Big Facts: DiNucci’s Last Start Was Just 4 Miles Away

Cowboys-Eagles on SNF For 12th Straight Year'

The Cowboys and Eagles on Sunday night. It's certainly not a coincidence considering this will be the 13th meeting of the two teams in this matchup since the NFL made it the headline game of the week on NBC. And it's been a staple in the lineup since 2009, making this 12th straight year the Cowboys and Eagles have played in a primetime matchup on Sunday night. The Cowboys have a 7-5 overall mark in the meetings, with wins in the last two seasons.

Ben DiNucci's last start happened to be in Frisco

Seventh-round rookie quarterback Ben DiNucci made his NFL debut in backup duty against Washington and will most likely see his first start this Sunday. It's been nearly 300 days since DiNucci saw his last start, one that happened down the street at Toyota Stadium during the 2020 FCS National Championship. DiNucci's James Madison squad lost the game, 28-20, despite his 204 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, should Andy Dalton be ready to go he would enter the game looking for his first win as a starter on SNF in seven tries (0-6 previously). The most Sunday Night Football starts any quarterback has had without securing a win.

Dallas ranks sixth in quarterback hurries

While Dallas is still in the bottom-half of the league in sacks this season, they continue to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. With 13.0 sacks, they sit at 18th in the league but are in sixth with 32 quarterback hurries. The majority of that production has come off the edge with DeMarcus Lawrence and Aldon Smith who account for more than half the total hurries on the year. Combined, the two have six sacks and are the only duo with more than one each remaining on the roster.

Leighton Vander Esch hold career-highs against the Eagles

If there's one guy that loves to see the wings on the side of the helmet, it's linebacker Leighton Vander Esch. In two-and-a-half career games against Philadelphia, he's notched 29 tackles (22 solo) with two tackles for loss and a pass breakup. In his initial game against the NFC rival, he set a career high with 19 total tackles and 15 solo tackles in a Sunday Night Football win.

Carson Wentz ranks fifth in touchdowns since Week 4

It was no secret that Carson Wentz struggled to start the 2020 season behind center. However, despite the multiple injuries to his receivers and offensive line Wentz has found a bit of a groove over the past three weeks. Wentz ranks fifth behind just Tom Brady (13), Kyler Murray (12), Deshaun Watson (11), and Justin Herbert (11) in total touchdowns since Week 4. He'll aim to continue that success against Dallas, a team he's thrown 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions against in seven games.

Brandon Graham is third in the NFL for sacks

Philadelphia enters Sunday ranked third in the NFL with 24 team sacks defensively. A large part of that total has come from the 32-year-old Brandon Graham who has tallied six sacks this season, tied for the third most in the league. Graham's three sacks in his past two games puts him on the heels of Myles Garrett (9.0) and Aaron Donald (8.0) as he enters his matchup against a patch-work Cowboys O-line.

Amari Cooper holds over 25-percent of the Cowboys receptions entering Week 8

While there has been a noticeable inconsistency amongst the Cowboys offense following the Dak Prescott injury, Amari Cooper has remained constant. Cooper's production at the wide receiver spot has accounted for 25.7% of Dallas receptions this season, the ninth-best mark among playmakers in the NFL. Meanwhile, the all-pro receiver continues to set the pace in franchise-best reception marks through the first seven games of the season. He currently has 53 catches which is the most through this point of the season by two over Jason Witten's previous mark set in 2012.

Both Philly and Dallas sit in the bottom five in turnover margin

Head coach Mike McCarthy referred to Dallas' turnover margin as a "black eye" on his football team. And while the Cowboys' eye may be darker and more swollen, it does have a counterpart this week in the Eagles. Dallas currently sits with a league-worst -13 turnover differential while Philadelphia is tied for 28th with a -5 mark. Philadelphia's mark was actually two points worst last week before securing a total of three takeaways from the Giants in their Thursday Night Football win.

Wentz has been the best 4th Quarter quarterback since Week 6

No quarterback in the NFL has been better in crunch time than Wentz over the last two weeks. In Philly's comeback that fell short verses Baltimore and the come-from-behind victory against New York, Wentz tallied a league-high 118.2 passer rating with 4 touchdowns without an interception. He also led the Eagles offense to 17 points on average in the final quarter and finished 5-of-7 for 121 yards and two touchdowns in the final two drives against the Giants.

Ezekiel Elliott averages more yards per game against the Eagles than any player in history

It's been two straight weeks where Elliott has failed to reach 50-yards on the ground and he has yet to reach the century mark in a game this season, the longest streak of his career. Hope is on the horizon for the All-Pro back as he's managed more scrimmage yardage on average against Philadelphia than any player in NFL history. With a staggering 149.8 yards per game, Zeke sits atop a list that includes Jim Brown (147.9), Walter Payton (126.6), and Emmitt Smith (108.1) in the top five.

Cowboys offensive ranks went from first to worst in two weeks

Even with a 2-3 start through the first five weeks of the season, Dallas enjoyed the high production from a semi-healthy offense. Through Week 5, the Cowboys led the NFL in yards per game, passing yards per game and were third in points. But over the last two weeks those rankings have plummeted to 31st in points total yardage after combining for just 13 points in each of the last two weeks and being held to 142 total yards against Washington.