NFL Betting Pick and Prediction: Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

Sunday Night Football consists of a NFC East battle as the Philadelphia Eagles (3-3) travel to AT&T Stadium to take on the Dallas Cowboys.  Tied atop the NFC East, both of these teams would love to knock off their rivals and take control of the division.  Still, both of these teams have had some inconsistencies and will hope to get them figured out heading into the primetime matchup.  Kickoff for this one is scheduled for 8:20 pm ET.

For the Philadelphia Eagles, they had back-to-back wins over the Green Bay Packers (34-27) and New York Jets (31-6) before losing to the Minnesota Vikings (38-20) on the road last week.  Having scored at least 20 points per game throughout the entire season, they will look to keep it rolling Sunday

For the Dallas Cowboys, after starting the season off strong to start the year, it has been all downhill since then.  The Cowboys started off the season with three wins over the Giants, Redskins and Dolphins before dropping three in a row to the Saints, Packers and Jets.  Between Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper, the pieces are there to be dominant offensively, but once again, consistency has escaped them.

The Dallas Cowboys come into this as 2.5-point favorites playing at home.  The over/under for points scored is set at 49.5.

By The Numbers

On the offensive side, these two teams are very similar.  The Philadelphia Eagles rank 9th in the league averaging 26.8 points per game (24.7) on the road while the Cowboys come in one spot later at 10th averaging 25.5 points (30 at home).

On the defensive side, it has been Dallas who has been the superior team. They currently rank 7th in the NFL allowing just 19 points per game (19 at home).  For the Eagles, they fall to 23rd overall allowing 24.8 points per game (20 points at home).

Eagles Trying To Defeat Rivals On The Road

The Philadelphia Eagles have been really solid offensively but defensively has been a little more inconsistent.  Last week, against a less than stellar Kirk cousins, the defense allowed 333 yards and 4 touchdowns through the air.  Both of their starting cornerbacks were out last week and there it is very possible that they will miss again against the Cowboys.  If that is the case, it could be a good day for Dak Prescott.

Offensively, the Eagles are led by quarterback Carson Wentz.  On the season, Wentz is 131 for 214 for 1,458 yards, 12 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.  In 6 games, Wentz has been sacked 10 times.  His leading receivers thus far have been Zach Ertz (33 catches, 366 yards, 1 touchdown) and Alshon Jeffery (24 catches (215 yards, 3 touchdowns).

On the ground, Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders have seemingly split the carries. Jordan Howard has 66 carries for 297 yards and 4 touchdowns.  For Sanders, he has 57 carries for 199 yards.

Cowboys Trying To Get On The Winning Side Again

For the Cowboys, they are hoping their offense can step up to the challenge against a less than dynamic defense.  Leading the way under center is Dak Prescott.  On the season, he has gone 147 for 211 for 1,884 yards, 11 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.  In 6 games, he has only been sacked 7 times.  On the ground, he has rushed 19 times for 133 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Speaking of the ground, Ezekiel Elliott has been solid, but not necessarily spectacular to date.  Thus far he has 113 rushes for 491 yards and 5 touchdowns.  He also has 18 catches for 140 yards.

Through the air, Amari Cooper has been their leader thus far with 33 catches for 515 yards.  He also has 5 touchdowns to date.  It will be interesting, though, as Cooper is questionable with an ankle and quad injury. If he can’t go, that certainly affects the receiving depth and Michael Gallup would probably move to the number one.

Cowboys Get Back In The Win Column

At a 2.5-point spread, which basically is giving a slight edge to Dallas for being a home game, the line indicates that this is basically a pick’em game.  A lot of this one comes down to the health of Amari Cooper. If he is able to go, I really like Dallas in this one.  Even if he can’t, though, I think my bet would still go with Dallas to win and cover. Their defense is solid enough to contain the Eagles’ offense and I think they can exploit the Eagles inconsistent defense with a heavy dose of Elliott which would open up a struggling secondary. I wouldn’t blame you if you went either way, but for my money, I am taking Dallas at -2.5.