The Eagles don't have anything to play for this weekend. They're already the top seed in the NFC, which comes with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
But there's still a game Sunday against the Cowboys.
The Eagles will always want to beat the Cowboys. And a win Sunday will give the Birds their first 14-win season in franchise history and just the 30th such season in NFL history.
The real question is about playing time. How much will everyone get? It seems likely the Eagles will play some starters but keep out guys who have injuries. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are expected to play everyone who is healthy.
Here are five matchups to watch:
Nick Foles vs. Cowboys starters
It's a good thing Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett wants to play most of his starters in this game because Foles could certainly use the work.
After a terrible performance that has placed doubt in the minds of a ton of Eagles fans, a few good series against the Cowboys could do wonders for Foles. Not only could it help with the chemistry along the offense, but it could also be good for his confidence going forward.
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The Eagles are going to need Foles to play better if they want to win in the playoffs. It's a no-brainer to play him this weekend.
Nate Sudfeld vs. Cowboys defense
Foles should get to start the game and play for a while, but it's also pretty important to get the new backup quarterback into an NFL game for the first time in his career. The Eagles have been high on Sudfeld all season and even protected him when the Colts tried to sign him away from the practice squad. Sudfeld had a good week of practice after getting bumped up to No. 2, but some actual game reps would be nice.
Could the Eagles survive if Foles went down? Probably not, but if Sudfeld plays well against the Cowboys' starting defense, it would give folks a little bit of hope if that scenario ever unfolded.
Ezekiel Elliott vs. Eagles' run defense
The Eagles gave up a season-high 137 yards on the ground in last week's win over the Raiders but still have the NFL's best rushing defense. They've given up 75.9 yards per game through 15 games. The next closest team is the Vikings, who have given up 87.1.
The Eagles missed Elliott in their first meeting down in Dallas when the Pro Bowl running back was serving his six-game suspension. Elliott has played nine games this season and has gained 80-plus yards in eight of them. The Eagles have had just four guys go for 80-plus on them this season: Todd Gurley, Kareem Hunt, Marshawn Lynch and Alfred Morris. They have not allowed a 100-yard rusher all season.
Elliott will try to be the first to put up 100 yards against them this season. No matter who is in there for the Eagles, they'll try to stop him.
Byron Bell vs. Derek Barnett
It seems pretty likely that Tyron Smith (knee) won't play in the regular-season finale, so his backup, Bell, will probably get the start. This would be a good time for Barnett to have a big game heading into the playoffs.
Barnett hasn't had a sack since he picked up half of one in the Seattle game back on Dec. 3. He hasn't had a solo sack since the last Dallas game on Nov. 19. Barnett has five sacks this season, which is seventh in Eagles history for a rookie. If he gets one more, he'd move into a tie for third. If he gets two more, he'd be all alone in third place behind Corey Simon (9½) and Reggie White (13).
Dak Prescott vs. Eagles defense
Prescott had a terrible game the last time these two teams played. He threw for 145 yards with three interceptions and was sacked four times. His 30.4 passer rating was by far the worst of his two-year career.
This game doesn't mean much, but Prescott is going to want to put together a much better performance this time around.
