Sunday Night Football has a battle for supremacy in the NFC East when the Dallas Cowboys visit the Philadelphia Eagles. Of course that’s not saying much since both clubs have won just twice this season and the entire division has seven wins. Still, first place at the end of the season gets the champion as much of a chance as a 14-win team once the postseason begins. Things keep getting worse for the Cowboys, who lost Dak Prescott to a season-ending injury a few weeks ago and watched backup Andy Dalton get concussed on a cheap shot last week. With Dalton still in concussion protocol we could see rookie Ben DiNucci get his first NFL start in a pivotal matchup.
The matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles will take place Sunday, November 1, 2020, at 8:20 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field. The game will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
Cowboys vs Eagles Betting Odds
Dallas Cowboys +8
Philadelphia Eagles -8
Over/Under 43.5
(Source: BookMaker.eu)
The quarterback situation in Dallas has some books waiting for clarity with odds not posted. Those that have put up a line set the Cowboys as big underdogs, as much as +8 at some joints. It’s easy to see why since they’ve been a huge disappointment. Only a botched special teams play by Atlanta and a late field goal in a win over the Giants has kept them from joining the Jets in the winless category. But as far as dysfunction goes, the Boys might have one-upped Gang Green. Closing as a 1-point favorite in their last two games, the Cowboys were smoked by Arizona and Washington by a combined score of 63-13. They are the worst bet in the league going 0-7 ATS.
Philadelphia isn’t without issues, mainly a long list of injuries to key offensive performers. Despite the ailments the Eagles climbed to top of the division with a 22-21 win over the Giants last week. They failed to cover the 5-point spread and are just 2-5 ATS this season. This is a game where waiting to make a wager is the best move. We won’t know Dalton’s status until later in the week and the Eagles have some players poised to make a return, though that likely won’t happen by Sunday night.
Dallas Cowboys
The loss of Prescott hurt the offense, but it goes much deeper than just that. The offensive line has been decimated with tackles Tyron Smith and La’el Collins on IR. Zack Martin and Joe Looney have missed time and the Boys have started seven different line combinations this season. That’s a big reason why they’ve scored a total of 13 points the last two weeks. Now it looks like a seventh-round pick is going to be thrown to the wolves on Sunday night. DiNucci took over for Dalton last week completing 2 of 3 passes for 39 yards. He was sacked three times with constant pressure interrupting his performance.
Can there be a bigger concern than the quarterback position? I would say yes since the defense is abysmal. How bad? Well, the Giants scored 34 against them – they average just 17.4 points for the season. Granted, the G-Men got a touchdown on a pick-six, but still. Dallas has allowed the most points, is last against the run and gives up 408.1 total yards per game. Even with their injuries the Eagles are likely to put up big numbers.
Philadelphia Eagles
That tie back in Week 3 doesn’t look to bad now since it’s what has the Eagles in first place. And Philly has a bunch of injury issues as well, especially on offense. After returning for last week’s win over the Giants, both DeSean Jackson and Lane Johnson are back on the shelf joining a number of other players that includes tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, running back Miles Sanders and receivers Alshon Jeffery and Jalen Reagor. The good news is that most will return at some point setting the Eagles up for a strong finish. It’s just not happening this week.
One area that gives the Eagles an edge is at quarterback, at least it should. Carson Wentz is healthy so that’s a plus, but his play has been subpar. We may have witnessed a coming out last week with Wentz totaling a season-high 359 passing yards with a pair of touchdowns. It was his first 300-yard game of the season. He’s thrown six touchdown passes over the last three weeks, but interceptions continue to be a problem. He’s thrown at least one pick in all but one game and his 10 misfires are tied for the most in the NFL.
Cowboys at Eagles Prediction
Best Bet: Cowboys +8 and OVER 43.5
It’s hard to back the Cowboys with DiNucci as the potential starter. The kid might be a fine quarterback in the league someday, but behind a shaky offensive line and being forced to make plays since the Eagles are going to score makes it problematic. The Eagles are laying a lot of points if the line holds and the Cowboys can’t play much worse than they have the last two weeks, can they? With much hesitation I’m backing the visitors and the points while siding on the OVER.
