Eagles vs Cowboys betting odds – Eagles, Cowboys ready for round 3

The Eagles vs Cowboys betting odds sets up a rematch from Week 17 and a third game between the two NFC East rivals. The Cowboys have won both matchups this year and online betting sharps know that the Eagles are stinging from the latest loss, which not only cost them the No. 2 seed in the NFC and a bye week, but also cost them the NFC East title. The Eagles were thrashed last week and there isn’t much reason to believe it won’t happen again.

SportsbookCowboys -4, O/U: 45

What’s On The Line?
The Eagles extended the contract of head coach Andy Reid midseason and while he has built the Eagles into a perennial playoff contender, they haven’t been much more than that. The reason for it? Reid never likes to run the ball. The Eagles have to be second-guessing themselves a little bit if the Eagles once again make the playoffs and once again go home early.

For Dallas, the pressure is on. They got over their annual December jitters and now they have a great shot at getting over their playoff woes. A playoff win validates their season but a loss likely sends coach Wade Phillips to the unemployment line. This is an important game for Dallas.

Offensive Matchups: Eagles vs Cowboys betting odds
The Eagles offense has disappeared in the two games against Dallas, scoring just a total of 16 points. In those games, the Eagles haven’t bothered running the football and stud wideout DeSean Jackson has produced just five catches and 76 yards. The Eagles have also given up eight sacks in the two games. The Eagles must run the ball to take the pressure off of Donovan McNabb and the passing game, but this is a team that had the fifth-fewest rushing attempts in the NFL.

Dallas’ offense is about as hot as it gets right now. Quarterback Tony Romo has posted a quarterback rating of 100.0 or higher in five of his last six games while Miles Austin has 746 receiving yards and four touchdowns in that same span. Throw in the always steady Jason Witten and two running backs that carved the Eagles up last week and the Eagles have a problem. They’ll need to force some Romo mistakes to stay in this game.

Betting Edge:Cowboys

Defensive Matchups: Eagles vs Cowboys betting odds
The Eagles defense has been exposed a little bit against Dallas as the weak linebacking corps doesn’t have the speed to keep up with the running backs and has trouble with Witten. The Eagles blitz schemes haven’t gotten home to Romo either, which has rendered this unit highly ineffective in the two games. The Eagles offense has been smoked in the time of possession battle, which has forced this defense to play far more than they would like. This unit gave up 27 passing touchdowns this year, which is far too much.

Meanwhile, Dallas’ defense has owned the line of scrimmage against Philadelphia and considering the Eagles are without their starting center, Jamaal Jackson, that only compounds their problems. The Cowboys have eight sacks in two games against Philadelphia and they haven’t allowed any rushing yards. If they force the Eagles to be one-dimensional again, this won’t be much of a contest.

Betting Edge:Cowboys

Notable Injuries: Eagles vs Cowboys betting odds
The Eagles have a couple of key injuries as DeSean Jackson reaggravated his groin injury and won’t be 100% while tight end Brent Celek also has a sore knee and won’t be 100%. Both will play but both won’t be at their best, which is a concern.

Betting Edge:Cowboys

Over/Under Picks: Eagles vs Cowboys betting odds
Most NFL betting pundits are suggesting the over but both contests haven’t been close to 45 points this year. The Cowboys path to victory is to run the ball and dominate the time of possession, and if they do that, they will milk this clock into an under. Meanwhile, the Eagles only score on big plays but the Cowboys have shut those down. Under is the play here.

Pick: Under 45

Outlook and Pick: Eagles vs Cowboys betting
This is just a bad matchup for the Eagles. They don’t have the edge on the line of scrimmage on either side of the ball, which means their passing game is constantly under duress and their blitzing schemes are not making an impact.

The Cowboys will have the pressure on this week so look for them to be more uptight than last week but this is a team that is hot right now.

Since 1970, two teams have played three times in a season 19 times and 12 times there were sweeps. That’s a telling stat. Look for that trend to continue as the Cowboys win for a third time.

STAN'S PICK:Cowboys -4

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