Eagles, Cowboys embrace rivalry ahead of key matchup

It appears there's no love lost between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys ahead of their pivotal game Sunday.

The Eagles (4-4) and Cowboys (3-5) are looking to capitalize on an opportunity to surge in the NFC East, which still remains very open entering the second half of the season.

Ahead of the divisional game that could eventually impact playoff positioning, both teams played up the heated rivalry.

"Of course I don't like the Cowboys," Eagles left tackle Jason Peters said, according to Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News. "It's just the arrogance. The organization. 'America's Team.' Right now, they're not winning. Let's see how many people jump off their bandwagon."

Both teams sought upgrades at wide receiver prior to the trade deadline. Dallas traded a first-round pick to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for Amari Cooper, while Philadelphia acquired Golden Tate from the Detroit Lions for a third-round selection.

"They say it's a huge rivalry," Cooper said. "Obviously I don't know too much about it. But the guys are definitely pumped up. They say it gets crazy over there in Philly when they play the Cowboys."

Cowboys cornerback Chidobe Awuzie singled out Tate while detailing his animosity toward the Eagles.

"We've got to prepare for everything and be on our toes and hopefully not let that happen again," Awuzie said of Tate. "That's probably why the Eagles got him, honestly, they know we don't like him. ... We'll prepare our best way. It's no extra or nothing less. ... When you love this game you approach everything like it's the hardest challenge, like it's the Super Bowl. We're going to approach this game like it's the Super Bowl."