The top two teams in the NFC East face off this weekend when the Dallas Cowboys (10-4, 7-1 home) welcome its rival, the Philadelphia Eagles (13-1, 7-0 away), to the Lone Star State. Philadelphia knocked off Dallas earlier this season at home, 26-17.
Saturday’s kickoff is at 4:25 p.m. EST inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Dallas is a 4.5-point favorite, and the over/under total is 46.5 points.
What to Know – Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia heads to Texas on a five-game winning streak and the best record in the NFL. The Eagles would lock up the NFC East Division and a first-round bye with a win this weekend over Dallas.
Equipped with one of the top offenses in the NFL, the Eagles have the highest-scoring offense in the NFC, averaging 29.4 points and 394.1 yards of total offense per game. Philadelphia’s defense also sits in the top 10 of the league, allowing 19.1 points and 293.5 yards per game to opposing teams.
Jalen Hurts will sit out Saturday’s battle with a shoulder injury, handing over the quarterbacking duties to backup Gardner Minshew. Philadelphia is healthy outside of Hurts’ injury and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s stint on the injured reserve.
The Eagles are 8-6 against the spread but only 2-5 ATS on the road. Philadelphia is 1-5 ATS in its previous six contests on the road against the Cowboys.
What to Know – Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys imploded last week in the fourth quarter to allow the Jacksonville Jaguars to overcome a 17-point deficit and knock off Dallas. The loss broke a four-game winning streak for the Cowboys and nearly eliminated Dallas from a shot at the division.
Right behind the Eagles is the Cowboys’ offense scoring 28.1 points and tallying 362.3 yards of total offense. Defensively, Dallas is just as strong, holding teams to 19.2 points and surrendering 324.6 yards of offense.
Starting linebacker Leighton Vander Esch will miss Saturday’s contest with a shoulder injury. Fellow linebacker Micah Parsons and safety Trevon Diggs are both listed as questionable with illnesses and would be a huge blow to the Cowboys’ defense if one or both aren’t able to go. On offense, Dallas is ready to go with a healthy starting lineup.
Dallas is 8-6 ATS this year and 5-3 ATS inside AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys have a 1-5-1 record ATS in their previous seven contests played at home on a Saturday.
The Pick is In
These two teams are very similar statistically, and both rank highly in many offense and defensive categories. The loss of Hurts is going to change the Eagles’ offense, and while Minshew has plenty of NFL experience, he doesn’t bring the skill set that Hurts brought under center.
A rivalry game at home and Dallas looking to avoid a season sweep against their rival plays into the Cowboy’s hands. We like Dallas to pressure Minshew and find the endzone enough to cover this one.
The Pick: Dallas Cowboys -4.5
