Statschecker: Eagles At Cowboys: 5 Things To Consider
Sunday Night Football doesn’t always present fans with a marquee match-up. This week is a different story though. The clash between the Eagles and Cowboys will have big time ramifications on the NFC playoff race. Both teams come into the game at a disappointing record of 3-3. The winner will grab a crucial lead in the NFC East.
Dallas enters the game as 2.5 point favorites over the visitors from Philadelphia, but Jason Garrett and his team are suffering from a three game losing streak. The Eagles don’t enter the game flying high either. They were handled by the Vikings with ease last week in a 38-20 defeat that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.
There’s going to be tons of action on this game considering its place on the schedule and the teams involved. Checking out our Statschecker Site can give you a large advantage over the betting public. Make sure to check it out before you make your final bets. In this piece, you’ll learn five interesting nuggets of information about the game that you can learn from the site.
1. The Eagles don’t like losing
A team with as much pride on the roster as Philadelphia possesses isn’t going to cower away after a loss. Instead, expect the Eagles to play with a real edge against Dallas.
That reality is easily understood when you take a look at the team’s recent results after a loss. The Eagles have covered the spread in 11 of their last 13 games following a loss. Given this game’s spread, it represents a really intriguing case for backing Philadelphia to win outright.
2. Sunday nights are still screwy
Each of the last four match-ups on Sunday Night Football have been won by the underdogs. That could be simple coincidence, but it’s also possible that teams are struggling to handle the pressure of playing under the national spotlight.
Neither of these teams is afraid of playing under the bright lights. The Eagles might upset the Cowboys, but it’s not going to be a result of any nerves on the Dallas sideline. Even so, it might be safe to expect some strange happenings to occur in this game.
3. Both teams like to go over
Coming into the game, both teams are 4-2 in terms of hitting the over on the campaign. Six games isn’t a terribly large sample size, but it does give us something to go on. Each team is tied for 3rd place in the NFL in that category.
A shootout on Sunday night is definitely a possibility. The Eagles have one of the weakest secondaries in the NFL. If both of Dak Prescott’s starting tackles return healthy for this game, he could have a field day throwing against them.
The Eagles can score points in bunches as well with Carson Wentz at the helm. Dallas is only giving up 19 points per game, but their soft early schedule is making their defense look stronger than it really is.
4. The Cowboys are bad against the spread at home
Jerry Jones built his franchise a wonderful new stadium, but it hasn’t been overly kind to the Cowboys. Since 2011, Dallas has only covered the spread a shade over 35% of the time.
That’s particularly concerning when you consider how average some of Garrett’s recent teams have been. It’s not like the Cowboys have been forced to cover a ton of big numbers. This team has a nasty habit of playing to their opponents’ potential instead of their own. If that happens against the Eagles, the Cowboys are going to run their losing streak all the way to four games.
5. Three in a row
Interestingly, the Cowboys have managed to win three games in a row in this series. Strangely, their margin of victory in all three games has stayed within the range of 6-7 points.
In other words, it’s fair to expect a close game. It’s also possible that the Cowboys simply have the Eagles’ number. That may be a strange thing to say about a coaching match-up between Garrett and Doug Pederson, but funny things can happen inside division rivalries.
Back the Cowboys due to passing and desperation
Make no mistake about it, if the Cowboys drop this game they are going to suffer a full blown panic in Big D. A win won’t cure all that ails the team, but it will serve as a massive step in the right direction. Their desperation should be palpable right from the opening kickoff.
The tactics also should be in their favor. Prescott will want to throw the ball early and often in this game. That’s a setup for great success against the Eagles’ secondary. Count on the Cowboys skill players to power them to an important victory by at least 6.5 points.