Eagles
vs.
Cowboys
Week 8
NFL Pick
10/30/16
All eyes will be on the top two teams in the NFC East when the Eagles visit the Cowboys Sunday night. Philadelphia is 4-2 and is only trailing Dallas (5-1) by a Game. Big stakes, huh? This one will either lead to a two-way tie atop the division or a sizable division lead for the Cowboys. The over/under for this Game is 43, while Dallas stands as a 4.5-point favorite ACCording to the 5Dimes Sportsbook.
Last week may have been a defining moment for the Eagles. They had lost two straight and were sitting at 3-2 but found a way to overcome the NFL’s top overall defense in defeating the Vikings 21-10. Carson Wentz has struggled more over the last three Games as Philadelphia has come back to Earth after their hot start. He’s thrown just three touchdowns and three interceptions in that rough patch.
Jordan Matthews, Darren Sproles and Ryan Mathews have been the most consistent offensive weapons, but they have failed to be any true threat to the opposition. There doesn’t seem to be any guarantee of big performances with these players surround Wentz.
They will go up against a fairly average defense in terms of yards allowed in Dallas. The Cowboys, however, are only averaging giving up 17.8 points per Game. Dallas has even gone Four consecutive Games of allowing fewer than 20 points.
The Cowboys have been led by rookie sensations Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. Prescott has been getting better and better. since their Week 1 loss, he has thrown for over 9.0 yards per attempt in every Game but one. Prescott has also ACCounted for all of his touchdown passes — seven of them — in that time.
Elliott has been one of the most consistently productive players in the league heading into Week 8. He has rushed for at least 134 yards in each of his last Four Games. Elliott has also run the ball at least 15 times in each of those Games as well. For the season, he’s averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
It’s been impressive that Prescott has been playing as well as he has without the likes of WR1 Dez Bryant. Bryant is, however, expected back this week against Philly. It’s hard to determine just how healthy he’ll be and just how much chemistry he and Prescott have been able to form to this point, as there production together has been fairly limited. I figure the more options, the better for the Cowboys.
Philadelphia ranks 5th in overall yards per Game allowed and passing yards allowed per Game. However, they only rank 14th against the run. Elliott should be counted on, again, to have a productive Game.
Our Pick – Cowboys -4