The Dallas Cowboys already knew they would face the Philadelphia Eagles without starting quarterback Jalen Hurts. With Tanner McKee under center instead, that alone tilted the matchup in Dallas’ favor.

Saturday’s final injury report takes that to the next level. .

The Eagles ruled out wide receivers DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks, two of their starters, along with outside linebacker Nolan Smith. If you ask me, that does nothing but raise the pressure on Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer, who has been under heavy scrutiny throughout a 2-4 start.

Here is the full picture.

Just how shorthanded are the Eagles?

Start with the offense. Smith and Wicks are two of Philadelphia’s three starting wide receivers, alongside rookie Makai Lemon. Take both of them away, and McKee is left throwing to a rookie and whoever is next on the depth chart.

On defense, Nolan Smith leads all Eagles edge rushers in snaps. Losing him removes the most-used piece of their pass rush.

The trenches aren’t in much better shape. Left guard Landon Dickerson is listed as questionable, and he could be activated off injured reserve to play for the first time this season. Meanwhile, right tackle Lane Johnson retired unexpectedly in the middle of the season.

Running back Saquon Barkley was a full participant in practice. He’s likely to return from injury, though he has been banged up. And keep in mind, the Eagles were already struggling even when healthy.

The tables have flipped for the Cowboys

Here’s the thing about this Cowboys team: injuries have been part of nearly every conversation about them. Whether Dallas meant to or not, it has used them almost as an excuse.

To be fair, those injuries have been real. All of our evaluations of the Cowboys defense have factored in a banged-up secondary, with multiple injuries at cornerback and safety. Dallas was also without linebacker DeMarvion Overshown for a while—he is set to return on Monday night. 

This week, the script is reversed. The Cowboys are the ones holding the advantage from an injury standpoint, and the Eagles are the ones patching holes on both sides of the ball.

Think about the full picture for a second. A backup quarterback, two starting receivers out, their top edge rusher sidelined, a starting tackle retired, and a left guard who hasn’t played all season. That’s the opponent Dallas gets.

A test Schottenheimer can’t fail

Schottenheimer’s coaching staff has been under fire as the team underperforms at 2-4. Opponents have found ways to exploit the Cowboys, and Dallas hasn’t always had an answer. The Tampa Bay Bucs walked all over them with undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels under center. The New York Giants put together their best performance of the year in Week 1. The Houston Texans offense came back to life in Week 3. 

This is one of those opportunities the staff needs to take advantage of. Good coaches should outclass teams as banged up as the Eagles are. With McKee at the helm, the Eagles had the fourth worst EPA/play of Week 6. Philly’s defense was 22nd of 28th, even worse than the Cowboys’.

A win won’t erase a 2-4 start on its own. However, it would at least show this group can capitalize when circumstances line up in its favor, which is exactly what good coaching staffs do.

And if the Cowboys don’t? Honestly, it’s going to be a huge indictment on Schottenheimer and company. There won’t be a banged-up secondary to point to or a missing linebacker to explain things away. The excuses run out when the other sideline is the one dealing with an injury report as extensive as Philly’s.