Philadelphia Eagles (3-4 SU, 3-4 ATS) vs. Dallas Cowboys (2-5 SU, 2-5 ATS)
NFL Week 9
Date/Time: Sunday, November 8th, 8:30
Where: AT&T Stadium Stadium Arlington, Texas
TV: NBC
by Bob, NFL Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: PHI -2.5 / DAL +2.5
Over/Under Total:44
Sunday night football on NBC has a great contest that could decide the NFC East division when the Philadelphia Eagles travel into Arlington to take on the Dallas Cowboys. The craziest part of this situation is that both teams have a losing record and yet are both somehow still alive in the division race. The Eagles enter this game 3-4 overall, while Dallas is on a five game skid at 2-5. These two teams met in week two in Philly and it was one of the most embarrassing offensive performances I think I had ever seen by a team that was supposed to be so explosiveand I am talking about the Eagles. With less than three minutes left in regulation, the Eagles as a team had negative four yards rushing. The Cowboys ended up winning the game 20-10 but it really was not even that close. With that said, that was a Cowboys team that still had Tony Romo at quarterback, ever since that day, things have not been so kind to Dallas.
Due to the lack of success by the Cowboys, the Eagles enter this game as a 2.5 road favorite while the total points are set at 44 combined. Both teams record against the spread is the same as their overall records on the season. As of Monday evening, 63% of the action in Vegas is on the road Eagles to take care of business while 52% of the bettors think that the game will go over the posted total of 44 points. These NFC East games, especially the ones when Philadelphia and Dallas meet up are always interesting. I can see this one going either direction.
As always, since 1997, the Dallas Cowboys entered the 2015 season with Super Bowl aspirations and the media again was in love with them. They came out of the gate at 2-0 with wins over the Giants and Eagles but then after they lost Dez Bryant and Tony Romo for extended periods of time, things took a turn for the bad, the really bad. The Cowboys have yet to win a game since week two and I think the Dallas fans as well as fans around the league are starting to realize just how valuable Tony Romo is to this team. Dallas has fallen from grace and now just cannot seem to buy a win. Statistically, the Cowboys rush offense is still one of the top in the league averaging almost 130 yards per game, but the passing game has fallen all the way to 24th in the NFL. The lack of passing to go along with the run game has also made things easier for defenses once Dallas reaches the red zone. Stuff the run, make Dallas throw. It has been simple. Dallas is ranked 29th in the NFL only scoring 19 points a game. The defense has been average allowing opponents to score right at 24 a contest. If Dallas wants to stay somewhat alive in the NFC East race and stop the bleeding and get that third win of 2015, they MUST MUST MUST get a passing game going. Dez Bryant is now back, so that should help out, but if they cannot at least establish a passing game that is somewhat respectable, we may see their 6th loss in a row.
Talk about high hopes, the Philadelphia Eagles came into 2015 with one of the most anticipated offenses of all time. Well, that was fun while it lasted. The Eagles have already lost four games and in three of those four losses, were held to 20 points or less. This Eagles team has been a roller coaster. However, they have actually played a pretty decent schedule. They have lost to the Falcons who are one of the NFCs better teams as well as the undefeated Panthers and a Cowboys team that still had Tony Romo. The Eagles are still very much alive in the East division race, but this game against Dallas is huge, very huge. A loss would put them two games under .500 and give them a record of 1-3 in the division. This would not be good come late December. The Eagles have actually had more success on the defensive side of the ball than the offensive which has come to a surprise to many people, including myself. They are ranked 11th in the NFL in points allowed (19.6) and are ranked 17th in scoring offense, tallying almost 23 a game. The key to this game is to score. The Eagles need points. I am not saying they need to score in the 30s, but if Philly can put up about 23-24 points in Dallas, I will feel good about them winning and covering the 2.5.
I have said it before and will say it again, these NFC East games are tough to predict. If Philadelphia won this game 13-9 or if Dallas won 56-47, I would not be shocked with either outcome. I have a feeling this game is going to be very competitive and I actually have a gut feeling that the total points are more than many expect. I think the Eagles fans heads are going to explode and Dallas actually finds a way to win this game as an underdog. Dallas 27 Philadelphia 20, that is my prediction for this weekend.
Bobs Pick to Cover the Point Spread: Pick the Dallas Cowboys +2.5 and over the posted point total of 44.
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