Jerry Jones says beating Eagles will take a ‘Herculean effort’
Dallas Cowboys (9-3) owner and general manager Jerry Jones admitted Friday it will take a herculean effort for his team to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles (10-2) in Week 14 Sunday.
“Boy, we recognize what an outstanding team [Philadelphia is] — their record speaks for itself,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. “And they’re that kind of team. For us to go out here and beat them, it’s going to have to be a Herculean effort. It can be [done], we can do it, of course. And if we do, we’ll have the uplift and we’ll have the reward to go with that.”
Sunday’s contest has high stakes for the Cowboys, as a win means they will take over sole possession of first place in the NFC East, courtesy of a tiebreaker. Simply put, if quarterback Dak Prescott continues his recent run of stellar play, chances are Dallas will have a more than fair shot at toppling their divisional foes.
Prescott has put himself in MVP conversations over the past six weeks, where’s played arguably the best football of his career. He has thrown for 1,901 yards, 20 touchdowns and just two interceptions on 71% passing. He was once again sharp in the 41-35 Week 13 win over the Seattle Seahawks (6-6) last Thursday, completing for 29-of-41 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns. Prescott’s 20 passing touchdowns are the most in Cowboys history since 1970 over a six-game span.
Jerry Jones, Cowboys hoping for standout performance vs. Eagles
With head coach Mike McCarthy having undergone emergency appendectomy Wednesday, Prescott said the team would like to gift him a win after the health scare.
“We’re just glad he’s healthy, at the end of the day, but this week has enough motivation and things entailed within — I guarantee you Mike would say the same thing,” Prescott said. “That’s why I alluded to him being pissed off probably, but this team — the discipline that we have, the emotional intelligence that we have — we understand he’s gotta take care of that. Part of being a human.
“That’s a credit to the way he coaches us when he tells us to take care of the things away from here, so that when we come in we can all focus on the same goal. Everybody understands what this week means.”
He added: “It’ll be a good gift to him. When we get this one like,’ You got that taken care of, and here’s your big dub.’”
McCarthy will be on the sidelines Sunday after returning to the facility Friday.
“I was extremely frustrated when the scan came back,” McCarthy said of realizing he’d miss time with the team. “I think that’s only natural. But I’ve seen a lot worse. There’s never a good time for a medical situation. I think the most important part of it is the love and support and medical care that was available immediately. I’m just very thankful for that.”