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ESPN Staff Writer- Tim McManus covers the Philadelphia Eagles for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2016 after covering the Eagles for Philadelphia Magazine's Birds 24/7, a site he helped create, since 2010.
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ESPN Staff Writer- Todd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. He joined ESPN in 2010.
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senior NFL national reporter- Dan Graziano is a senior NFL national reporter for ESPN, covering the entire league and breaking news. Dan also contributes to Get Up, NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, Sunday NFL Countdown and Fantasy Football Now. He is a New Jersey native who joined ESPN in 2011, and he is also the author of two published novels.
Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Kenny Clark summed up the state of the NFC East pretty darn well last week.
"We lost and we're seeing everybody else lose," he said.
From Weeks 5 to 6, the NFC East is the first division in NFL history to go winless in consecutive weeks in which all teams in the division played a game, according to ESPN Research. The New York Giants (4-2-1) and Washington Commanders (1-4-1) came into the season without great expectations, but the Philadelphia Eagles and Cowboys were supposed to be the class of the division and Monday's game (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC) is a matchup of two potential NFC powers looking to get an early advantage in playoff positioning.
Instead, both teams enter 2-4, looking far from formidable and staring up at the division-leading Giants.
The Eagles can vouch for Murphy's Law. They've dealt with one blow after another, the most recent being the loss of franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts because of blood clots in his lungs. They've scored 24 points or fewer in nine straight games and are losers of four straight.
The Cowboys needed an uptick in defensive play this season to complement their high-flying offense. Instead, the defense has been about as giving as ever and the offense has gotten worse from a season ago.
So, it's not how either team drew it up. But with every team scrambling, the NFC East crown is as gettable as ever.
"You're not looking too far ahead, but the NFC East is struggling and the NFC East is really asking for someone to take it over," Eagles running back Saquon Barkley said. "It's going to be a team that figures it out and starts playing at a high level. We have the opportunity. We have that chance. Even with all these injuries and with all the crazy things that are happening, we have a lot of talent."
ESPN's Eagles reporter Tim McManus, Cowboys reporter Todd Archer and national NFL reporter Dan Graziano dive deep on two of four NFC contenders before their "Monday Night Football" matchup.
Where do things stand with Eagles' and Cowboys' head coaches?
Nick Sirianni has a 61-28 record since taking over as coach in Philadelphia, has led the team to five playoff appearances in as many seasons and has gotten to the Super Bowl twice, winning one of them. You'd think he'd have a good bit of equity built up.
That's being tested in 2026 with the Eagles in a four-game skid, dropping their record to 5-9 over the past 14 games dating to last season. Sirianni's in-game decision-making has had a hand in the current losing streak, though a depleted roster hit by injury, retirement (Lane Johnson) and trade (Cam Jurgens) is the primary culprit.
The offense is lost right now and has had its share of issues during his tenure. Sirianni is a former offensive coordinator but the Eagles have outsourced a good chunk of those responsibilities, with mixed results. If they hit on their offensive coordinator, the team tends to have great success and that OC often moves on to become a head coach. If they miss, the offense sags, the OC gets let go and they're back on the merry-go-round. It remains to be seen if that's a ride management wants to continue to sign up for. -- McManus
Brian Schottenheimer is not on the hot seat. Remember, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has made only one in-season coaching change, and that came in 2010 when he had head-coach-in-waiting Jason Garrett on Wade Phillips' staff. He does not have such a potential replacement on this staff.
Schottenheimer, however, has to figure out what ails the Cowboys, and the questions aren't only about the defense. He is the playcaller for an offense that was one of the best in the NFL last season but has been streaky, at best, through six games and off-kilter the past two.
Schottenheimer's game management has come into question. How the Cowboys' 34-31 Week 3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens ended in Rio de Janeiro could tell the story of the season, as the mistakes made in the final 28 seconds let a potential overtime win turn into a loss.
He is 9-13-1 in his first 23 games. If the Cowboys finish below .500 for a third straight season -- second under Schottenheimer -- with the moves Jones made in the offseason, the calls for the owner to make a coaching change will be loud.
Criticism "comes with the territory. I think some of it is deserved. We've got to play better. I've got to coach better," Schottenheimer said.
"When you grow up in a family that your dad's a head coach for over 20-something years, you understand that this is part of the job description. No one likes it. I block out most of it. Some of it gets to me doing this job and having to speak to you guys is part of that. But at the same time, I've got strong shoulders. I know what a great coach I am. I know what this team is capable of, and that's what I focus on." -- Archer
What to make of the quarterback matchup?
Tanner McKee, the 2023 sixth-round pick out of Stanford, will be making his fourth career start. This season has thrown a lot at him. The Eagles traded for Andy Dalton and had Dalton and McKee battle it out in the summer, with Dalton ultimately winning the job. Dalton threw a costly pick against the Bears in spot duty in Week 3 and was demoted to the No. 3 QB, then later released, giving the job back to McKee.
He got the start Sunday against the Carolina Panthers after learning late in the week that Hurts would be sidelined with blood clots. McKee did OK, going 26-of-45 for 215 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions.
McKee is a rhythm thrower by nature. He'll test the middle of the field and can get hot. He doesn't have great escapability, though, meaning the patchwork offensive line will have to button up its protection, particularly against the blitz, which has been a major problem area to date. -- McManus
At the end of last season, Dak Prescott expressed frustration that his level of play did not correlate into wins when the Cowboys finished 7-9-1. He threw for 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, but it didn't matter.
