Will the Eagles stay hot against Dallas?
Eagles vs Cowboys is one of the fiercest rivalries in the NFL and even though both teams have already qualified for the playoffs, nobody wants to lose on Saturday. Therefore, we also expect a tough fight.
In addition, there is also the matter of the seedings, where the Cowboys can still reach position 3, the Eagles in the best case still rank 6. Also, a direct meeting in the first playoff round is not yet completely out of reach.
But which team will now put a little more effort into the game to win it? We reckon that the Eagles will not want to lose both duels this season, and certainly not at home at the end of the season.
Therefore, the -7 points in handicap for Dallas is already a very thick cushion. For Eagles vs Cowboys, our prediction is a slightly closer game that should ultimately be decided by a big play or a mistake.
Kickoff of the Saturday Night Game of NFL Match Week 18 is on Sunday night at 02:15 in Philadelphia. The match can be watched live on DAZN.
Philadelphia Eagles – Statistics & current form
The Eagles are in the playoffs. Just a few weeks ago, this scenario seemed quite unlikely, but six wins out of their last seven games let them slip ahead of higher betting teams like the Saints or the Vikings.
With this upswing, even in the postseason things are still possible, mainly thanks to their running game. At 160.4 yards per game, Philly boasts the best rushing offense in the entire NFL – and that’s even with a few yards to spare.
Eagles successful via the run
Although you might think their opponents should have found a cure for Jalen Hurts, Boston Scott and company by now, that’s not the case. Against Washington on Sunday, they again scored their only two touchdowns via the run.
With all this strength, however, Philly has to ask themselves how well they can respond if they ever face a team with an outstanding run defence. This should certainly be exciting in the postseason then.
Game of equals expected
But against Dallas on Saturday, this shouldn’t be essential yet, as they are allowing quite a bit at 110.6 yards per game. That’s part of the reason why we see the Eagles much closer to the Cowboys than the oddsmakers do.
Seven whole points less and that at home – the disadvantage of the Eagles is not that high from a betting basis point of view, which is why a bet on Philadelphia +7 is our preferred betting option for Eagles vs. Cowboys.
Key Players:
QB: Jalen Hurts
RB: Boston Scott
WR: DeVonta Smith
TE: Dallas Goedert
K: Jake Elliott
Dallas Cowboys – stats & current form
The Cowboys are far too inconsistent to really be counted among the favourites for the Super Bowl. After an outstanding 56:14 against Washington, they then lost at home to the struggling Cardinals.
Their record against teams with a winning record now stands at 2:4. This suggests that they can only play big when their opponents are one size smaller. Incidentally, also the most important point their critics always make.
Gallup out with cruciate ligament tear
To make matters worse, they now have to do without Michael Gallup for the rest of the season, who tore his ACL on a touchdown catch against Arizona. With Cooper and Lamb also banged up on and off, this is a tough loss for Dallas.
However, thanks to Wilson and Schultz, they still have enough depth at the receiver positions to compensate for this. The shoe is also on the other foot offensively: in their running game.
They only managed 45 rushing yards against the Cards, even though Elliott and Pollard are both fit at the moment. The fact that Prescott was their best rusher with 20 yards does not necessarily speak for the two running backs.
Without a running game, it will be difficult against Philly
For example, Elliot scored on nine runs for a total of 16 yards on Sunday, while Pollard also managed just nine on three runs. If that weakness can’t be fixed as soon as possible, goodbye America’s Team.
Since they also have their problems defensively against the run, we don’t see the matchup with Philadelphia as perfect for them. For Philly vs. Dallas, the odds on the Eagles +7 are therefore much more bettable than on Dallas with this rather high handicap.
Key Players:
QB: Dak Prescott
RB: Ezekiel Elliott
WR: Amari Cooper
TE: Dalton Schultz
K: Greg Zuerlein
Philadelphia Eagles – Dallas Cowboys Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
The last two direct duels both went to the Cowboys. However, these also took place in Dallas. Both last meetings in Philadelphia were won by the Eagles – in absolute low scoring games.
17:9 and 23:9 were the two results and apart from a close game, another crystal-clear prognosis is that these scores should be clearly surpassed. Both top-offenses alone speak for this.
With 29.9 (Dallas) and 26.1 (Philly), two of the best offensive lines meet, which is why a bet on over-points for Eagles against Cowboys is also a good possibility for top value.
Philadelphia Eagles – Dallas Cowboys Pick
The stats of these two teams have been getting closer and closer in recent weeks. Offensively, the Boys are now only 3.8 points ahead of Philly, while defensively they are allowing just 0.1 points less. This 3.9 point difference is also much more obvious to us than the +7 of the bookmakers.
Therefore, a bet on Philly +7 is the most promising option for Philadelphia vs. Dallas. Especially when we consider that the game also takes place in Philadelphia, where the Cowboys have not won since 2018.
Alternatively, though, betting on over-points is a good option in this matchup. The Eagles are averaging 26.1 points, while Dallas is averaging 29.9, for a combined 56.0 total points, far more than the 42.5 projected.
