Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys Playoffs Prediction

Philadelphia makes a return trip to Dallas after Sunday's ugly 24-0 loss which cost the division title and a would-be bye this weekend.  Here we bring you our Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys Playoffs prediction and betting preview courtesy of our friends at Sportsbook.com.

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Instead, the Cowboys will play as NFC East Champs, getting the advantage of playing at home where they are 6-2 SU & 5-3 ATS so far in '09. They will also play as the favorite of 3 ½-points, and getting the support of 56% of bettors at Sportsbook.com.

With back-to-back shutouts, Dallas finished as the NFC's best defense in terms of points allowed at 15.6 PPG. Of course, they also gained a lofty 7.8 yards per pass attempt, so it would seem Dallas is ready to break a 13-year playoff-win drought.

The Eagles have been a NFC playoff fixture this decade and reached the conference championship game as the #6 seed last January. They are 10-7 SU & 11-6 ATS in the postseason under Andy Reid, including 4-0 SU & 3-1 ATS in the Wild-Card round.

It wasn't long ago-approximately a year-that Tony Romo's biggest nightmare was the Philadelphia Eagles. After leading Dallas to a sweep of the season series, perhaps the tables have been turned completely around.

The Cowboys swept the regular-season series for the first time since 2005, and Romo continued his stellar play down the stretch, throwing for 311 yards and two touchdowns. Over his last six games, Romo has thrown for 1,859 yards and 11 scores with just two interceptions.

The tandem of Marion Barber and Felix Jones combined for 182 yards and a score on 29 carries in Week 17 and each ripped off runs of more than 30 yards. Romo comfortably completed 24 passes with throws of at least 25 yards to three different receivers, snapping the Eagles six-game winning streak.

What's troublesome for Philadelphia is the fact that the offense, which averaged a healthy 31.2 points during the winning streak, went completely into the tank and scored just 16 points in two games against the Cowboys.

Only one other team held the scoring unit below 22 points-Oakland. McNabb, meanwhile, turned in one of the best seasons of his career despite missing two games due to broken ribs and couldn't solve the Dallas defense.

In two games, he was sacked seven times and threw one touchdown and a pair of interceptions, completing just 36 of his 66 throws. If there's one player in particular the Eagles need to be aware of that isn't named DeMarcus Ware, it might be Jay Ratliff. The fifth-year nose tackle has recorded 16 tackles, with three sacks and two fumble recoveries, in the last four meetings.

History is on Philadelphia's side when it comes to the postseason and production. Since 2000, Philadelphia has advanced to the playoffs seven times and won each of its seven opening games. The Cowboys haven't enjoyed a postseason victory since 1996 when it knocked off Minnesota in the wild-card round. Jerry Jones' franchise has lost its last six playoff games and failed to score more than 20 points in any of them.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys Playoffs Prediction: 

Romo has now overcome two of his biggest demons-Philadelphia and regular-season games in December and January. Now, he gets a shot to clear another hurdle by winning his first playoff game after losses in 2007 (Carolina) and ‘08 (Giants). The way Barber and Jones performed in Week 17, coupled with the defense's sparkling stretch run, points to another milestone victory for Romo.

DALLAS 21 - PHILADELPHIA 17

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Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter