One of the NFL's most heated rivalries would appear to be a mismatch on Sunday when the 5-8 Eagles visit 12-1 Dallas, with the Cowboys 10-point favorites (over/under 48.5) on WagerWeb.com.
Philadelphia trails Minnesota by two games in the race for the NFC's final wild-card spot with three to play.
So, the playoffs are all but out of the question.
Dallas, on the other hand, can wrap up a first-round bye with a win or a Seattle loss at Carolina on Sunday. They also could guarantee themselves home-field advantage through the NFC playoffs with a win and a Green Bay loss at St. Louis (Dallas already has clinched the NFC East).
If Philly is to keep this game close, it will need Brian Westbrook to have a big game.
Westbrook leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 1,752.
Westbrook is also the last running back to break the 100-yard mark against Dallas when he busted loose for 122 yards late last season. Westbrook is the second-leading rusher in the NFC with 1,110 yards and seven touchdowns. He also has 74 catches for 642 yards and five touchdowns.
"He's in the driver's seat of that thing," Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart said. "He's the one that makes that thing run."
In the teams' first meeting, a 38-17 Dallas win in Week 9, Westbrook showed his versatility by catching 14 balls for 90 yards. Despite a sore knee, Westbrook has averaged 28 touches in the last six games. Dallas did do a good job of neutralizing him in the first meeting, however, holding him to 5.2 yards per touch.
But that same Dallas defense gave up a season-high 152 yards rushing last week in a 28-27 victory against Detroit.The Philly defense will have its hands full against the NFL's No. 2-ranked offense.
Tony Romo has thrown just six interceptions in his last eight games. In his last seven games, he's completed 74.3 percent of his attempts and averaged 8.61 yards per attempt. He had just five incompletions in the first meeting vs. Eagles.
Tight end Jason Witten had 15 receptions for a career-high 138 yards last week against Detroit, the most catches by a tight end since San Diego's Kellen inslow Sr. had the same amount in 1984.
WR Terrell Owens had 10 catches for 174 yards and a TD n the teams' first meeting (season highs in catches nd yards, and four receptions of at least 23 yards). And No. 2 receiver Patrick Crayton is averaging 14.6 yards per catch and has seven TDs.
That doesn't bode well for an Eagles secondary that allowed seven catches, 136 yards and a TD to Giants receiver Plaxico Burress last week.
The lowdown: Dallas leads the all-time series, 54-42. . The Cowboys haven't won 13 games in a regular-season since 1992, a year in which the franchise captured the first of three Super Bowl titles in a four- season span. . Eagles QB Donovan McNabb has thrown more than one TD pass in just two of 11 starts. . Dallas is allowing just one sack every 22.4 pass plays. . The Eagles have allowed six 15-plus yard runs in the last two games. . In the first game vs. the Eagles, the Cowboys converted 8 of 12 third-down tries, including eight of their first nine. Just one of those nine was longer than 6 yards. . The Eagles' defense is the least opportunistic in the NFC. It has just 15 takeaways in 13 games, with just two interceptions in the last eight games. Dallas, meanwhile, has the second fewest turnovers - 19 - in the NFC. . No way Dallas loses this game, but can Philly cover? I say no, but buy down to 9.5 to be safe.
Betting trends
The Eagles are 6-7 ATS.
The Eagles are 4-2 ATS away.
The Eagles are 2-1 ATS as the underdog.
The Eagles are 2-0 ATS as an away underdog.
The Cowboys are 9-4 ATS.
The Cowboys are 5-2 ATS at home.
The Cowboys are 8-3 ATS as the favorite.
The Cowboys are 5-1 ATS as a home favorite.
More NFL Trends.
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