The NFC East is the worst division right now in the NFL, but that shouldn’t diminish the interest in this game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles, whose hatred of each other always burns regardless of the surrounding factors. Check out our preview of this game below.
This season feels like a punishment for Cowboys fans. In Week 7, the Cowboys absorbed a hard-to-swallow 25-3 road loss to the Washington Football Team. The Cowboys got mugged on both ends of the field. They couldn’t get their offense going and repeatedly failed in stopping Washington’s attack. It’s also likely that the Cowboys are going to play with a third-string quarterback, with Andy Dalton still in the concussion protocol, as of this writing. If Dalton can’t go, the Cowboys will turn to rookie Ben DiNucci, who went 2-of-3 for 39 passing yards while getting sacked three times for a loss of 25 yards when he took over the quarterbacking duties following Dalton’s exit in the Washington game. However, the Cowboys’ offensive line could be getting a much needed shot in the arm with the pending return of Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin and Joe Looney, who started at center in Week 1. Both players have returned to practice this week. With uncertainty at the QB slot, the Cowboys should feed running back Zeke Elliott with plenty of touches. The Eagles are just allowing 130.4 rushing yards per game – 24th in the NFL.
The Eagles snapped a two-game losing skid, as they took down the New York Giants at home in Week 7, 22-21. Carson Wentz passed for 359 yards and a couple of touchdowns with an interception on 25-of-43 to lead his team to victory. Wentz has been playing better of late after a poor start to the season, and he can continue his improvement in Week 8 against the Cowboys’ Swiss cheese defense. The Cowboys are ranked 30th in DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) and last in scoring defense, as they are allowing 34.7 points per game. With that kind of defense, Philadelphia is not going to run out of chances to rack up points. The Eagles could be missing running back Miles Sanders again due to a knee injury. Sanders has yet to practice this week, as of this writing, though the Eagles can rely on Boston Scott for most of their rushing attack. Scott rushed for 46 yards on 12 carries and scored a touchdown (game-winning score) against the Giants. On defense, the Eagles welcome the possibility of the Cowboys starting a rookie quarterback. Philly is third in the NFL with 24 sacks.
The Eagles are 2-2 against the spread in their last four games overall.
