Once again, the Dallas Cowboys are on a roll. They’ve won four straight and have dropped 40 points in three of those wins. Their last defeat was back on Nov. 5 which was against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Now in Week 14, they’re going to be facing that very same team although this time, they’ll be at home where they haven’t lost a game yet in 2023. It should be an exciting rematch, especially considering the 28-23 contest came down to the final minutes when they met in November.

It’s also going to be huge in terms of the final standings. Dallas (9-3) is just a game behind the Eagles (10-2) and could wind up taking over first place in the NFC East with a win. Securing such a victory won’t be easy but if these three bold predictions come true, it could happen.

3. Jake Ferguson tops 100 yards, scores another touchdown

Last week against the Seattle Seahawks, Jake Ferguson played like a man possessed. He was taking one shot after another from Seattle’s defense but kept making them regret it. He finished with six receptions for 77 yards and the game-winning touchdown. It was by far his best game since he faced the Eagles.

That week, Ferguson had 91 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions, having his way with the Philly defense. Now at home, Ferguson should be a huge part of the game plan once again. That’s why this first bold prediction is that he not only scores another touchdown but also tops 100 yards receiving for the first time in his career.

The Dallas Cowboys had a squeaky-clean injury report for their heavyweight bout against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night. Naturally, NFL script writers swooped in and dropped a terrifying subplot hours before kickoff when Micah Parsons popped up on the injury report with an illness.

A virus has traveled through the Cowboys locker room for the better part of two weeks. Some coaches and players have caught the bug, including Dak Prescott, who mentioned he had the virus last week.

You wouldn’t have known that given how Prescott performed vs Seattle, but it stands to reason he didn’t develop symptoms on game day.

It’s a different story with Parsons, who’s believed to be battling the flu. This is a horrifying development for obvious reasons, but the Cowboys got needed clarity on Parsons’ status with plenty of time to spare before game time.

Not only is Parsons expected to play, but ESPN’s Ed Werder reported the illness shouldn’t impact Parsons’ playing time.

Cowboys’ Micah Parsons to play vs Eagles despite illness

This is just what Cowboys fans needed to hear. Parsons might be under the weather, but did you really expect an illness to prevent the all-world defender from playing tonight? In the Cowboys’ biggest regular season game in recent memory? Of course not.

The fact Parsons seemingly will handle a full workload, though, is impressive and further proves that he’s built different. The lead in the NFC East is on the line, as are Dallas’ chances of swiping the No. 1 seed from the Eagles and 49ers.

With a loss, the Cowboys will almost surely claim the No. 5 seed and be on the road in the first round of the playoffs barring a late-season collapse from Philadelphia and San Francisco.

So much is at stake, and now Parsons has the chance to author his version of Michael Jordan’s famous “Flu Game,” which occurred when Jordan dropped 37 points in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals despite battling food poisoning.

Even if Parsons isn’t 100% healthy, his mere presence will make a world of difference. He could still command double teams and open up lanes for his teammates to pressure Jalen Hurts and disrupt running plays.

The current favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, Parsons has 11.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and 26 QB hits this season. He’s first in the NFL with 78 pressures, second with 51 hurries and first with a 37% pass rush win rate despite being double teamed at a higher rate than any defender in the league.

Anyone else feel like Parsons’ fingerprints are going to be all over this game? It seems written in the stars.

As it turns out, the Sunday Night Football pregame crew knew what they were talking about when they predicted the Dallas Cowboys to beat the Philadelphia Eagles.

Led by big-time performances from Stephon Gilmore, Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons, the Cowboys rolled the Eagles 33-13 in primetime to reclaim the NFC East lead for the first time since the early stages of the season.

Parsons delivering high-level performances in big games is nothing new, but it’s even more impressive when you consider he popped up on the injury report on Sunday with an illness mere hours before kickoff. Battling the flu, Parsons gave Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson all he could handle.

After the win, a giddy Parsons was followed the locker room by an equally-jubilant Jerry Jones, who shockingly kept a low profile all week leading up to the game.

Ever aware when the cameras are rolling, Jones took a playful shot at Parsons’ sickness as the team made its way to celebrate in the locker room.

Jerry Jones jokingly digs Micah Parsons’ illness after Cowboys beat the Eagles

Did Jerry just make a funny? He sure did and his quote is extremely relatable for Cowboys fans because Parsons didn’t look the part of a player who was battling flu-like symptoms.

Granted, very few athletes are wired like The Lion. With Dallas’ playoff fate on the line — a loss would have all but confirmed them as the No. 5 seed — nothing was going to deter Parsons from turning in an All-Pro performance. Despite battling a fever and cold sweats, Parsons took the form of a one-man army and bulldozed Lane Johnson into Jalen Hurts for a sack late in the first half.

Keep in mind that Parsons gives up a whopping 80 pounds to the Eagles tackle.

