The Philadelphia Eagles are looking quite dysfunctional out there on the gridiron. Thankfully, they play in NFC East where their 3-4 record is a manageable second behind the first-place New York Giants’ 4-4 slate. The Eagles take on an injury-ravaged Dallas Cowboys team, which sits in the cellar of the division with a 2-5 record. Who takes this high-stakes divisional showdown?
Care for more of this week’s divisional games across the NFL? Check out our complete previews for the Browns vs. Bengals and Dolphins vs. Bills.
It was another horrible outing for the Philadelphia Eagles, who suffered their fourth loss of the season in Week 7. The Eagles had a horrible outing on offense as they lost 27-16 to the Carolina Panthers last Sunday night.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Quarterback Sam Bradford threw for 205 yards with an interception and was sacked five times as the Eagles struggled to get themselves downfield. With the exception of running back Ryan Mathews rushing for 97 yards and a score on just six carries, the Eagles couldn’t sustain much offense to keep up with the Panthers.
Bradford doesn’t figure to get much better against Dallas’ solid pass defense. The Cowboys have held opposing quarterbacks to 210 yards or less in the past two games. But the running game could have some decent gains; the Cowboys are allowing 4.1 yards per carry this season.
Aside from Mathews, running back DeMarco Murray could be up for a solid outing. Murray had averaged 4.2 or more yards per carry in three straight games before settling for 3.6 against Carolina. But Murray could struggle against the Dallas front seven, which held him to a horrible two yards on 13 carries in Week 2.
The Eagles had a much better game on the other side of the ball. Cornerbacks Byron Maxwell, Nolan Carroll II and free safety Malcolm Jennings each had a pick against the Panthers. They could come away from this game with more interceptions considering Dallas quarterback Matt Cassell has thrown three interceptions to one touchdown in his first two starts this season. S
The Eagles are 1-4 ATS in their last five games against the Cowboys.
Betting on the Dallas Cowboys (2-5)
The Dallas Cowboys had hoped that Matt Cassel would provide a spark for the offense with Tony Romo still out healing from a broken collarbone. But he hasn’t delivered the goods, passing for 324 yards on a 58 percent completion rate with a touchdown and three interceptions in his first two starts with the Cowboys. The latest setback was a 13-12 come-from-behind loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Cassel didn’t benefit from the return of No. 1 wide receiver Dez Bryant, who caught just two passes for 12 yards on Sunday. But running back Darren McFadden did do his best to deliver a spark to the passing game, leading the team with 49 yards on six catches. Cassel could have a big game against Philadelphia’s open pass defense, allowing 250.6 yards per game this season.
In order for Cassel to have a big game, he’ll need some help on the ground. McFadden and the rest of the Cowboys’ running back-by-committee could break out against Philadelphia’s mediocre rushing defense which ranks 16th in the league allowing 109.9 yards per game.
With the absence of Romo to finish out drives on Sunday, kicker Dan Bailey was a busy man. He was a perfect 4 of 4 to score all of Dallas’ points against the Seahawks.
With the Cowboys struggling to put points on the board, the defense has done its best to give the team a chance to escape with a win. Greg Hardy didn’t record a sack—a first for him as a Cowboy—against the Seahawks. But he did have a crucial interception against Russell Wilson. He finished with four tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass deflection and three quarterback hits in the loss.
Hardy leads the Cowboys with three sacks this season. He should be able to beat Philadelphia’s leaky offensive line which allowed five sacks in Week 7.
The Cowboys are 1-4 ATS in their last five at home.
Writer’s Prediction
The Eagles get back on the win column with a crucial win over their NFC East rivals. Create a betting account now and get in on all the football action this season.
