NFL Week 17: Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys

Sunday, January 3, 4:15 p.m. ET

5Dimes Odds (5Dimes Reviews): Cowboys -3

Cowboys offense vs Eagles defense

Very quietly, the Cowboys offense is improving on a weekly basis but nobody seems to notice.

While Roy Williams never developed into that No. 1 receiver everyone was hoping he would be, Miles Austin clearly is. And with the defensive attention being focused on him, internet betting cappers are seeing the Cowboys exploit the middle of the field more often.

Tight end Jason Witten had his third 100-yard receiving game on Sunday and considering how weak the Eagles linebacking corps has been this season, the Cowboys should have an advantage over the middle all day long.

Meanwhile, the much-maligned quarterback, Tony Romo, finally threw his first interception in four games (167 attempts) and has a quarterback rating of 100 or more in four of his last five games. Throw in the running game, which should be particularly effective against the Eagles, and the Cowboys should have a good game if they continue to avoid mistakes.

Cowboys defense vs Eagles offense

The Cowboys defense has also played noticeably well in the last few games. After getting smoked on the road against the New York Giants, the Cowboys defense has allowed just 37 points in the three games since.

This week, the Eagles may be in tough as the Cowboys front three of Jay Ratliff, Igor Olshansky and Marcus Spears are among the best fronts for a 3-4. Meanwhile, the Eagles lost starting center Jamaal Jackson for the year, which makes stopping a 3-4 that much harder.

The Eagles have a big-play offense but they have become increasingly one-dimensional in recent weeks. They strictly pass with the occasional run and considering the Cowboys dominated an offense like this two weeks (see: New Orleans), the Cowboys should have the upper hand here too.

Outlook

Last year, the Eagles embarrassed the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17 and now the Cowboys have a chance for revenge. There’s a good chance we’ll see this matchup in the first round of the playoffs as well, so both teams will be conscious of that.

Even so, sports handicapping experts should see the Cowboys pull this one out. Assuming they don’t turnover the ball regularly, they should have enough advantages – especially playing at home – to win this game.

NFL Picks: Cowboys +7

NFL week 17, the Dallas Cowboys will play host to another NFC East division rival, the Philadelphia Eagles. Both the Cowboys & Eagles are playing their best football of the season right now. The Philadelphia Eagles have won 6 straight and clinched a playoff berth. The Dallas Cowboys have won 2 straight and clinched their playoff berth, first the boys beat the Saints when no one gave ‘em a chance and last week they shut out the Redskins. The winner of this weeks game will clinch the NFC East Division. Let’s compare the teams and see how they matchup on paper.

History
Last Meeting:
Week 9 – Cowboys 20 @ Eagles 16

Last Season:
Week 2 – Cowboys 41 vs Eagles 37
Week 17 – Cowboys 6 @ Philadelphia 44

Advantage: Cowboys, the boys are 2 and 1 in the last 3 meetings and are playing at Cowboys Stadium.

Offense
Cowboys: 14th – 22.5 points per game
Eagles: 3rd – 28.6 points per game

Advantage: Eagles
The Eagles score on average 6-7 points more per game, but the do not have a strong rushing attack. However they use lots of screen passes and other short passing plays to make up for this.

Defense
Cowboys: 3rd – 16.7 points per game
Eagles: 16th – 20.9 points per game

Advantage: The Cowboys hold the defensive advantage statistically, and the Dallas defense has played its best the last two games, and I expect this to continue against the Eagles.

Prediction: Cowboys 24 Eagles 17
The Cowboys Defense is playing as good as I have seen in the past 10 years and they are at home. Plus they now have a kicker in Suisham that makes more than he misses.

NFL Week 17 | Dallas Cowboys vs Philadelphia Eagles: TV Announcers, Game Time, Game Information:
Cowboys-Eagles Day / Date: Sunday – January 3rd 2010
Cowboys-Eagles Kickoff Time: 3:15 PM Central Time
Cowboys-Eagles Location: Cowboys Stadium – Arlington, TX
Cowboys-Eagles TV Channel: FOX
Cowboys-Eagles TV Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
Cowboys-Eagles Point Spreads: Cowboys -3 | Eagles +3
Cowboys-Eagles Over / Under: 47.5
Cowboys-Eagles Parking: Cowboys Stadium Parking Information
Cowboys-Eagles Tickets:

Dallas Cowboys Tickets as low as $20 at StubHub!

Sources:
NFL.com
YahooSports!
Dallas Cowboys
The 506.com

As any sportsbook bettor will tell you, the Dallas Cowboys are becoming NFL darlings again. They’ve won three straight games, largely because the passing attack and pass rush have both come to life. Now, travelling to Philadelphia for the Sunday nighter, America’s Team gets a chance to show us it’s for real.

