As the final week of the preseason gets underway, a critical one for the Eagles and the other 31 NFL teams with roster cutdown day looming a week from Sunday, the Eagles are in an enviable situation at the game's most important position.

The Eagles have four quarterbacks on the roster – an established franchise player in three-time Pro Bowl selection Jalen Hurts, a developmental rookie in fifth-round pick Cole Payton, and a pair of veterans who know how to support a quarterback room in Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee.

Dalton and McKee have split the second-team reps throughout Training Camp. Dalton, acquired in a trade this offseason from Carolina, has started both of the preseason contests. A 16-year NFL veteran, the longtime starter in Cincinnati has pretty much seen it all during his career. Valued for his experience in the new offensive scheme being implemented by the Eagles, as well as his ability to connect with teammates both on and off the field, Dalton is a steadying presence who allows GMs to sleep a little easier at night.

On Saturday night in New England, Dalton completed three passes for 44 yards before making way for McKee. All three of those completions went to second-year receiver Darius Cooper on the Eagles' scoring drive that ended with a 5-yard rushing touchdown by running back Will Shipley early in the second quarter.

Dalton's understanding of where to go with the ball was key on a second-down play-action fake that Patriots rookie linebacker Gabe Jacas didn't bite on. As Dalton turned his head around to find No. 50 charging at him, Dalton deftly delivered the ball to Cooper, who turned upfield for a 25-yard gain. Dalton's last completion came on a fourth-and-1 where the quarterback was lined up in the shotgun, pretty much erasing the threat of the run. Dalton initially looked to his right, but quickly scanned through his progressions and darted the ball to Cooper, who ran a dig route from the left side for a 13-yard gain. It's the same route that the two have repped several times this summer throughout Training Camp.

"That was one where kind of get all the way back to No. 4 in the progression, and for me, felt like just the timing and rhythm of it was right there," Dalton said after the game. "Coop was in the right spot and just gave him a chance. So, yeah, I think we can look at some plays, like that one for example, and it's like, OK, yeah, some things that everybody is hitting on all cylinders and guys are in the right spots; some other ones we'll want back."

McKee entered the game later in the second quarter and was efficient running the offense to the tune of 173 passing yards, two touchdowns, and a 125.8 passer rating. Overall, it was a much improved effort from the two quarterbacks after the offense struggled a week ago in Baltimore.

"We talked a lot about execution and not shooting ourselves in the foot with penalties. Felt like we did a lot better job not going backwards," McKee said. "Really hard to play offense obviously just playing first-and-20 or second-and-15, whatever it is. But you can't call the plays that you want to call when you're in those situations, so just getting the rhythm, getting the drive started, I thought just execution was better as well."

McKee and Sirianni both credited the playcalling from Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion, who worked from the coaches booth as opposed to the sideline as he figures out where he wants to orchestrate the offense on gamedays. As the Patriots brought pressure, Mannion provided options for McKee to get the ball out quickly to a target in space. Running back Carson Steele was the beneficiary of several of those plays, hauling in six receptions for 84 yards (both game highs) with a touchdown and a pair of not-to-be-forgotten hurdles.

"He found his shots on a couple when they brought one more than we could protect," Sirianni said of McKee. "I thought Sean did a good job giving them answers there. Thought Sean did a nice job calling the game. There was really good communication. Looking at the play clock, again, another day where I don't feel rushed to have to call a timeout or feeling like it's close to call a timeout. Just thought the operation was really good. Credit to our players, credit to our offensive coaches, and the communication that's going on there."

The Eagles have unofficially listed Dalton and McKee both as the No. 2 quarterbacks on the depth chart this preseason. With the way both quarterbacks have flashed this summer, the Eagles are in a desirable position as teams around the league would embrace the opportunity to have a signal-caller with experience, poise, and playmaking ability as a safety net for the starter. The Eagles, of all teams, know the value of the backup quarterback position.

"I think both the guys are battling, and I'm really confident in both of the guys. We'll see where that goes," Sirianni said. "It's still a competition. The reason Andy is going in first – in practice they're still rotating; Andy is going in first because he's not going to play as much as Tanner because he has had more experience and he has more experience within this type of system, and Tanner needs to continue to play there because I think you saw the improvements there from Tanner. So we got to continue to give both of them opportunities within practice and potentially games. See how next week goes."