FRISCO -- Back when Scott Linehan and Jim Schwartz were on the same staff in Detroit, they got together weekly to pick each other's brains.

Linehan, working as the offensive coordinator for Schwartz, who was the Lions head coach from 2009-2013, would talk about how he liked to attack a defense. Schwartz did the same for disrupting an offense. Now they lead the units that are the strengths of the teams that meet Sunday at AT&T Stadium with the NFC East lead on the line -- Linehan as the Cowboys' offensive coordinator, Schwartz as the Philadelphia Eagles' first-year defensive coordinator.

"I learned a lot about football and defenses from him," Linehan said. "He would say one thing that hurts this coverage or this defense is this -- and that really was a huge help. I really enjoyed working for him.

"We spent a lot of time talking to each other about what we liked to do in the red zone both offensively and defensively. So I'm pretty sure that kind of offsets itself right there."

The key for Dallas' offense Sunday is to negate Philadelphia's impressive defensive line.

Ends Brandon Graham and Connor Barwin and tackles Fletcher Cox and Bennie Logan form a group that's generally able to get after a quarterback without help from a blitz.

Then against Minnesota last Sunday, the Eagles blitzed quarterback Sam Bradford from all over as they registered six sacks and 13 quarterback hits. Bradford, clearly discombobulated, lost multiple fumbles and threw his first interception of the season.

Still, the Vikings didn't feature an offense like the Cowboys', which is founded on the might of the offensive line and yard-gobbling of running back Ezekiel Elliott. That's paired with rookie quarterback Dak Prescott, who gets No. 1 receiver Dez Bryant back from injury, to give Schwartz's bunch a test, too.

The Eagles have "got a really good front four, so they don't have to blitz," Linehan said. "Some teams blitz more because they don't have the same kind of weapons they do. But they get a lot of their pressure with their four-man rush, but they have a really good scheme they can mix in pressures with their linebackers and their secondary. We have to be ready for both."

Philadelphia has compiled 20 sacks, third in the NFL, and lead the league in sacks per game (3.3) and sacks per pass attempt (10.1 percent). Of those sacks, 10 have come on first down, which leads the NFL, and 15 have come in the second half.

The Cowboys have allowed nine sacks, which is second fewest in the NFL.

Prescott said there have been times teams have surprised him with looks he didn't see in pregame preparation, but as his NFL experience grows, he's been able to relate to previous games. He has seven touchdown passes to one interception and has lost two fumbles. The Eagles have 12 takeaways.

"Every team kind of has their one play or their one blitz they're going to bring on third down that they haven't done at all this year," Prescott said. "But just because it's their first time and I haven't seen them do it, [the fact that] another team has done it kind of gives me answers.

"Sometimes I notice it as they're bringing it. And then we'll come off and we'll make adjustments if they do it again, which a lot of times, defenses don't."

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett noted that the Eagles' front lines up wide, which helps the ends get off the ball and get a rush so quarterbacks don't have long to hold onto the ball.

Against the run, the Eagles rank No. 14 in the league, allowing 102.7 yards per game. Elliott has rushed for over 130 yards for four straight games. Prescott also adds another element for the Cowboys with his mobility, contributing to three rushing touchdowns.

The Eagles have also been stout in the red zone -- they lead the NFL in opponent red-zone scoring efficiency, allowing 13 scores on 20 opponent red-zone drives. They've recorded two red-zone takeaways and allow an NFL-best 1.0 yards rushing average in the red zone. Overall, they rank third in the NFL in points allowed (14.7).

"I'll be curious to see what Dallas does offensively against that defense," said Fox analyst and former Cowboys great Troy Aikman during his weekly appearance on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM). "I thought going into that Green Bay game Dallas would have success running the football; obviously they did. And I would expect them to be able to control the defensive front for the Eagles, and that really is the whole key to this football team."