Two Key Matchups for Cowboys vs Eagles

When you take a quick glance at the Eagles’ pass-rushing stats, though, you don’t see the type of dominance of which they’re capable. The defense has totaled a sack on just 3.8 percent of pass plays this season—the fifth-lowest mark in the NFL. In comparison, the Cowboys have a sack on 6.5 percent of pass plays.

Looking deeper into the numbers, though, you see the Eagles have really just been unlucky. That is, Philly’s pass-rush has gotten to the quarterback, but simply not brought him down. I’ve collected some stats on the relationship between pressure and sacks, discovering that over the long-haul, defenses bring down the quarterback just over one-fourth of the time they pressure him (25.7 percent, to be exact). When defenses have a high pressure rate but a low sack total, it means they’re highly likely to increase their sack rate in the future.