The Cowboys must capitalize on the Eagles’ fatal mistake in a crucial Week 12 matchup

At the end of the 11th week, The Dallas Cowboys had their fans thinking about the playoffs.

Now admittedly, even after taking care of business against the lowly Las Vegas Raiders at home, the Cowboys are still 4-5-1, with the NFC East essentially out of reach and the final wild-card spot currently held by the 7-4 San Francisco 49ers.

With just seven weeks left in the 2025 NFL season, the margin for error is quickly shrinking for Brian Schottenheimer’s team, but that doesn’t have to mean the Cowboys are down and out, as if they play like they did in Las Vegas — albeit against a Raiders team that made a lot of plays — they seem to have the best chance to give teams the best chance to play with the team. NFL.

Why? Well, because the Cowboys’ 2025 additions play like certified pros.

That’s right, for a team that likely walked away from the top player traded in 2025, Micah Parsons, a player they acquired in deals with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets, George Pickensand Quinn Williamshave developed to an incredible degree.

Through 11 weeks, Pickens ranks second in the league in receiving yards with 908, eight more than 2024’s total despite appearing in four fewer games. The former Steelers linebacker has shown he can be a complete offensive threat with or without CeeDee Lamb and has become a likely target for Dak Prescott due to his career-best 69.9 catch percentage

And as for Williams? Well, in one game in a Cowboys uniform, Williams more than doubled his season sack total, recording 1.5 sacks with four turnovers, a sack for loss and five KB hits on Geno Smith. Whether he was rushing the 3-tech, pulling it up on stunts, or even lining it up over center, the former Alabama product made the most of his 33 snaps and has fans thinking their defense has found a new interior focal point.

Can the Cowboys ride Pickens and Williams to a late wild card? Only time will tell, but if they do, the Cowboys will have to secured an upset victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12because it could go a long way in the recovery of the country in the NFC East and the NFC as a whole. Is beating the Eagles an easy task? No, the team’s defense has allowed just 16 points since their bye week and has looked borderline unstoppable, but they have a weak link that the Cowboys can use to really give their offense a chance against a team that has, at times, struggled to pass through the air or on the ground.

The Cowboys need to attack Adoree’ Jackson early and often

Heading into the 2025 NFL season, the Eagles had two major question marks on their defense: their pass rush and their third cornerback position alongside certified stars Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper Dezin.

After signing Za’Darius Smith before he retired and coaxing Brandon Graham out of retirement to further address the situation, Howie Roseman seemingly struck gold with Jellan Phillips, who was a dominant three-goal force for Vic Fangi as a do-it-all outside linebacker. Phillips, like Williams, has had an immediate impact on both the run and the pass, and is also headed for a big payday next spring, whether it’s with his current team or the highest offer on the open market.

At cornerback, however, the Eagles have had far less luck, as their free agency big man, Adoree’ Jackson, has consistently been drafted as the second outside cornerback in nickel packages when DeJean hits him inside. Roseman traded for Michel Carter II and Jair Alexandre to bolster his spot at cornerback, but the former is more of an option, while the latter stepped away from football to consider retirement.

As a result, Jackson remained the Eagles’ CB3 and was repeatedly drafted by teams such as the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. Through eight games with five starts, Jackson has been targeted 44 times, allowing 27 completions for 306 yards and a touchdown. Jackson allowed 191 yards through the air, which isn’t great, but he was really hit after the catch, allowing 115 yards after completion, thanks in large part to his 14.2 missed tackle rate.

Considering the Cowboys have two of the top 5 wide receivers in the NFC East, they would be wise to make sure Jackson is consistently lined up against Lamb or Pickens on a snap-by-snap basis.

Of course, since the Eagles added MC2, if the Cowboys stay strict with Lamb and Pickens always posted on the outside, Fangio could counter by moving DeJean to the corner on the perimeter, allowing the former Jets to hold things down inside. Fortunately, Carter II played it right two recordings for the Eagles’ defense in 2025, and unlike Phillips, he hasn’t played for Fangio before, so the Cowboys would instead get a matchup against an inexperienced cornerback in the spot Lamb enjoys most on the roster.

In any case, CB3 should be repeatedly attacked.

Will it be easy for the Cowboys to take down the Eagles in Week 12? No, they already lost in Week 1, albeit in a lightning-delayed game, and if Fangio’s defensive front is able to pressure Prescott like Jared Goff did on Sunday Night Football, it’s going to be a long night at AT&T Stadium. But if Prescott can get the ball out quickly in the direction of Jackson — or Carter II — Schottenheimer can effectively counter the Eagles’ best weapons and force Kevin Patul’s struggling unit to beat them in the shootout.