THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA Are the Eagles better off facing a familiar foe in the Dallas Cowboys or one they don’t know as well in the San Francisco 49ers?
The Eagles will find out soon enough, as they will face the winner of the other NFC Divisional Round playoff game, which will be played Sunday at 6:30 p.m. between host San Francisco and Dallas.
The Eagles (15-3) defeated the Giants 38-7 on Saturday night to advance to the NFC Championship game. They’ll face either the Cowboys (13-5) or the No. 2 seeded 49ers.
The Eagles will host the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field next Sunday at 3 p.m., with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
Is there going to be a rivalry game in the NFC Championship?
The Eagles have played the Cowboys twice this season as NFC East rivals. The two teams split this season, with the Eagles winning 26-17 on Oct. 16 and the Cowboys winning 40-34 on Dec. 24.
However, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott missed the Eagles’ victory due to a hand injury, while Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts missed the Cowboys’ victory due to a shoulder injury. If this game is played for the third time this season, it will be the first time both starting quarterbacks will be on the field.
The Cowboys have a 3-1 series lead in the playoffs. The Cowboys won the most recent meeting in 2009, 34-14. The Eagles’ only playoff victory came when the two teams met in the NFC Championship game. The Eagles defeated the Cowboys 20-7 in 1980, advancing to the Super Bowl for the first time in team history.
Hosting San Francisco with a rookie quarterback?
Meanwhile, the 49ers have won 11 straight games, including the last six behind third-string quarterback Brock Purdy. In terms of previous meetings, the Eagles last faced San Francisco in Week 2 of the 2021 season, falling 17-11.
Their last victory came on Oct. 4, 2020, in Doug Pederson’s final season as head coach, when they won 25-20. That was the Eagles’ first win of a terrible 4-11-1 season. The offensive standout was Travis Fulgham, who caught a 42-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to put the Eagles ahead. The win was sealed by Alex Singleton’s pick-6 against Nick Mullens.
The two teams have only met once in the playoffs, and it did not go well for the Eagles. In 1996, they were defeated 14-0 in the Wild Card Round.
In either case, the Eagles will face top offensive and defensive teams. The Cowboys finished 11th in total offense thanks to CeeDee Lamb’s 1,359 yards receiving. They rank 12th in total defense, trailing only outside linebacker