Dallas and Philadelphia, the NFC East's preseason favorites, have combined to go 1-7 since Week 2.
Monday Night Football was supposed to be a marquee NFC East clash. Instead it is a battered Eagles team hoping to steady itself against a Cowboys squad that has simply not played well enough to matter yet.
Philadelphia's problems look a lot like San Francisco's did a year ago. The Eagles have not been able to field a healthy roster all season, and injuries have piled up fast for a team that was supposed to contend. Now Jalen Hurts is out too, which only deepens the hole. It is still October, and the Eagles are already searching for answers.
Dallas does not have that excuse. The Cowboys are healthy enough, they just have not performed. Their defense has been poor and their offense has stalled the last couple of weeks, which explains a 2-4 start that few expected from a division favorite.
Both teams entered the season as the class of the NFC East. Instead they arrive at this Monday night game a combined 1-7 since Week 2, each treating the matchup as something close to must-win.