Yet again, the Philadelphia Eagles are faced with a near must win game this weekend, squaring off against the hated Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. A win will bring the Eagles to .500. A loss would set the team back to 1-3 in the division, which is nearly an impossible whole from which to climb out of.
With that in mind, here are the predictions for the game:
Ryan Gerstel, on Twitter @TheRyanGerstel
My prediction: Round two of #BeatDallas is set to begin Sunday night under the prime time lights. The Eagles miserably in round one, mustering just 10 points and 226 yards of offense. However, they did manage to knock out Tony Romo, thanks to rookie Jordan Hicks, and foil Dallas' 2-0 start to the season. Since that match-up the Cowboys have lost five straight and the Eagles have managed to go 3-2. This game is a must win for both sides, but more so for a Dallas team that desperately needs a win. Their defense has been bolstered with the return of Gregg Hardy, but their offense has taken a major step back with the loss of Romo. The Eagles are coming off a bye and the Cowboys are coming off a grind-it-out game against a relentless Seahawks defense. This game could not have come a better time for the Eagles, but they will need to remedy the mistakes that killed them throughout the first half of the season. Most importantly, the receivers need to catch the damn ball. I truly see this game playing out like last year's Thanksgiving game. The Eagles' offense comes out strong (finally) and gets into a rhythm and the defense is able to shut down Matt Cassel and Dallas' inept offense en route to a divisional win on the road. Call me crazy.
Eagles 34, Cowboys 17
Michael Malia, on Twitter @michael_malia
The Philadelphia Eagles square off against the Dallas Cowboys for the second time this season on Sunday night. The Cowboys won the first meeting in Philly by the score of 20-10 in Week 2, but Dallas quarterback Tony Romo went down with a broken clavicle in that game and the Cowboys haven't won since. Matt Cassle makes his third consecutive start for the Cowboys after the team acquired him from the Buffalo Bills. Through three games under center for Dallas, Cassle has a quarterback rating of 58.5 with one touchdown and three interceptions. At 2-5 overall, the Cowboys desperately need to win this game to stop the bleeding before the return of their star quarterback. Eagles head coach Chip Kelly is 2-0 against the Cowboys in road games, and I suggest that trend will continue on Sunday night. With 19 forced turnovers, the Eagles defense is the most opportunistic in the league. I think Cassle is forced into a couple of critical mistakes late in the game to secure an Eagles victory. However, I will say that the Eagles offensive line better have a plan to deal with the menace that is Greg Hardy, who has averaged a sack per game in three games this season. Another big factor in this game will be the health of Cowboys star wide out Dez Bryant, who only caught two passes for 12 yards last week in his first game back since injuring his foot in Week 1. At the end of the day, I think running back DeMarco Murray will have a heck of a homecoming in his first game at AT&T Stadium as a member of the Eagles.
Eagles 28, Cowboys 20
Michael Coggin, on Twitter @MQCoggin
I know I am not the only person who is feeling unusually droll about the Eagles during Cowboy week. We hear it every day on the radio; we see it every day in the beat writings; we just don’t feel it in the air. This is the problem of having a lackluster, star-less team. There is just no one that gets the juices flowing on the offense. With every dropped pass, we drop our interest. It’s torture. This week it’s away at the Cowboys and I feel like I’m the only one worried the Eagles leave JerryWorld with an “L”. I think Matt Cassel can play & am already dreading the 3rd & 12 where—seeing the linebackers turn on deeper routes—he takes off for a big first down. The front seven faces a better offensive line than they did two weeks ago in Charlotte. This game worries me. This is the perpetual mindset of the fan base right now, it seems…hope I’m wrong:
Eagles 24, Cowboys 23
Kevin Durso, on Twitter @Kevin_Durso
The Eagles need this game. The divisional games are so crucial at this point in the season, especially with the division being as bad as it has been. But I look at Matt Cassel and just see the Eagles embarrassing loss to the Vikings from two seasons ago. Cassel hasn't been close to that quarterback, so maybe he's due to break out. And then again, it took until last week for me to be right on one of these, and even then, I've gone 0-3 in the divisional games. Let's hope for a fourth.
Eagles 27, Cowboys 30
Patrick Causey, on Twitter @InsdeTheHuddle
I cannot remember the last time that there was this much malaise leading up to an Eagles/Cowboys game. This team has been maddening to watch, and their inconsistent play has sucked the life out of the fan base. Unfortunately, I don't think this game is going to be one that galvanizes the fan base, even if the Eagles pull off the victory. Jason Peters looks set to miss the game with a back issue, meaning that Matt Tobin could be protecting Sam Bradford's blindside. If that is the case (and Lane Johnson is not shifted to left tackle), that would leave Tobin matched up against woman beater Greg Hardy. It would be an absolute nightmare matchup for the Eagles that could severely limit their offense. I expect this to be a defensive battle, with neither team looking all that good on offense. The Eagles pull out a close one on the road thanks to a Matt Cassell interception late:
Eagles 24, Cowboys 21
