Cowboys-Eagles Sunday Night Game Line at -3.5 in Favor of Philadelphia
The Cowboys-Eagles Sunday Night game featured a line of -3.5 favoring Philadelphia. This line has not moved at Sportsbook.com. The total was 51. Dallas comes into this game with a 3-3 record and are looking to build on that. Philadelphia was at 2-4.
One of the NFL’s nastiest rivalries resumes Sunday night in Philadelphia when the hated Cowboys roll into town.
Both teams have big-play offenses that are prone to making mistakes. The follies of Tony Romo have been well-chronicled, but it’s Philly who leads the NFL in turnovers (17). Last December in Dallas, the Eagles got big play after big play in a 30-27 win over the Cowboys. But it’s what happened in their last game this season that’s encouraging for Philly. After allowing opponents to run all over them in their first five games, they held Washington to just 42 yards on 14 carries in Week 6, and they had a bye week to further improve their run defense. Those early-season defensive struggles are among the reasons they’re only a small favorite in this game, but Philly obviously has the offensive firepower to run up the score on Dallas.
Dallas has won four of the past five meetings (SU and ATS) with Philly, but this game could come down to whether the Cowboys running game can keep it going against a suspect Eagles run defense. Rookie RB DeMarco Murray is coming off a franchise-record 253 rushing yards in a 34-7 blowout win over the lowly Rams. This was the first Dallas game this year that was decided by more than four points. The ever-erratic Romo has been just that in this series. In 10 meetings with the Eagles, he has thrown for 180 yards per game, 10 TD and 10 INT. However, he finally has all three of his top receivers healthy. The trio of WR Dez Bryant, WR Miles Austin and TE Jason Witten have all 11 of the team’s TD catches and have combined for 22 gains of 20+ yards this year.
The Dallas defense has certainly improved under new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan this year. The Cowboys lead the NFL in rushing defense (69.7 YPG) and have forced 12 turnovers in six games. They could be without their top cornerback though, as Terence Newman is questionable with a hand injury.
Last December, it was the big play that led Philly to a 30-27 win. DeSean Jackson had 210 yards on four catches and LeSean McCoy had 149 yards on just 16 carries. The Cowboys showed the world they could rush the football, but the Eagles also know a thing or two about gaining yards on the ground. McCoy and QB Michael Vick continue to propel the NFL’s top-ranked rushing offense (170 YPG). But Vick has struggled throwing the football, with a pedestrian 84.4 QB rating (9 TD, 8 INT). Last year, Vick had a 100.2 QB rating (21 TD, 6 INT). In Vick’s lone start against Dallas in an Eagles uniform last year, he was 16-of-26 for 270 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT and rushed for 16 yards and another score. WR Jeremy Maclin is having a great season, catching 36 passes for 469 yards and 3 TD in his past five games. Philadelphia has an unhealthy streak of five consecutive games with multiple turnovers.
On defense, the Eagles could get a nice boost if DE Trent Cole returns to the field. Cole, who has five sacks in eight career meetings with Dallas, has missed the past two games with a calf injury, but has resumed practicing this week. The passing defense ranks 10th in the league (214 YPG) and has allowed just one opponent to throw for 250 yards this year (49ers 278).
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