Week 9 – DALLAS COWBOYS @ PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Sunday, November 8, 8:20 p.m. ET

Favorite: Eagles -3

Cowboys offense vs Eagles defense

No NFL betting fan can deny that Tony Romo has found himself after a few off weeks. He’s lighting up the scoreboard of late and the biggest reason for his renewed success is Miles Austin. Unlike Roy Williams, Austin reportedly took Michael Irvin’s offseason advice, learning to anticipate snap counts and explode off the line. All Austin has done is score five times in his last three games. It’s amazing how dangerous Romo becomes when he has a legit No. 1 option again.

We should, however, temper our expectations for Romo and the Cowboy offense this week – especially in the passing game. Romo carved up The Chiefs, Falcons and Seahawks over the last three games; in other words, he didn’t face an elite pass defense. Sunday at Philadelphia presents an entirely new challenge; the swarming Eagle “D” allows less than 200 passing yards per game and ranks second in the NFL with 23 sacks. We all know Romo can lay the odd egg when pressured. In fact, one of his worst recent performances came in Week 17 last season in Philadelphia. Romo threw for just 183 yards, got picked off and lost two fumbles in a 44-6 loss. Is he up to the challenge this week?

Cowboys defense vs Eagles offense

This isn’t the online betting mismatch It was a few weeks ago. There’s no question that the Eagles are soaring offensively right now; under Andy Reid’s pass-happy system, Donovan McNabb is posting big numbers and hooking up regularly with blindingly fast DeSean Jackson for huge passing gains. However, Dallas’ “D” is improving after a slow start. DeMarcus Ware has five sacks in his last three games and the Cowboys haven’t allowed more than 21 points in a game since Week 2. It won’t be a total picnic for McNabb.

Outlook

As much as Dallas will bring the heat, its secondary is just average. McNabb and Jackson will find a way to exploit that; Reid may pass even more than he normally does with Brian Westbrook still possibly not 100 per cent (concussion). The Cowboys have the offensive weapons to answer back in theory but we still won’t know how Romo will respond to facing his first tough defense in weeks. It looks like the Eagles are good NFL picks to take over first in the NFC East on Sunday. After all, look how they dismantled the Giants last week.

Last Year: The Cowboys and Eagles split their two meetings, but the Eagles win over the Cowboys at the end of the season has left a bad taste in the mouths of Dallas Sports Fans. The Eagles thumped the Cowboys 44 – 6 in the final game of the 2008 season. The most disheartening part about this loss is that a win would have ensured the Cowboys a playoff spot and they lost by 38 points.

This Year: The Cowboys have improved their record with 2 impressive wins over the Falcons and Seahawks in recent weeks. Tony Romo has not thrown an interception in a few games and the team is getting healthy. The hated Eagles have been a very up and down team this year, they lost to the Raiders, but have posted impressive wins over the Redskins and Giants in recent weeks. This game is pretty unpredictable, but Vegas has the Eagles winning by 3.

Gameday Information:

Cowboys – Eagles Game Information
Cowboys – Eagles Game Time: 7:15 PM – Central Time
Cowboys – Eagles Day / Date: Sunday – November 8 2009
Cowboys – Eagles Location: Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia PA
Cowboys – Eagles TV Channel: NBC
Cowboys – Eagles Announcers: Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth
Cowboys – Eagles Betting:

• cowboys-eagles-betting-information/”>Odds, Spread, Advice
• Early Point Spread: Cowboys +3
• Early Over-Under: 47.5

Cowboys – Eagles Tickets:

• Cowboys Stadium Parking Information

Dallas Cowboys Rankings:
Offense: 2nd – 411.1 yards per game
Defense: 22nd – 342.1 yards per game

Dallas Cowboys Key Players:
QB Tony Romo, RB Marion Barber, WR Miles Austin, LB DeMarcus Ware

Dallas Cowboys Injury Report:
Allen Rossum CB | Hamstring – Did not practice
Marion Barber RB | Thumb – Full practice
Jay Ratliff DT | Knee – Full practice
Gerald Sensabaugh S | Thumb – Full practice
DeMarcus Ware LB | Foot – Full practice

Philadelphia Eagles Rankings:
Offense: 15th – 344.4 yards per game
Defense: 10th – 296.9 yards per game

Philadelphia Eagles Key Players:
QB Donovan McNabb, RB Brian Westbrook, RB Lesean McCoy, WR DeSean Jackson

Philadelphia Eagles Injury Report:
Brian Westbrook RB | Concussion – Full practice
DeSean Jackson WR | Foot – Full practice
Jeremy Maclin WR | Foot – Full practice
Nick Cole G | Knee Full practice
Victor Harris S | Ankle Full practice
Todd Herremans G | Foot Full practice
Darren Howard DE | Ankle – Full practice
Max Jean-Gilles G | Shoulder – Full practice
Dimitri Patterson CB | Quadricep – Full practice
Jason Peters T | Ankle – Full practice
Kevin Curtis WR | Knee – Out
Victor Abiamiri DE | Knee – No practice
Brodrick Bunkley DT | Knee – No practice
Chris Clemons DE | Shoulder -No practice
Chris Gocong LB | Quadricep -No practice