The Philadelphia Eagles head to Jerryworld to take on the red-hot Dallas Cowboys in a matchup that will play a massive role in the NFC East standings. The Cowboys can all but lock up the division with a win here and just decent play the rest of the year. The Redskins are down to their third QB and the first 2 got them to 6-6. I do not expect them to get in the way of these two teams as they battle or the division. The Eagles are also coming into this game on a winning streak, but I don’t think these win streaks are even somewhat similar.
Eagles Don’t Look Pretty, But They Win
The Eagles have won their last 2 games, but they looked like a bad football team in both games. The Giants gave the Eagles a win two weeks ago by not giving the ball to either of their offensive superstars in the second half with a nice lead. Then the Eagles beat the Redskins with Colt McCoy and Mark Sanchez at the helm. Two wins are two wins, but I do not think this team is nearly as good as most people think. Their most talented personnel groups are both lines.
That is NOT how you attack this Cowboys team from a matchup perspective. The Cowboys line has been playing incredibly well on both sides of the ball and the Eagles are really lacking talent everywhere else. The receivers and Carson Wentz are generally talented, but I am not scared of going up against a team with Alshon Jeffrey and Nelson Agholor on the outside. Zach Ertz and Golden Tate are the two most talented receivers, but the Cowboys’ linebacker play has been elite recently. This is not the best spot for either of them over the middle of the field.
Cowboys Should Neutralize Eagles
The Eagles’ secondary is one of the worst in the league and it gets exposed even with a solid defensive line. Last year, we saw the Eagles rely on pressure and run defense to stop teams from just constantly gashing them downfield. The Cowboys’ offensive line should be able to neutralize the pass rush. When these teams have played in the past, the Cowboys’ passing game has been so inept that they could send more pressure without getting burned downfield.
Now, with the implementation of Amari Cooper and the increased usage of Zeke, we have started to see the Cowboys’ offense become much better. Zeke is no longer seeing 8 guys in the box and he is also getting more efficient touches in the passing game. Shockingly, giving the ball to your best player in better situations has helped the Cowboys consistency. Last game, we also saw Ezekiel Elliott go for 154 rushing yards on 19 carries. If he rushes at a rate like that, I think the Cowboys control the game just like they want to.
We have seen the Cowboys continuously step up to the challenge after looking dead early in the year. I have seen a lot of talk about a Cowboys let down spot because they have been playing extremely well and are coming off of their biggest win of the season if not THE biggest win of the season in the NFL. I think a home game against a rival basically for a division championship should neutralize this possible let down spot for the Cowboys.
Cowboys vs. Eagles Prediction
This game is probably the biggest game of the weekend and should have a playoff atmosphere. The Cowboys are 5-1 at home where the Eagles are 2-3 on the road this season. I just have a lot of faith in how the Cowboys are playing football right now and the reasons why they are playing much better make a lot of sense. I’ll take the Cowboys (-3.5). My biggest concern with this pick is the pace at which Dallas plays. I think they lead comfortably most of the game, but it is viable that the hook is necessary. I definitely feel a lot more comfortable taking Cowboys ML or getting it down to -3 if you can.