This week’s matchup is a battle for NFC East supremacy. Both the Eagles and Cowboys enter their matchup at 3-3. The winner takes over first place in the division. Something has to give this week, as the Eagles are 0-2 at home and the Cowboys are 0-2 on the road. The Eagles have the best rushing offense in the NFL, putting up over 178 yards per game. Running back LeSean McCoy and quarterback Mike Vick have done the majority of the damage, however Vick will miss the game with a hamstring injury. Dallas’ defense ranks 14th in stopping the run. Quarterback Tony Romo has carried the Cowboys offense, and that shouldn’t change anytime soon.
Three key storylines
1. The injuries to the Dallas defensive line
The Cowboys defensive line has been decimated by injuries. The expected starters were DeMarcus Ware, Anthony Spencer, Jay Ratliff and Jason Hatcher. Hatcher is the only one who will play this week. Ratliff was recently cut, Spencer is out for the season, and Ware might miss a few games with a quad injury, or maybe not. The Cowboys will start George Selvie, Nick Hayden, Hatcher and Kyle Wilber. The Cowboys were the only team to give Hayden and Selvie a shot this season, while Wilber was drafted as a 3-4 outside linebacker. If only Dallas had a chance to take an impact defensive lineman in the draft. Oh, wait.
2. Two terrible pass defenses
The Eagles and Cowboys have two of the NFL’s worst pass defenses. The Eagles rank 31st in stopping the pass, while Dallas sits at 30th. Expect both teams to be willing to take shots downfield early and often. Whichever defense can stop the opposing quarterback will put themselves in position to take a lead in the NFC East.
3. Monte Kiffin vs. Chip Kelly
Kiffin’s defense struggled against Kelly when Kelly was head coach at Oregon and Kiffin was defensive coordinator under his now-fired son Lane at USC. Oregon averaged over 600 yards and 50 points against Kiffin. That’s not an entirely fair comparison, as the players won’t be the same this time around. It may not be a predictor of the outcome Sunday, but everything is relevant in today’s NFL.
Three predictions
1. Kiffin has more success with Dallas than he did with USC
This should be a high scoring affair, but the Eagles aren’t going to put up 50 points and 600 yards on the Cowboys. Foles isn’t as mobile as Vick or any of the Oregon quarterbacks Kelly had, which should help. The Eagles will score, but so will Dallas.
2. Romo has a field day
As mentioned above, the Eagles defense struggles against the pass. That bodes well for Romo, who has had a great season so far. With no DeMarco Murray, Dallas will lean heavily on Romo to make plays. The Eagles don’t really have anyone that can cover Dez Bryant all game, so he should have a great game as well.
3. Dallas abandons the run early
Since DeMarco Murray and Lance Dunbar should be out with injuries, the running game falls into the hands of Joseph Randle and Phillip Tanner. The Cowboys are high on Randle, but they’d rather have the game in the hands of Romo than Tanner. Unless it’s a blowout, expect Dallas to throw the ball early and often.
Score prediction
The Eagles are actually favored in this matchup, likely because of the home-field advantage. But Dallas takes this game that features a ton of points. Romo, Bryant and Jason Witten all have huge days as Dallas wins 34-24.
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