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Carrie Stroup here with your Eagles vs. Cowboys point spread. Bet this game at Sportsbook.com and receive up to $250 in FREE CASH here.
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: Dallas -10.5 & 44
Opening Line & Total: Cowboys -9 & 43
The banged-up Eagles limp into Dallas on Sunday night trying to earn their first win since September.
The Cowboys have a chance to finish the season sweep of their rivals who have dropped seven straight games and are 1-9-1 ATS this season. Dallas gets extra rest coming off a Thanksgiving Day loss, while Philly has a short week and will not have QB Michael Vick and RB LeSean McCoy available as they recover from concussions. Philly's top WR DeSean Jackson (ribs) is also out for the season. Dallas has a ton of defensive injuries, but it appears that top RB DeMarco Murray (foot) will return to the field for the first time since Week 6. The Cowboys pulled away from the Eagles in Philly in their Week 10 matchup, taking advantage after Vick went down and was replaced by rookie Nick Foles. Dallas got two defensive touchdowns and a punt return TD in the fourth quarter of a 38-23 win, with Foles turning it over twice in the fourth and having another pick-six called back on a penalty. There's not much going right for the Eagles, but they can take solace in the fact that Dallas has not covered a spread at home this season, going 0-5 ATS and getting outscored 26 to 22 on average. The Cowboys are also 6-20 ATS (23%) as a favorite in the past three seasons. And recent NFL history shows that road teams after being beaten by the spread by 35+ points total in their past five games, in weeks 10 through 13, are 32-8 ATS (80%) in the past five seasons.
Foles is coming off a strong performance against Carolina, completing 16-of-21 passes (76%) for 119 yards, 0 TD and 0 INT. He also took just one sack for the entire game. As happy as the Eagles coaching staff was to see this great accuracy, they were tickled pink about the way Bryce Brown filled in for the injured McCoy. Brown rushed for 178 yards on just 19 carries (9.4 YPC) with two touchdowns, coming from 65 and 5 yards out. However, he did lose two fumbles and gained just 2.8 yards per catch with 11 yards on four receptions. With McCoy and Jackson both out, Brown will once again be the focal point of this offense. When Foles drops back, he will be looking mainly for WR Jeremy Maclin, who has 376 yards and 4 TD in the past six meetings with Dallas. The Cowboys' defense has been sound in both areas, ranking ninth in the NFL in passing defense (218 YPG) and 13th against the run (111 YPG). However Washington was able to rush for 142 yards on 4.7 YPC and throw for 295 yards and 4 TD in its Thanksgiving Day win in Big D. Notable injuries to the Dallas defense include LBs Sean Lee (toe, out) and Bruce Carter (elbow, out), NT Jay Ratliff (groin, doubtful), CB Orlando Scandrick (hand, out) and S Charlie Peprah (foot, questionable).
Tony Romo has been up-and-down in his career versus the Eagles, winning six of 11 starts and throwing for 2,449 yards (223 YPG), 15 TD and 11 INT. He posted a 122.1 passer rating three weeks ago in Philadelphia, completing 19-of-26 passes (73%) for 209 yards, 2 TD and 0 INT. This season Romo has been much worse at Cowboys Stadium (72.7 rating, 6 TD, 12 INT, 18 sacks) than on the road (102.8 rating, 10 TD, 3 INT, 8 sacks). He may not have the services of WR Miles Austin (hip), but he has plenty of weapons left, mainly WR Dez Bryant and TE Jason Witten. Bryant caught three passes for 87 yards and a TD in the Week 10 meeting, and Witten has 49 receptions over the past five games, including eight against Philly. Murray has faced the Eagles just once in his career, rushing for 74 yards on just eight carries (9.3 YPC). If he's unable to carry a full workload, Felix Jones showed he's plenty capable of running over this Philly squad, rushing for 71 yards on 16 carries (4.4 YPC) and catching three passes for 22 yards and a touchdown in the Week 10 meeting. The Eagles defense has been decent in 2012, allowing 228 passing YPG (14th in NFL) and 118 rushing YPG (18th in NFL). But they have failed to force a single turnover in the past three games, a big reason why they have allowed 99 points during this span.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
