Know your enemy: Should the Eagles view the Cowboys’ new-look pass rush as legit, or one-week wonder?

Since the Eagles and Cowboys met in the Thursday night season opener at the Linc, both teams have undergone some major personnel changes on defense.

The Eagles, who were without LB Nakobe Dean and entered the season with questions about their edge rush, have made several additions, including the trade for EDGE Jaelan Phillips, the healthy return of Dean, and the coaxing of EDGE Brandon Graham out of retirement.

The Cowboys, who were rocked by injuries for the first two months, were one of the NFL's worst defenses from Weeks 2-9. Since the opener, they've signed veteran pass rusher Jadaveon Clowney, traded for three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and also welcomed back an impact linebacker from injury in DeMarvion Overshown.

Just like Phillips making an immediate impact on the Eagles' pass rush, Williams picked up 1.5 sacks Monday night in his Cowboys debut, while Clowney notched his second sack in four games.

Overall, the Cowboys logged 4 sacks against the Raiders and tied for the NFL's second-most sacks in Week 11. Their 15 total pressures tied for the NFL's fifth-most in Week 11.

The asterisk would be that all this came against a hapless Raiders team with backups at major positions on the offensive line, including left tackle and center.

So should the Eagles view the Cowboys as one-week wonders or legitimately an improved defense that can rush the passer from both the inside and edge?

The answer is probably somewhere in between. Williams, who had 12 sacks in 2022, is undeniably one of the NFL's better interior pass rushers. There's a reason he made the past three Pro Bowls.

Clowney has been a journeyman for the past seven years – he's only been on the same team in consecutive seasons once since 2018 – but he remains a powerful situational pass rusher whose impact is magnified when he's surrounded by equal or better talent. Just two years ago, Clowney had 9.5 sacks for the Ravens, and in 2021 he had 9 while playing opposite Myles Garrett for the Browns.

Also, if you haven't noticed, even with better-than-average pass protection, the Eagles aren't exactly lighting up the scoreboard. They struggled to move the ball in Week 1 against a Dallas defense that lacked far more pass-rush punch than the group they'll see Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Adding to that, the Eagles will be without franchise right tackle Lane Johnson, who is sidelined indefinitely from a Lisfranc foot sprain, and Cam Jurgens is coming off a concussion. Even if Jurgens plays, the Pro Bowl center has struggled this year coming off back surgery after the Super Bowl.

Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, not typically a heavy blitz guy, wasn't afraid to bring pressure against the Raiders' offensive line, blitzing at close to 30%. Most of them were five-man rushes, which is about as adventurous as Eberflus will get. But the tape showed that even when the Cowboys didn't sack or pressure Raiders quarterback Geno Smith they excelled in collapsing the pocket and forcing errant throws.

The interior trio of Williams, Osa Odighizuwa and Kenny Clark generated consistent pressure, while the edge group of Clowney, James Houston and improving rookie second-rounder Donovan Ezeiruaku worked best on stunts and various alignments that cleared their paths to the quarterback.

Dallas acquired iDL Kenny Clark in the Micah Parsons trade mainly for run defense, but Clark is a decent-enough pass rusher who can have his moments when working alongside a dominant force like Williams or even an above-average 3-technique like Odighizuwa.

Here's a look at Clark (95) and Williams (92) creating interior pressure early against Smith and the Las Vegas o-line.

That was a fairly simple four-man rush, with Clark (95) ripping off the right guard for a clear path to Smith.

Having an impactful interior rush creates opportunities for the edges. The Eagles know this better than anyone. The pressure that Jalen Carter, Moro Ojomo and lately Jordan Davis create can take away the quarterback's ability to step up in the pocket and buy more time.

The pressure on that blitz created by Odighizuwa (97) and Clark (95), along with a stunt from Williams (92), took away any chance Smith had to climb the pocket and made it easier for EDGE James Houston (53) to corral Smith after driving back the left tackle.

Eagles LT Jordan Mailata doesn't get beat often off the snap, but QB Jalen Hurts' tendency to drift in the pocket while hanging onto ball the leads to those kind of sacks that Houston picked up in that clip.

With three good interior pass rushers, and with a good mix of young and veteran edge rushers, Eberflus can show some different alignments to break down protection schemes and create advantageous 1-on-1s in a four-man rush.

Notice the left side, with Houston (53) aligned in a wide-9 while edge rusher Sam Williams (54) lined up a 3-technique. On the other side, iDL Kenny Clark is head up over the right tackle while Ezeriuaku is way outside.

This kind of look usually signals a stunt is coming, especially with all that space in the middle. Las Vegas slid protection to the left, with the center (67) helping out to create 3-on-2 blocking for the Raiders, but the protection scheme also left 1-on-1s on the other side.

The Cowboys executed a delayed T/E stunt (tackle/end) on the right side that Las Vegas actually picked up, but Williams still won with an arm-over move past the right tackle while Houston won against the left tackle as both pass rushers met at Smith at the top of the pocket to hit him and cause a fumble.

Will the Cowboys have this much success against the Eagles on Sunday?

Time will tell.

Follow Geoff on Twitter/X: @geoffpmosher

Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports