've done in the past."

Murray still leads the game's 3rd-best rush attack (149.1 ypg), and in four career games against the Eagles has 278 yards on the ground on 68 attempts for two touchdowns.

And after a slow start, Philadelphia's run game has seen modest improvement in recent weeks. LeSean McCoy had his best game this season with a 159 yard performance on 25 attempts Thanksgiving out of the Eagles' 7th-best backfield (124.1 ypg).

Though the Cowboys may have something to learn from the Seahawks, who handed the Eagles their first home loss this season. The visiting birds outrushed the home birds 188-57 in a game more dominating than its 24-14 score would let on.

McCoy found only 50 yards in 17 rushes against Seattle's third-best run stop. 

"They'll look at Seattle's tape and try to do the different things they did," McCoy said of the Cowboys' front, "but also I think they're going to come into this game to try to stop the run. Last time we played them, I'm sure they're not happy about it and they want to make that statement."

Success for the home side will likely come through the air as the Cowboys rank 25th against the pass (251.9 ypg). 

In two weeks, Mark Sanchez looked to be two different quarterbacks. He led the Eagles' first two drives Thanksgiving, of 80 and 88 yards, and a quick 14-0 lead that would not be surmounted. He went 20-of-29 in that game, adding a touchdown through the air, and his first-ever on the ground.

Though the following week against the Seahawks, he completed only 10-of-20 against the best pass defense in the league, and his interception near the end would decide it.

Jeremy Maclin leads Eagles receivers with 1,109 yards, and his 10 touchdowns are good for second-most in football. He caught 8 passes for 108 yards on Thanksgiving.

"Obviously, they're going to come prepared," Maclin said of the Cowboys, "and obviously they know what's at stake here. We do as well. What we did to them on Thanksgiving is probably still in the back of their minds, so we're going to prepare for a battle and we don't expect anything less."

Dallas holds a 62-49 all-time record against the Eagles, and a recent three game winning streak until the final regular season game of last season in Texas, a 24-22 Eagles victory that clinched a playoff spot.