McKee and Prescott lead 2-4 squads in Monday NFC East showdown

Fans of the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles will see two teams with identical 2-4 records face off Monday night in Philadelphia. Both clubs are fighting to rejoin the divisional race after a dismal stretch that left the NFC East without a single winner in the last two weeks. That is a first since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

The New York Giants currently hold the division lead with a 3-2-1 record. Because the other three teams are struggling, a win in either Monday night or the following week could shift the standings. The Eagles are on a four-game losing streak, the longest since 2020. They have scored only 58 points in those four losses. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is on injured reserve with blood clots and will miss the rest of the season.

Tanner McKee takes over the offense for the Eagles. He spent his first two NFL seasons as a backup. Last week's loss to Carolina marked his first meaningful start. He had only two days of first-team practice before that game. This week, he works with first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. McKee said he plans to meet with the coaching staff more often rather than preparing alone.

The Eagles' running game is injured. Saquon Barkley has missed more than two games with a hamstring issue. Will Shipley and Tank Bigsby are also hurt. Carson Steele, signed from the practice squad last week, injured his shoulder against Carolina. Dameon Pierce was the only healthy back, rushing for 35 yards in that game. Dallas allows 4.7 yards per carry this season.

Dallas faces its own offensive challenges. The team ranks 30th in the league on defense under first-year coordinator Christian Parker. The Cowboys scored just 29 points in their last two losses. They fell to Green Bay 23-13 last week. This is the first time since 2019 that Dak Prescott has started two consecutive games where the team scored fewer than 20 points.

Owner Jerry Jones addressed the staff on Wednesday at the NFL's annual fall meeting. He said he does not expect further coaching changes this season. He called the hiring of Mike Pettine a strategic and unique move. Pettine is a longtime defensive assistant who joined the team this month.

Several players are near career milestones. Javonte Williams is the second Cowboys player with seven rushing touchdowns through six games, matching Emmitt Smith's totals from 1994 and 1995. CeeDee Lamb has 48 receptions, the most in franchise history through six games. He is close to 8,000 career receiving yards. Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert needs one catch to move into third place on the team's career receptions list.

Dallas is a four-point favorite. The Cowboys are 3-3 against the spread, while the Eagles are 1-5. Dallas leads the all-time series 72-58. The last meeting ended 24-21 in favor of Dallas on Nov. 23, 2025. Kickoff is set for 7:15 p.m. CST on ESPN.