Dallas Cowboys vs Philadelphia Eagles 01/08/2022 NFL Preview and Prediction

The Dallas Cowboys close out their 2021 regular season campaign against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday.

Dallas clinched the NFC East and has already booked a spot in the playoffs but will be hoping to get help from other teams to still possibly finish as the 2nd seed in the NFC. The Cowboys are also this win away from sweeping their games against their division rivals this season. Dallas suffered a 25-22 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in their last game and would want to enter the playoffs on a high note.

Meanwhile, the Eagles have also booked a spot in the playoffs. Although they are the likely 7th seed, Philadelphia still has an opportunity to finish higher at no. 6 but like Dallas, they need help from the other teams to do it. Philadelphia will be in a tough spot here though with more than 10 players, including starters, placed on their COVID-19 list. With that predicament, it is expected that they will rest their starters, including QB Jalen Hurts to avoid any untoward injury.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys are the no. 1 scoring team in the NFL at 29.9 points per game. They rank 2nd in total offense at 402.8 yards per game and 3rd in passing at 281.0 yards per contest. Dak Prescott has thrown for 4,154 passing yards with 32 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Ezekiel Elliott has rushed for 915 yards and 10 scores while CeeDee Lamb is the team’s top receiver with 77 catches for 1,057 receiving yards and six touchdown grabs.

Dallas ranks only 19th in total yards allowed at 353.3 per game. They are 24th in passing defense at 242.7 yards per game allowed and 10th in rushing defense at 110.6 yards per game conceded. The Cowboys rank first in the NFL with 33 takeaways and they are allowing just 20.8 points per game this season. Micah Parsons has 13 interceptions while Trevon Diggs has 11 interceptions for Dallas.

Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia has the NFL’s best running game at 160.4 rushing yards per game. They are only 22nd in passing at only 202.4 passing yards per game and are 14th in total offense at 362.8 yards per outing. The Eagles also rank 12th in scoring at 26.1 points per game. Jalen Hurts has 3,141 passing yards with 16 passing TDs and 9 interceptions. He is also the team’s leading rusher with 748 rushing yards and 10 rushing scores. Devonta Smith is the team’s leading receiver with 61 catches for 875 receiving yards with 5 TDs.

The Eagles rank 9th in the NFL in points allowed at 20.9 points per game. They are also 7th in total yards allowed at 319.7 per game. Philadelphia allows 215.8 passing yards and 103.9 rushing yards per game this season and ranks 23rd in the NFL with 16 takeaways. Alex Singleton has 137 tackles while Javon Hargrove and Josh Sweat have 7.5 quarterback sacks each and Darius Slay three picks for Philadelphia.

Who Wins?

Dallas is 4-1 SU in their last five games played. The Cowboys are 6-2 SU in eight road games played this season, and 5-0 SU in their last five games against the NFC East. Philadelphia is 6-1 SU in their last seven games played. The Eagles are just 3-4 SU in seven home games played this season but 5-1 SU in their last six games against the NFC.

The Cowboys have locked up a playoff spot and their division but there are still a couple of reasons to win this game. One, they still have a chance of finishing no. 2 in the NFC although that is not under their full control at this stage. Second, Dallas has a chance to sweep their division games this year and that’s something Dak Prescott said in an interview is a goal.

Although they too have already qualified for the postseason, Philadelphia can also move up to sixth in the standings although, like Dallas, they would need help from the other teams. Still, this game has meaning to them, as it has for their opponent. However, the Eagles have placed 12 players on the COVID-19 list and that could affect their chance to win this game.

Dallas too, has players on the COVID-19 list, including rookie Micah Parsons. But without several key players, the Eagles are expected to rest Jalen Hurts rather than risk him getting hurt. Because of that, I am going with the Cowboys.

Prediction: Dallas Cowboys -210

Other Bets to Make

Dallas is 4-1 ATS in their last five games played. The Cowboys are 10-1 ATS in their last 11 games against the NFC, 4-0 ATS in their last four games as road favorites, 5-1 ATS in their last six games after a straight-up loss, 4-1 ATS in their last five games after an ATS loss, 4-1 ATS in their last five games as favorite, 19-7 ATS in their last 26 games against the NFC East, and 7-1 ATS in their last eight road games.

Philadelphia is 4-0 ATS in their last four games after an ATS loss, 7-2 ATS in their last nine January games, 3-1-1 ATS in their last five games played on grass, 3-1-1 ATS in their last five home games, 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight games against the NFC, but 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games against the NFC East and 2-4 ATS in their last six Saturday games played.

Head to head, the Cowboys are 6-2 ATS in the last 8 meetings. The betting favorite is also 9-3 ATS in the last 12 encounters between these two teams.

Both teams are missing key players due to COVID-19 right now but it looks like the Eagles have been hit worse by the virus than the Cowboys and Dallas also has the more talented team.

Philadelphia is more likely to rest its starters than Dallas, although both still have valid reasons to win this game. But given the Eagles’ situation, they will be more hard-pressed to pick up a win than the Cowboys.

When Dak Prescott said they wanted the sweep, he sounded serious, and with Joe Burrow still chasing him in the Comeback Player of the Year odds boards, this could be what seals the deal with Burow sitting out his team’s final game. The Cowboys look short-handed in defense but Dak and the offense will make up for it.

Prediction: Cowboys -4.5

The total has gone under in 8 out of the Cowboys’ last 10 games played. The under is 5-0 in their last five games played on the road, 6-1 in their last six against the NFC, 7-1 in their last eight as road favorites, 5-1 in their last six games played on grass, 7-3 in their last 10 games after an ATS loss, 5-2 in their last seven games against an opponent with a winning record, and 17-5 in their last 22 road games against an opponent with a winning home record.

The total has gone over in seven out of the last 10 games played by the Eagles. The over is 5-1 in their last six games played at home, 4-1 in their last five games against an opponent with a winning road record, 5-2 in their last seven games played on grass, and 5-1 in their last six games when their opponent accumulates more than 250 yards passing in their previous game.

The Cowboys are the top-scoring team in the NFL this season at 29.9 points per game. They are also 7th in scoring defense but with several defensive players including Micah Parsons on the COVID-19 list, they will try to win this game with their offense, not defense.

The Eagles are in the upper half of the league in scoring and have the league’s best rushing offense which could eat up plenty of time. However, with the expectation that Jalen Hurts will be rested due to the team missing several key starters, Gardner Minshew will likely get the start. Minshew magic is known for his offense and that will help the Cowboys push the score over the total.

Prediction: Over 43

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