16420261-mmmain.jpg
Nov 23, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks (95) and linebacker Brandon Graham (55) pressure Tennessee Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger (7) during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports (Eric Hartline)
PHILADELPHIA — it's no secret that the Eagles vs. Cowboys showdown on Thanksgiving is a big game.
Both teams enter Thursday with matching 8-3 records with all three blemishes being conference losses, which gives the winner a huge leg up in the tiebreaker department in an air-tight race for the NFC East division championship.
Eagles outside linebacker Brandon Graham has been around a few of these rivalry games against the Cowboys, including the season finale in Dallas last year that clinched the division title in Chip Kelly's maiden NFL season.
Graham says Thursday is as big as it gets.
"It's on Thanksgiving, everyone will be watching," Graham said. "It's pretty much the Super Bowl to us. Everybody's going to be watching."
This week certainly presents a unique set of challenges with just a four-day turnaround between Sunday's blowout victory over the Tennessee Titans and Thursday's division battle.
"I think they'll be well prepared," Graham said of the Cowboys. "I think they circled this game on the calendar just as much as we did. We couldn't wait to get to that day. We couldn't wait until we had two of the best records in the division and we're fighting for Number one. Let's try to end this on a good note and go eat some good food.
It certainly will be a playoff atmosphere in front of a national audience. Like is the case in any playoff game Graham said the top priority for the defense is to stop DeMarco Murray who leads the league in rushing and the Cowboys running game.
"We're just trying to hold him down so we can win," Graham said of Murray. "If he can't get going, it comes down to him and [Cowboys wide receiver] Dez [Bryant] that's what their offense comes down to.
"We have to make sure we stop Murray first, because they're going to try and run the ball. The second one is they'll try to go upstairs with Dez. It's just one of those things that we've just gotta focus in on one thing at a time. That's one play at a time. I'm confident with everybody if they do their job."
Though he's never played against the Cowboys, Eagles rookie wide receiver Josh Huff echoed Graham's thoughts on the bitter division rivals.
"I've always hated the Cowboys," Huff said after Monday's practice. "It's just a little Houston vs. Dallas thing. I've always hated the Cowboys. There was always so much history there in those Cowboys vs. Texans games in the battle of the state, to see who was better."
Follow Matt Lombardo on Twitter @MattLombardo975. Find NJ.com Philadelphia Sports on Facebook