By Patrick Del Gaone, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
The 4-2 Philadelphia Eagles enter Sunday night’s divisional matchup against the 5-1 Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium as 4.5-point underdogs, with 71 percent of betters siding with the Cowboys according to VegasInsider. In Philadelphia’s last four games, the favorite has been the pick of choice for at least 60 percent of gamblers. In all four tilts, the underdog won the match outright.
As difficult as NFC East games can be to predict, let’s take a look at how these teams stack up, given what we know.
Cowboys Offense vs. Eagles Defense
Sunday night’s divisional showdown features the Cowboys’ mountainous hog-mollies, undoubtedly the best offensive line in football, against an Eagles’ front four that is considered elite by many around the league, but has been “hit or miss” over the past month.
While Dez Bryant has missed three consecutive games due to injury, it’s been a duo of dynamic rookies, quarterback Dak Prescott and halfback Ezekiel Elliott, who have spearheaded the skilled-position group for Dallas.
Prescott has completed an uncanny 68.7 percent of his passes, while Elliott is playing like the back who carried Ohio State to the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship in 2014.
The former Buckeye leads the NFL in rushing with 703 yards on the ground, at a clip of over five yards per carry. These numbers are even more impressive when you consider that most teams have stacked the box against the Cowboys since Bryant went down with a hairline knee fracture four weeks ago.
Elliott is a one-cut runner who particularly excels running the Outside Zone. If run to the left side, the right guard will cut block the defensive tackle across from him while the rest of the rest of the lineman run block to their left. Often times, the front-seven of the defense will over pursue, and if they do, Elliott plants his left foot in the turf to run “North-and-South” in the cutback crease. For the Eagles to win their second divisional game, they’ll need their linebackers specifically to shed blocks and remain disciplined against the Outside Zone, and the similar Split Zone run plays.
The success of the Cowboys’ rushing attack has allowed Prescott to flourish in the passing game, particularly on play-action. Against Green Bay, the former Mississippi State Bulldog showed spectacular poise to climb in the pocket with three rushers coming around the edge, all while keeping his eyes downfield, then deliver a dime to Terrence Williams on a crossing pattern just before taking a big hit.
Expect Jason Garrett to replicate Redskins’ coach Jay Gruden’s successful run-heavy game plan against Philly on Sunday night. The Cowboys’ personnel, specifically at running back and along their athletic offensive line, suits the trap-blocking run game accordingly. Bryant will return for Sunday’s battle, but it’s uncertain how big of a factor he will be, especially if the Cowboys’ staff does in fact go with a “ground and pound” formula.
Eagles Offense vs. Cowboys Defense
Football games always have been, and always will be won and lost at the line of scrimmage.
With Lane Johnson in the lineup, the Eagles’ offense averaged over 28 points and 363 yards per game. Without him, per game medians have plummeted to an alarming 9.5 points and 239 yards.
Carson Wentz and his unit will need to get back on track this weekend against linebackers Sean Lee and Justin Durant, leaders of a hardnosed, instinctive Dallas defense allowing just 17.8 opposition points per contest (7th in NFL).
In his 10th season, Durant has evolved into one of the toughest linebackers in all of football. Against San Francisco, the former Hampton Pirate decleated* 6’5”, 315 lb. Joe Staley, who was pulling across the formation with a full head of steam. The hit shocked running back Carlos Hyde to the point where his knees buckled, allowing Lee and the rest of the Dallas defenders a moment to swarm him. \
Look for Eagles’ head coach Doug Pederson to get creative with his running plays on Sunday night, as Philly won’t be able to simply line up and maul the Cowboys’ front-seven given the current state of the offensive line.
In the secondary, 2012 No. 6 overall draft pick Mo Claiborne has finally blossomed into the rangy, do-it-all cornerback that owner and general manager Jerry Jones had envisioned. A star at Louisiana State, Claiborne has always had tremendous athletic ability, but now it’s apparent that he has caught on to the mental complexities that come with playing one of the most arduous positions in the NFL. It shouldn’t be too surprising that it took Claiborne a few years to become one of the better cornerbacks in NFL. His four out of 50 on the Wonderlic test is tied for the lowest known result of a draft prospect ever, possibly explaining his steep learning curve. Most teams try to exploit Claiborne by running double-moves and unique deep routes against him. Look for Nelson Agholor to run a Skinny Post or Go-Route against the former SEC star after Philadelphia attempts to establish the run.
Dallas’ defensive backs have done an excellent job of taking away deep pass attempts in the first six games of the season. In week 5, safety Byron Jones showed off his freakish athleticism on a vertical post pattern intended for A.J. Green. Jones first displayed great discipline, as the former Georgia Bulldog flattened his route a bit in attempt to lure Jones into stepping up, trusting his eyes to locate the trajectory of Andy Dalton’s pass as he ran stride-for-stride with the speedster and vaulted up to swat the football away.
Like Garrett, look for Pederson to call more runs than passes through the 1st quarter, then decide whether he’ll be able to open up the playbook based on how the right side of the line is holding up against the Cowboys’ reputable pass rush.
This game will probably resemble an old school heavyweight boxing match, with each team trading jabs until an inevitable vulnerability allows for a big right hook.
Matchup to Watch: Cowboys’ Offensive Line vs. Eagles’ Front Four
Matchup Trend: The Eagles have emerged victorious in their last three trips to AT&T Stadium.
Player of the Game: Carson Wentz
Prediction: Eagles win 21-17
