The Dallas Cowboys don’t have much time to waste if they want to make it to the playoffs. They are currently second last in the NFC East with a 3-5 record and are +675 to win the NFC East. As for the Philadelphia Eagles, they are looking to catch the Washington Redskins atop the division standings. The 4-4 Eagles are -220 to win the division even with that .500 record on the season thus far.
The Cowboys made quite a gamble at the trade deadline by coughing up a future first-round pick top get Amari Cooper, whom they believe would inject some life into their offense. While Cooper made an impact in his Cowboys debut, the team interestingly registered fewer points and total yards than their season averages in their 28-14 home loss to the Tennessee Titans last Monday. Cooper had 58 receiving yards and a touchdown on five receptions against the Titans, while Michael Gallup and Ezekiel Elliott each had 51 receiving yards. But it’s also the lack of production in the backfield that hurt Dallas. The Eagles have a stout defense against the run, though, so Elliott will probably have to get plenty of receiving work out of the backfield this coming Sunday. The Cowboys are hoping that another week of preparation would improve the chemistry between quarterback Dak Prescott and Cooper, who is going to deal with Philly’s pass defense that only ranks 25th in the NFL with 269.1 passing yards allowed per game.
The under is 8-0 in the Cowboys’ last eight road games. On the road so far this season, Dallas is 0-4 straight up (SU) and 1-3 against the spread (ATS).
Betting on the Philadelphia Eagles (4-4)
After a stumble against the Carolina Panthers in which they squandered a 17-point advantage in the fourth quarter, the Eagles got back in the win column by taking down the Jacksonville Jaguars in London in Week 8, 24-18, before having their bye in Week 9. Now back home, the Eagles will look to show the Cowboys why they are the Super Bowl champions and why Carson Wentz is widely regarded as a much better quarterback than Prescott. Against the Panthers, Wentz passed for 286 passing yards and three touchdowns on 21-of-30 completions. He had an interception, but it’s his first in five games. On the season, Wentz has 1,788 passing yards and 13 touchdowns with only two thrown picks. Also, the Eagles’ defense is stepping up of late. They are allowing just 19.5 points per game this season and only 17.3 over their last three games.
The Eagles are 2-1 SU and 2-1 ATS in their last three meetings with Dallas. Overall this season, Philly is 2-2 SU and 1-3 ATS when playing at home, giving bettors something to think about.
