NFC Wild Card Playoffs
Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys
Loose Lines Odds (Loose Lines Reviews): Cowboys -4
NFL Betting Total: 45.5
The Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Dallas Cowboys for a third time this season as the two teams get set for their first-round playoff matchup this Saturday.
The Eagles are 0-for-2 so far after losing 20-16 at home in Week 9 and lost on the road in Dallas 24-0 in Week 17.
The latter loss was a big one for the Eagles and they know it. The Eagles came into the week holding the No. 2 seed in the NFC after the Minnesota Vikings lost three of their previous four games. With a win, Philadelphia could have secured the No. 2 seed, home-field advantage in the playoffs against any opponent save for New Orleans, and a week off in the first round of the playoffs.
Instead, the Eagles lost to the Cowboys and not only lost their cushy spot in the NFC, they also lost their division title, which dropped them all the way to No. 6. Now the Eagles won’t play at home at all in the playoffs and will not have any time off.
The Eagles also have to go back on the road to Dallas for a second straight week to face a team that has pushed them around twice this year.
Philadelphia’s offensive line has been a mess all season long and the Cowboys have taken advantage. The latest loss for the Eagles was center Jamaal Jackson, who is out for the year, and that’s a problem. The Cowboys defensive line has stuffed the Eagles running game and generated eight sacks in two games. That’s not likely to change this weekend.
The Eagles have lived off the big-plays all year long as they lead the NFL in passing plays of 40 yards or longer, but the Cowboys have even found a way to snuff those out. In two games, sports handicapping experts haven’t seen DeSean Jackson make a noticeable impact.
The Eagles don’t really have any answers right now because the Cowboys are just a bad matchup for them. Unless Tony Romo, who has had a quarterback rating of 100 or better in five of his last six games, comes out and starts coughing up the football, the Cowboys are going to win for a third straight time over the Eagles.
NFL Picks: Cowboys -4
