Dallas Cowboys (9-4, 7-6 ATS) @ Philadelphia Eagles (9-4, 8-5 ATS)
*ATS= against the spread
BETDAQ Line: Philadelphia -3.5 (54.5)
Significant Injuries
Dallas: DT Josh Brent (doubtful– calf), LB Dekoda Watson (out– hamstring)
Philadelphia: QB Nick Foles (out– collarbone)
Recent Trends
Dallas is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games
Dallas is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in Philadelphia
Dallas is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games vs. NFC opponents
Philadelphia is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games following a loss
Philadelphia is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games
Philadelphia is 5-14-1 ATS in their last 20 games vs. a team with a winning record
The road team is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings between these 2 teams
The OVER is 5-0 in Dallas’ last 5 road games
The OVER is 5-0 in Philadelphia’s last 5 games following a loss
The UNDER is 6-1 in Philadelphia’s last 7 games vs. NFC opponents
The UNDER is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings between these 2 teams
Three reasons to back Dallas
1. The Cowboys have been the NFL’s best road team this season, winning all 6 of their road games thus far and covering 5 times. The Eagles, on the other hand, have struggled at home when faced with quality opposition under Chip Kelly, covering just once in their last 8 home games against teams with winning records.
2. Dallas has a balanced, explosive offense that averages nearly 380 total yards and 27 points per game, and this week they get another shot at the dreadful Philadelphia defense, a unit that ranks in the bottom-half of the league in every major statistical category. The Eagles are especially bad in the secondary, where they surrender nearly 260 pass yards per game, so a big game from Tony Romo and the Dallas passing attack is expected.
3. The Cowboys have a better defense than people realize– they’re good against the run and have only surrendered 30 points or more once in their last 10 games. They should be able to contain a Philly offense led by the one and only Mark Sanchez, a guy who was extensively (and appropriately) ridiculed in New York before being run out of town. Sanchez looked like his old self last week in a loss to Seattle in which the Eagles managed just 14 points.
Three reasons to back Philadelphia
1. These teams have identical records and are very similar statistically on both sides of the ball. How, then, are we to know who is better? Oh, you mean they played just two weeks ago in Dallas? Well surely it was a competiti… wait, you mean Philly won 33-10 and dominated every facet of the game? Is that what you’re telling me? Enough said.
2. The Cowboys have a porous defense that was utterly unable to slow down the Philadelphia offense the last time these teams met, as the Eagles ran for a staggering 256 yards and passed for 208 more. Of course, that was just another Sunday for the Eagles, who rank 5th in total offense and average 29.9 points per game. The Dallas defense will be little more than a speed bump for this high-octane Philly attack.
3. Dallas has been rather one-dimensional on offense this season, relying heavily on the ground game and not asking Tony Romo to do too much. This has become even more exaggerated since Romo broke his back a month ago, as he’s been unable to move around well or throw downfield accurately. This all sets up perfectly for the Philadelphia defense, a unit that’s stout up front but has problems in the secondary. The Eagles should be able to severely limit the Dallas offense, just as they were able to do two weeks ago.
Prediction
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