Jones later called the win the most satisfying of the Mike McCarthy era. You know what? The owner is absolutely right. While the Eagles still control their own destiny in the NFC East (they’ll win the division if they win out and have a relatively soft schedule), the Cowboys dominated Philly in all three phases.

The game was never really close in the second half, even after Jalen Carter’s scoop-and-score touchdown early in the third quarter.

Parsons didn’t quite author his own ‘Flu Game,” but Sunday proved that an ailing Parsons is still one of the best players in the sport. Jones clearly recognizes this and he relayed that with a sarcastic jab at the All-Pro.

Don’t worry, Micah. Jones will make up for the sarcasm by making you the richest defensive player in NFL history in a few months time.

With the Chiefs offense struggling to produce points, this year’s MVP race could be a quarterback battle from the NFC’s consensus top three teams: the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.

Jalen Hurts has taken a step back in the odds, so this week’s MVP discourse has centered around Dak Prescott and Brock Purdy. In reality, you can make arguments for both players to win the award. Predictably, 49ers fans will back Purdy to the heavens, while Cowboys fans will fight tooth and tail on Prescott’s behalf

Sure enough, we endorse Prescott as MVP over Purdy. That goes beyond fandom and it’s in no way meant as a Purdy smear campaign. The former Mr. Irrelevant is arguably a top-10 quarterback in year two and San Francisco is far and away the best team in football when he’s under center.

With that said, there are multiple reasons he shouldn’t win MVP over Prescott.

3. Purdy is expendable, Prescott is irreplaceable

What’s the single biggest reason folks wouldn’t pick the 49ers to win the Super Bowl?

Because of their offensive line led by Trent Williams? Because of their defense that’s allowed the second-fewest points in the NFL, second-fewest rushing yards and created the third-most takeaways? Because they failed to surround Purdy with enough talent? Of course not.

Purdy is the 49ers’ biggest question mark. Nobody knows how Purdy will perform when adversity strikes, largely because he’s almost always playing with a lead in the second half. How can a team’s biggest question mark be the league’s most valuable player?

Conversely, Prescott is the only thing that’s been consistently great for the Cowboys. His defense struggles against good offenses. His running game has been a disappointment all year. When Prescott is healthy, Dallas boasts the most prolific offense in football. The 49ers only entered that equation when they traded for Christian McCaffrey last season.

Bottom line? Prescott is irreplaceable. Purdy is expendable.

The Cowboys wouldn’t be where they’re at without No. 4. As great as Purdy has been this season, you can’t make that same argument on his behalf. The 49ers are built for a deep playoff run so long as they get adequate QB play. Purdy has been more than adequate, and that shouldn’t be held against him, but it doesn’t take a football savant to recognize that Prescott is more important, or valuable, to his franchise.

There’s a reason the 49ers made it to a Super Bowl and another NFC Championship Game with Jimmy Garoppolo quarterbacking the offense.

Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons ranks at the top of the NFL in seemingly every advanced pass-rushing metric. That is doubly impressive when you consider he’s double-teamed at a 33% percent clip, which is the highest of any rusher in the game, according to ESPN analytics.

For whatever reason, though, Parsons can’t draw a holding call to save his life.

During any given game, Parsons is held at least once or twice, if not more. This was evident in the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving win and it turned up again in the team’s Sunday night battle against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Battling flu-like symptoms leading up to kickoff, Parsons won a rep against Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert, who resorted to blatantly tugging Parsons’ jersey to prevent the All-Pro from tackling Jalen Hurts for a big loss.

The play occurred right in front of the official and nothing was called.

Cowboys star Micah Parsons gets robbed wit non-holding call vs Eagles

Holding penalties don’t get more blatant than that. What does Parsons have to do to get a call? Throw his hands up in protest and flail like the Eagles defensive line after every snap? It’s not like Parsons to plead for a whistle, but he’s been given unfair treatment all season. It might be time to resort to drastic measures.

If you can believe it (you probably can), Parsons has drawn two holding penalties this season, including zero in the past six games, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. He’s third on the Cowboys in that department behind ascending DT Osa Odighizuwa (four) and veteran edge rusher Dante Fowler (three).

Parsons should have more than double the tallies of his teammates. He’s first in the league in pass-rush win rate at 37% (Myles Garrett is second at 27%) and first with 73 pressures entering Sunday, per Pro Football Focus. How does that translate to two awarded holding calls?

If that’s what it takes, right? Parsons can keep his head down and keep hunting, but he might have to start pleading his case to officials.

Ironically, Parsons showed up seconds later with a sack of Hurts that helped limit the Eagles to a field goal before halftime. The non-holding call was irrelevant in the bigger picture, but the fact it happened again on a national stage will hopefully send a message to the league office.

Sooner or later Parsons isn’t going to be awarded a hold in a crucial moment. It’s equivalent to the treatment LeBron James gets in the NBA and it must be brought to an end. No player should be penalized (pun not intended) for being great.

That’s what happens to Parsons every Sunday.