‘Crazy’: The strange fact behind Sunday’s Jalen Hurts-Dak Prescott showdown

In one of the marquee matchups of the NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles (7-1) will host the Dallas Cowboys (5-2) on Sunday.

The stars will finally align in this 129th renewal of this bitter rivalry, with both franchise quarterbacks — Dallas’ Dak Prescott and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts — playing against each other for only the second time. It seems hard to believe.

“Yeah, crazy to think it’s only been one time. It’s a lot of excitement. Makes the game better, obviously,” Prescott said, per Yahoo’s Jori Epstein.

In the five Cowboys-Eagles games since Hurts took over as Philadelphia’s starting QB, either he or Prescott were inactive in all but one game.

In Week 16 of 2020, Hurts faced Dallas backup Andy Dalton with Prescott sidelined by a broken ankle. The Cowboys won, 37-17.

In Week 18 of 2021, with the Eagles locked into the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoffs, Philadelphia sat most of its starters — including Hurts, who was replaced by Gardner Minshew. Prescott took advantage of backup defenders by throwing for five touchdowns in Dallas’ 51-26 win.

Prescott missed Dallas’s Week 6 game at Philadelphia last season with a thumb injury. In Philadelphia’s 26-17 win, Hurts threw for two TDs and Dallas backup Cooper Rush tossed three interceptions.

In Week 16 at Dallas last season, Hurts didn’t play because of a sprained shoulder. Although Minshew threw for two TDs, he also threw two interceptions. Three TD passes by Prescott helped put Dallas over the top, 40-34.

The only time Hurts and Prescott played against each other came in Week 3 of 2021. Hurts threw for two touchdowns and tossed two interceptions, including a pick-six to Trevon Diggs. Prescott, meanwhile, threw for three TDs as the Cowboys cruised, 41-21.

Unquestionably, Hurts has made great strides since his first two seasons, a fact not lost on Dallas.

“When I first got in the league, and maybe his rookie year and second year, he would hold onto the ball. But from this year and last year, he’s been processing pretty fast. At more of an elite level,” Cowboys star linebacker Micah Parsons said, per Yahoo. “Really been coming on. We’ve definitely got our hands full.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones held nothing back in his assessment of Hurts.

“He has the talent, we respect his strength, and he has just evolved and gotten better and better and better at every phase,” he said, per Yahoo. “It’s easy for me to say, but this is serious [expletive] that we are dealing with up there.”

The Cowboys can’t reach first in the NFC East with a win Sunday, but they can pull within a half-game of the Eagles and give themselves a statement win. In Week 5, against its toughest opponent to date, Dallas lost to San Francisco, 42-10.

So, at last, we’ll also see these marquee QBs play against each other. Let’s give Hurts and the Eagles the nod at home, where they haven’t lost since Week 10 last season.