(Photo credit: Ross Harried)

The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles have been two of the most disappointing teams during the early stages of the 2026 NFL season, but both have a chance to remain in the thick of the NFC East race with a victory on Monday night.

The Cowboys take a 2-4 record and a two-game losing streak into Lincoln Financial Field. However, it's the Eagles who face a much steeper hill to climb at home after one of the most depressing months in recent franchise history.

Philadelphia was 2-0 when they played on Monday night four weeks ago. A loss to Chicago started a four-game losing streak that also saw quarterback and captain Jalen Hurts lost for the season, along with a slew of other injuries and changes to the offense. Tanner McKee will make his second straight start under center.

ODDS AND TRENDS

The Cowboys are a consensus 4.5-point favorite on the road. They opened as 6-point favorites at BetMGM, where the line has shifted with Dallas attracting 65% of the total bets and 75% of the money wagered on the spread.

The moneyline has seen more evenly split action, with the Cowboys (+180) backed by 51% of the total bets and Philadelphia (-220) drawing 61% of the money wagered.

The public is expecting a relatively low-scoring game, with the total points line shifting from 45 to 44. The Over has attracted 54% of the bets while the Under has drawn 53% of the money.

PROP PICKS

--Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb Anytime TD Scorer (+125 at BetMGM): This has been the most popular play among Anytime TD scorers at the sportsbook. Lamb has four touchdowns but has not reached the end zone in half of Dallas' six games thus far. However, three of the four have come in the Cowboys' first two games against NFC East rivals.

--Eagles WR Hollywood Brown 12+ Receiving Yards (-111 at DraftKings): With WRs DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks both out, someone is going to have to catch passes. TE Dallas Goedert figures to be a focal point of the passing attack, but who is going to step up among the receiving corps? Brown has appeared in only one game this season and did not have a target against Tennessee in Week 2, but the veteran provides the most experienced option for McKee to turn to.

KEY STAT

The teams split the season series in 2025, with the games decided by a combined seven points. Dallas has not won in Philadelphia since a 51-26 blowout in Week 18 of the 2021 season.

McKEE TO THE RESCUE?

Despite all the doom and gloom surrounding Hurts' season-ending diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis, All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson's retirement, the trade of center Cam Jurgens to Baltimore and running back Saquon Barkley's hamstring injury, Philadelphia has a path to the playoffs if McKee can live up to his coaches' expectations.

'I think he's really sharp mentally. He's accurate. He gets the ball out of his hands quickly,' offensive coordinator Sean Mannion said Wednesday. 'I think he does all the things that you ask at the quarterback in terms of his pre-snap operation and being able to use his cadence, being able to handle things at the line of scrimmage if you need adjustments.

'So, I think he's strong in a lot of those areas, and I think it opens up some things for us offensively.'

Before McKee's Week 6 start against Carolina, the 2023 sixth-round draft pick's two previous starts came against depleted Week 18 lineups in the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

He completed only 57.8% of his passes (26 of 45) against the Panthers for 215 yards with one touchdown and was sacked three times in the 25-14 home loss.

'I think I got quick with my feet a couple of times at the beginning of the game, trying to get the ball out, being a little rushed,' McKee said Thursday. 'And so I think just trusting my footwork, trusting my reads, getting through progressions will ultimately benefit me a ton.'

The anticipated return of Barkley, who missed the last two games and most of Week 4, should take pressure off McKee and boost an offense that ranks 30th at an average of 255.5 yards per game in Mannion's first season as the play-caller. But it may have to wait another week as he's listed as questionable after fully practicing for the first time this week on Saturday.

COWBOYS SEEK OFFENSIVE SURGE

The Cowboys are coming off back-to-back losses to Tampa Bay and Green Bay in which the offense had more combined turnovers (five) than touchdowns (four).

Quarterback Dak Prescott has thrown a total of four touchdown passes in the four games since he threw four in a Week 2 win against Washington. He has a history of success against Philadelphia, however. Prescott is 10-5 with 3,944 yards, 26 TDs and nine interceptions in his career against the Eagles.

'We know we are better than what we have shown these past couple weeks,' said wide receiver Ryan Flournoy, whose 23 catches are third on the team behind Lamb (48) and George Pickens (33). 'That's why I feel like we're heading in the right direction. We're having the right conversations, the tough conversations.'

Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer isn't waiting around for changes to happen.

'Am I frustrated and pissed off? You're damn right I am,' Schottenheimer said Thursday. 'But I'm gonna roll my sleeves up and I'm gonna go to work. And I'm gonna solve it.'

INJURY REPORT

EAGLES: Smith (hamstring) and Wicks (ankle), linebacker Nolan Smith (concussion) and defensive back Michael Carter II (abdomen) will all miss the Dallas matchup. Tight ends Grant Calcaterra (back) and Eli Stowers (quad), guard Landon Dickerson (knee/pectoral), outside linebackers Jonathan Greenard (ankle) and Jalyx Hunt (knee/ankle) and cornerback Jakorian Bennett (knee) are all listed as questionable on the Eagles' lengthy injury report.

COWBOYS: Dallas is getting a couple of key pieces of its defense back, with linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and cornerback Cobie Durant set to return with no status designations. Linebacker Dee Winters (calf), receiver/returner KaVontae Turpin (ribs) and offensive tackle Drew Shelton (hamstring) are all out, while outside linebacker Marist Liufau (forearm) and safety P.J. Locke (foot) are questionable.

PREDICTION

The Eagles' offense has been decimated by injuries at quarterback and wide receiver, while the offensive line is already down multiple starters. It's far too much to overcome as long as Dallas protects the ball better than it has in consecutive defeats entering Monday night. --Cowboys 27, Eagles 16

--Field Level Media