Dan Quinn addresses Cowboys' plan to stop Eagles' Brotherly Shove

The Dallas Cowboys take on the one-loss Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is locked in on finding ways to stop Jalen Hurts. From Hurts’ Brotherly Shove to his chemistry with star receiver A.J. Brown, Quinn says he is going to implement some “new thinking” to keep the Eagles offense from scoring this weekend.

“When the moment comes for this unique play (shove), if you can get a shift in that field position change on a fourth down stop, that’s big,” Quinn said during his weekly press conference on Monday. “It takes special time and coaching. They’re the best at it, right? When someone is the best at something, it’ll take some new thinking and some new ways to go about it to stop it. It’ll be a tough challenge, but it’s one we’ll definitely be up for.”

As if Quinn doesn’t have enough to worry about, the Eagles showcased another wrinkle to their now-famous play. Anticipating resistance to the Brotherly Shove on Sunday against the Commanders, the Eagles faked the play, instead handing the ball off to running back D’Andre Swift for a touchdown from eight yards out.

The @Eagles faked the Brotherly Shove for a Swift TD!

📺: #PHIvsWAS on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/Quwvdzpx7G pic.twitter.com/MkGg20BjXk

— NFL (@NFL) October 29, 2023

“It gets a lot of attention, but those throws to A.J. Brown go a lot further than that one-yard sneak,” Quinn added about the shove. “… They got a bunch of explosive plays that are at the front of my thinking first, but because third and fourth downs are so critical and their time of possession, you better be able to get some stops.”

Cowboys defense delivers vs Rams

The Cowboys have a huge challenge ahead against the Eagles who scored 38 points against Washington in Week 8. However, the defense is also coming off of a stellar performance themselves. The Micah Parsons-led unit held the Rams to 20 points while notching a pick six, two sacks, and six tackles for loss.

Despite losing stars Trevon Diggs and Leighton Vander Esch early in the season, the Cowboys have continually made up for those losses. Second-year cornerback DaRon Bland had his third pick six of the season while covering as a starter for Diggs. Meanwhile, Markquese Bell, a former undrafted free agent, is the highest-rated linebacker through eight games, according to Pro Football Focus.

“I think it’s one of the best things for a player when you step up and be counted on to deliver,” Quinn said of Bell last week. “It not only gives yourself confidence, but your teammates around you to say this guy, he’s got it. We can count on him and we can trust him.”

The Cowboys kick off from Philadelphia against the Eagles on Sunday at 4: 25 p.m. ET on FOX.