The Eagles are underdogs against the Cowboys in Dallas

It’s really too bad we didn’t get to see a Philadelphia Eagles win combined with a Dallas Cowboys loss in Week 2. The juice levels would’ve been off the charts for an 2-0 Eagles squad going down south to take on an 0-2 Cowboys team.

Instead, both sides are 1-1 heading into a Week 3 Monday Night Football matchup. Still obviously an important game with the winner potentially taking the top spot in the NFC East.

The Birds are coming off a frustrating loss in which they failed to capitalize on prime opportunities to earn a win over the San Francisco 49ers. Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts both showed growing pains. (Or, at least, that’s what one would hope to classify them as.) The vibes shifted in a bad way following Jalen Reagor’s non-touchdown catch on Sunday afternoon.

The Cowboys are trending in a more positive direction, for their sake. After scoring a “moral victory” over the reigning Super Bowl champions in Week 1, they edged out a good Los Angeles Chargers team on the road in Week 2. Breakout performances from Tony Pollard (16 touches for 140 yards and one touchdown) and rookie linebacker-turned-edge rusher Micah Parsons (league-high seven pressures) helped the Cowboys secure their first victory.

Given recent events and higher expectations for Dallas heading into 2021, no one will be surprised to see Dallas is favored on Monday night. The Cowboys are 3.5-point favorites against the Eagles, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. That’s half of a point more than the standard home favorite line.

For what it’s worth, the Cowboys don’t have the best history as home favorites under head coach Mike McCarthy. Take a look for yourself:

For context, only two teams — the Chiefs and the Jets — have been worse against the spread since the beginning of 2020. And only four other teams are winless against the spread as home favorites: the 49ers (0-3), the Giants (0-1), the Jets (0-1), and the Jaguars (0-1). Thus, the Cowboys lead the league in home favorite ATS losses.

Of course, all of this data came from last year, when the Cowboys were largely without Dak Prescott for most of the season. Having him back is kind of a significant deal. AT&T Stadium should be pretty fired up for his first game back there since getting hurt. Not to mention the extra energy that comes with a nationally televised game against a hated division rival.

I’d be lying if I said I felt amazing about the Eagles in this spot. Sirianni and Hurts aren’t yet proven entities that can merely be counted on. The Graham and Brooks injuries could hurt the Eagles where they’re supposed to be their strongest: in the trenches. Dallas may have turned a corner with their Week 2 win.

I do think Philly will keep this close, which makes the points tempting in this scenario. But I think the Eagles are going to lose this game.

What say you?

RELATED CONTENT: RJ Ochoa of Blogging The Boys and I previewed this Eagles-Cowboys matchup further on the latest episode of the NFC East Mixtape.