Prescott has struggled in the past two games -- four interceptions and the offense has totaled 29 points -- but in the first four games he had eight touchdown passes and one pick. Yet the Cowboys were still only 2-2.
Making it worse for the Cowboys, Prescott has been healthy.
He is 33 and signed through 2028 but the defense has not been able to deliver, forcing the Cowboys' offense to be close to perfect. In the past two years, the Cowboys have had six games in which they have scored 24 points and lost, tied with Detroit and the Los Angeles Rams for most in the NFL. -- Archer
New coordinators: Why are they struggling to find their footing?
It was a bold initiative to attempt a significant scheme change on the fly with a first-time coordinator for a team that viewed itself as a contender. Sean Mannion played in the league as recently as 2023 and was handed the reins to the Philly offense despite entering with just two years of coaching experience.
Bumps were expected. But the success of the operation was always predicated on the offensive line holding up its end and that simply hasn't happened. Communication issues have run rampant along the makeshift front. It has been common to see defenders come free into the backfield while multiple offensive linemen try to block the same person, especially when facing a blitz look.
"I always want to point the finger at myself first and what can I be doing better as a teacher, as a leader of this offense, in terms of what schemes we're putting in and making sure it's crystal clear in terms of who's supposed to be doing what," Mannion said.
In-game adjustments have been a big problem. The Eagles' offense ranks last in second-half points per game (5.0), total yards (101.2), first downs (5.3) and three-and-out rate (50%).
Mannion has been lauded for his acumen and work ethic -- Barkley joked that Mannion never leaves the building -- offering hope that he can get things on track. But he'll have to do it with a backup quarterback, a new-look front and what feels like constant injuries to skill position players. -- McManus
When the Cowboys named Christian Parker as their defensive coordinator, it was viewed as a win in gaining a coach on the rise with high marks from those he had worked for, as well as taking him away from the division rival Eagles, where he was the passing game coordinator and secondary coach the previous two seasons.
The Cowboys were more active than they had been in free agency and their two first-round picks were on the defensive side of the ball. Players lauded Parker's communication and scheme.
Then the season started. The Cowboys might not be worse than they were last season, but they certainly aren't much different.
Last week, the Cowboys named Mike Pettine as a senior defensive assistant, hoping his experience and background with Parker (Pettine brought him into the NFL in Green Bay) would help fill the gaps in what has been missing.
The Cowboys had some better moments in Sunday's 23-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers -- their first interception of the season and their first three-sack game -- but it was more of the same when it came to third-down defense and big plays allowed. -- Archer
Both the Eagles and Cowboys made high-profile coaching and personnel moves this offseason. Which one looks better right now?
The Cowboys look better, because they have their quarterback healthy and aren't dealing with the same level of injury issues the Eagles are dealing with.
Don't get me wrong. Neither of these teams has played well enough to be the obvious answer to this question at this point. But the team with the better chance to right the ship and look good the rest of the way is the team whose QB isn't out for the season and that isn't losing cornerstone offensive line players midseason. -- Graziano
Who is the one (non-QB) player who will be the difference in their team winning the division -- or not?
DT Jalen Carter. He can look like the best player on the field at times, like he did in Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars when he had two sacks, three tackles for loss and a pass defensed.
He has played with a cast for most of the season after sustaining a hairline fracture in his wrist in the season opener against the Commanders. Carter appears healthier now, and that's good news for a defense that was projected to be a top-five unit but to this point has fallen short of the mark.
Given his injury, it's understandable why Carter hasn't been as steady of a force as hoped, but it's also true that he's capable both of big bright flashes and long quiet stretches and it's hard to know what to expect game to game. If he can up his consistency, the defense will rise along with him. -- McManus
CB Joey Porter Jr. The Cowboys gave up a 2027 sixth-rounder and a 2028 second-rounder to get the cornerback from the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has played two games, missing the 24-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with an illness.
He might not cure the Cowboys' inability to intercept passes -- he has three since being drafted in 2023 -- but the organization hopes his coverage skills give a struggling pass rush an extra tick to get to the opposing quarterback.
Last year's trade of Micah Parsons to Green Bay ultimately may have netted the Cowboys Clark and Quinnen Williams, plus rookie pass rusher Malachi Lawrence, but to date the Cowboys have not been able to impact opposing quarterbacks. This season, they have allowed quarterbacks to complete 69% of their passes, picked off one pass and registered only eight sacks.
Maybe Porter can help fix all those issues. -- Archer
What changes could come for the Eagles if they lose and fall to 2-5?
If McKee struggles (especially against this Dallas defense), it's easy to imagine the Eagles looking around for other potential QB solutions. They did bring in Joe Milton, who was with Dallas, and he offers something with his legs that the other QBs on their roster don't. It's possible they decide at some point to give Milton a shot in the hope that, if nothing else, he might be able to spark their stagnant run game. Continued losing is also going to increase the volume of trade calls the Eagles are getting on some of their players.
I don't see the Eagles offloading players at the Nov. 10 trade deadline, per se, but general manager Howie Roseman is always open to dealing if the price is right. The Jets weren't looking to trade Sauce Gardner at last year's deadline until the Indianapolis Colts came in with two first-round picks.
Roseman will keep an open mind to whatever is best for the health of the franchise. If that means trading away someone such as Barkley -- again, for the right price -- then he'll surely listen. If that means dealing picks for players who can help now and/or in the future, he'll be aggressive in trying to do so.
The Eagles will be one of the most interesting teams to watch over the next three weeks. -- Graziano