Philadelphia Eagles v Dallas Cowboys. 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)| AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
Week 7’s Sunday Night Football game features the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys. The two teams enter with identical, below average records (3-3). However, this is a rivalry that runs deep. It’s a tale as old as time that pushes these two mediocre teams in 2019 into the prime-time spot. The reward? NFC East’s division lead. Injuries have been troublesome issues for Dallas and Philadelphia this season. Whichever team can make the best out of their unfortunate and depleted rosters will win this game.
The Cowboys started off the season hot, going 3-0 before crashing and losing three straight games to the Saints, Packers and Jets, two of these losses being at home. One of the biggest factors that dictates the game for the Cowboys is the questionable health of starters: Tyron Smith (OT), La’El Collins (OT), Amari Cooper (WR), Byron Jones (CB) and Randall Cobb (WR, this list of players missed the some if not all of the Week 6 loss against the Jets. For now, each of these players is expected to play in Week 7. The Cowboys having a much healthier roster than anticipated may be what pushes Dallas to get the win.
The Eagles come into the game as the underdogs, but that hasn’t seemed to hurt their ego at all. Philadelphia head coach Doug Pederson claimed on his radio show Monday the Eagles were: “going to win that football game, and when we do, were going to be in first place in the NFC East.” The Eagles have been anything but predictable this season. This makes Pederson’s statement almost comical, especially after the Eagles have lost the past two times they played the Cowboys. If the Eagles want to change this pattern, the defensive line is going to have to step up. The Dallas offense is built on the run, so being able to slow that down will force Ezekiel Elliot to make errors. There’s massive pressure on Fletcher Cox to perform this week. The defensive tackle is still sack-less this season and only four quarterback hits. If there was any time this season for Cox to have a big game, its tonight.
ODDS:
- Spread: Cowboys: -3
- Over/Under: 50
- Prediction: 24-20 Cowboys
The Eagles are still limited on offense with rushing inconsistencies, they rely too much on the short-intermediate passing game, which the Cowboys have the speed to overtake. Dallas is also walking into tonight with a healthier roster than ever, this opens up a lot of new opportunities for Dallas that Philadelphia isn’t prepped for. This rivalry is dubbed one of the best in the NFL. Whoever you cheer on, get ready for a close game between America’s Team and The Birds.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/ Richard Rodriguez
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