It's the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles squaring off on Sunday for a high-stakes Week 9 showdown.

By beating the Eagles on the road, the Cowboys would be able to shift the dynamics in the NFC conversation. Not only could they get an upper hand in the conversation for a divisional title but they could start dreaming about a first-round bye, which is expected to go to the Eagles as of today.

But beating the 7-1 Eagles will not be easy. After all, we're talking about a team that was playing for the Lombardi Trophy in February. The Cowboys, despite potentially finding their secret sauce to win the Super Bowl last Sunday, have a long way to prove they belong in these big-time games.

So how do you beat the Eagles? It starts with the correct gameplan, and the Cowboys have an obvious decision to make within it if they want a chance at beating Philly this weekend: 

Let Dak Prescott cook vs. Eagles

If the Cowboys want to do things the old-fashioned way and hit Philly with early-down runs and a stubborn will to "establish the run game," I fully expect trouble on Sunday. Not only would that play into the Eagles' strengths, it would take the Cowboys away from their strength. 

On early downs, the Eagles have the second-best rush defense in EPA/play and the fifth-best rush defense in success rate, per RBSDM. Additionally, the Cowboys have struggled some to get their running game going, ranking 20th in the NFL in early downs and even worse in close situations. 

The best we've seen from this offense is last week's performance when Mike McCarthy suddenly implemented more motion, trips formations, and bunch formations. The team also changed up how they used CeeDee Lamb, giving him more isolated looks. They were clicking in the passing game as Dak Prescott was kept clean in the pocket.

Meanwhile, the Eagles' weak spot on their defense is their secondary, which Dak Prescott has carved up more than once before. It's a big part of why he's 8-3 against Philly for his career, as he's completed 68% of his passes against his rivals.

Entering Week 9, the Eagles have struggled against bunch and trips alignments, something Prescott's offense exploited big-time against the Rams. With Philly running a heavy dose of zone coverage and relying on top-notch communication, the Cowboys' offense could have itself a good day on Sunday with the right scheme approach.

It all starts with allowing this game to hinge on Dak, however. And it'll take a conscious decision from the coaching staff to let him do it this week.

The Cowboys need to come out with an aggressive gameplan that has their quarterback throwing the football early and often, especially to CeeDee Lamb as those two continue to rise as one of the best QB/WR duos in the league.

Cowboys: Dak Prescott explains where success with CeeDee Lamb comes from

They’re playing at a very high level.