The Dallas Cowboys might be without their head coach for their huge matchup with the Eagles this weekend ... 'cause the team says Mike McCarthy is slated to undergo surgery later Wednesday that could keep him from the sidelines on Sunday.
The Cowboys revealed McCarthy will have a procedure on his appendix after he was diagnosed with acute appendicitis following some abdominal pain he was suffering from earlier Wednesday morning.
The team says the 60-year-old is scheduled to be released from the hospital before sunrise Thursday ... and, somehow, he "anticipates coaching" against Philadelphia -- this despite kickoff being roughly 100 hours away.
While he's out, the Cowboys say their three coordinators will run team practices.
Of course, it'd be a big blow for the Cowboys if McCarthy cannot ultimately make it to AT&T Stadium ... because, after all, the contest is quite possibly the biggest regular season game the team has had in the last few years.
If Dallas wins, both teams will sit atop the NFC East with 10-3 records. If it loses, however, it will not only be two games behind Philly in the standings, it will also lose out in a tiebreaker scenario.
Kickoff is slated for 5:20 PM.