My picks record to date:
Line: 5 - 6
O/U: 6 - 5
Reader record:
Line: 6 - 5
O/U: 9 - 2
This week's lines:
Eagles +3 (+105)
Cowboys -3 (-125)
Over 56 (-110)
Under 56 (-110)
Reviewing last week:
The Eagles took care of business, as did we. 2-0 for the third time in three weeks, putting me in position to make a run at >55%. for the year. Not much to take away from the game itself, the Eagles are a much better team and the result reflects that.
This week's game:
This is a big game, no way around it. BUT, I want to remind everyone that the Eagles don't "need" this win by any stretch of the imagination. Looking at the rest of the schedule, as long as the Eagles win against Washington and the Giants to close out the season, going 1-2 over the DAL-SEA-DAL set gets the team to 11-5. Here's the key: as long as that win comes against Dallas, the Eagles are in really good shape to win the division. The Cowboys still have games against Chicago and Indianapolis, and I don't think they'll win both. By virtue of the Cowboys' loss to Washington, the above results would give the Eagles a tiebreaker over Dallas for the division (better division record).
So...a win tomorrow takes a lot of pressure off the team and keeps them in the race for a bye, but a loss really isn't THAT damaging. It would just mean the Eagles need to win at home against Dallas in two weeks.
Now for the breakdown:
DVOA:
Eagles Overall DVOA: 12.4% (8th)
Cowboys Overall: 8.5% (10th)
Eagles Offense: -2.2% (16th)
Cowboys Defense: 6.1% (25th)
Eagles Defense: -5.3% (8th)
Cowboys Offense: 14.5% (5th)
The Eagles STs reclaimed the #1 ranking, with a DVOA of 9.4%. The Cowboys STs rank 13th at 0.1%.
As you can see, the DVOA suggests a really close game. The Eagles offense has struggled to find consistency, but the Cowboys defense is in the bottom third of the league. On the other side, the Cowboys offense looks really good, but the Eagles defense is playing well also (notwithstanding the Packers game). As has been the case several time this year, it really could come down to special teams, where the Eagles have a large advantage.
In general, though, the numbers point to a tossup, which squares with the spread (2-3 points for home field).
Opponents in Common
Here's where things look interesting for Eagles fans. These teams have EIGHT opponents in common. Being in the same division will do that for you. Anyway, here are the results:
Jacksonville - Eagles won at home by 17. Cowboys won on the road by 14. (Tie)
Washington - Eagles won at home by 3. Cowboys lost at home by 3. (Advantage Eagles)
49ers - Eagles lost on the road by 5. Cowboys lost at home by 11. (Eagles)
Rams - Eagles won at home by 6. Cowboys won on the road by 3. (Tie)
Giants - Eagles won at home by 27. Cowboys won at home by 10. (Eagles). The Cowboys also beat the Giants on the road by 3.
Arizona - Eagles lost on the road by 4. Cowboys lost at home by 11. (Eagles).
Houston - Eagles won on the road by 10. Cowboys won at home by 3 in OT. (Eagles).
Titans - Eagles won at home by 19. Cowboys won on the road by 16. (Tie).
Now you see why I thought they were interesting for Eagles fans. Of the 8 comps, the Eagles clearly performed better in 5 of them, with the other 3 a coming out as ties (with each exactly accounting for a 3 point home field advantage).
Basically, this says to me that the Eagles, in a vacuum, are probably a slightly better team than the Cowboys. Of course, that doesn't mean a head-to-head matchup would play out that way.
Score Projection
The Cowboys defense ranks 25th by DVOA, just behind Washington and just ahead of Carolina. Against those teams, the Eagles scored 37 and 45 points, both at home. The only other worse defenses the Eagles have played are the Giants and Titans, against whom the Eagles scored 27 and 43. That's a pretty bullish signal for the Eagles offense.
Meanwhile, the Eagles offense ranks 16th, slightly better than San Francisco and Houston. Against those teams, Dallas allowed 28 and 17 points, both at home.
Those are tough results to reconcile. On the season, the Eagles are averaging 31.1 ppg, while Dallas is allowing 21.8 ppg. Facing a poor defense, it seems unfair to expect the Eagles to perform below average, but you could say the same thing from the other perspective. Overall, I think an expectation between those averages is reasonable, but the results point strongly to the high end of the range. With that, I'm setting the Eagles projection at 28-30 points.
The Cowboys offense ranks 5th by DVOA, a few spots below GB but with a large value gap (10% DVOA). Unfortunately, the next highest ranking offense that the Eagles have faced is Indianapolis, now ranked 13th with a DVOA of 3.1%. Against them, on the road, the Eagles allowed 27 points. Against GB, the Eagles allowed 53. For obvious reasons, I think the Colts is a better comp, but neither of them is a really strong match.
From the other side, the Eagles defense ranks 8th, just behind Seattle and a few spots ahead of Jacksonville. Against those teams, the Cowboys scored 30 and 31 points, both on the road. Knock those up a couple of points for home/road and combined it with the Indy comp and we're left with a range of 29-31 points.
On the season, the Cowboys are averaging 26.5 ppg, so a range starting at 29 against a good defense seems generous. The Eagles are allowing an average of 25 ppg, but have only played one offense better than Dallas, against whom they were destroyed. Factor in home field and I don't see any good reason to adjust the range. I'm setting Dallas at 29-31.
That gives us a score projection of Dallas 29-31, Eagles 28-30. In other words, a razor thin margin, and well within our relatively wide margin of error. We also haven't adjusted for the STs advantage, which I think is worth 1-2 points. That puts us dead on a 50/50 game. In that case, take the points.
I'm terrified of Dez Bryant against the Eagles' secondary, and Tony Romo is a much better QB than most Philly fans like to admit. HOWEVER, the Dallas O-Line hype-train is a little out of control right now. The run-blocking has been great, but that plays into the Eagles strength (relatively). The pass-blocking, on the other hand, has not been good. Romo is taking sacks at a rate of 6.3%. Demarco Murray has 7 TDs...but 5 fumbles.
I'd feel a lot better if Nick Foles was the QB, since I think 2 interceptions is inevitable for Sanchez, but the Cowboys could very easily give those TOs right back. In all, buckle your seat belts, because this should be a wild game.
The O/U is 56 at Bovada, but you can get it at 55.5 other places. Regardless, my projection points to a range of 58-62, depending on how you factor the Eagles STs. That means take the over, which the Eagles have now hit in 8 of 11 games this season.