Cowboys vs. Eagles Odds, Preview, Picks, and Prediction

by Nick Galaida (nickgalaida) Last Updated 2022-01-08 15:39:39

Cowboys vs. Eagles Odds

On Saturday evening, the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles will battle at Lincoln Financial Field. Entering play, the Cowboys have clinched the NFC East, and have only a minimal chance of improving their playoff seeding in this Week 18 affair. The Eagles are locked into a Wild Card position, leaving little incentive for them to play their starters for the entire duration of this contest. On the official injury report, Dallas has listed safety Jayron Kearse, and safety Donovan Wilson as questionable. Cornerback Trevon Diggs and running back Tony Pollard have already been ruled out. This group also placed Micah Parsons, Tyron Smith, and Anthony Brown in COVID protocols earlier this week. Philadelphia has ruled out running back Miles Sanders, and has listed guard Landon Dickerson and tackle Lane Johnson as questionable.

Playing for playoff seeding, oddsmakers anticipate the Cowboys taking this game more seriously than the Eagles, pricing Dallas as a four-point favorite on the spread. Let’s take a deeper dive into the matchup before revealing our Saturday Night Football pick.

Cowboys -4

Prior to losing at home to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17, the Cowboys had won four consecutive games–outscoring their opponents by 74 points across that stretch of action. Dak Prescott has been outstanding in recent weeks, totaling eight touchdowns and zero interceptions in his last three games played. The absence of Tyron Smith on the offensive line is notable, as he is arguably the Cowboys’ best run- and pass-blocker.

On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Micah Parsons, and cornerback Anthony Brown are tremendous losses for this unit. Parsons has graded as the best linebacker in the NFL this season, per Pro Football Focus. Brown has been one of Dallas’ best coverage cornerbacks this fall. Through 17 weeks, only the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots have held opposing quarterbacks to a lower passer rating, but this Cowboys defense is likely to be a shell of itself on Saturday against the Eagles.

Eagles +4

Philadelphia still has 12 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, per SB Nation. These players include notable names such as defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, safety Marcus Epps, tight end Dallas Goedert, offensive guard Nate Herbig, running back Jordan Howard, cornerback Avonte Maddox, Safety Rodney McLeod, running back Boston Scott, and linebacker Alex Singleton. If symptom-free, many of these players are eligible to return prior to Saturday–but bettors should not count on all of them being reinstated to the active roster. Even if they do suit up, there are likely to be negative implications for their performance after missing an entire week of practice.

Gardner Minshew figures to see quite a bit of time under center in this one, presuming that Philadelphia rests the majority of their starters. When Minshew started against the New York Jets earlier this year, he completed 20-of-25 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns. Much of the season-long statistics on both sides of the ball mean very little in this one, considering the fact that there will be a number of key players missing in a game that means nothing for the Eagles.

Cowboys vs. Eagles Prediction

It is hard to emphasize enough how little this game means to Philadelphia. It would be surprising if Head Coach Nick Sirianni plays his starters much, if at all, on Saturday. Dallas figures to give their starters at least some playing time, and it is possible that the Cowboys play their starters for nearly the entire game after Jerry Jones commented earlier in the week that he wanted his team to play to win this weekend after a Week 17 loss. Do not bet the house on a game featuring so much uncertainty, but the Cowboys are the smart lean.

PICK: Cowboys -4

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