October 10, 2022
It wasn't pretty, but with a late field goal drive, a Kyler Murray slide that fell one yard short, and a last-second kick that sailed wide, the Eagles beat the Cardinals 20-17 and remain undefeated at 5-0.
Now it's finally on to Dallas Week, with Round 1 back in Philadelphia in primetime on Sunday night.
It may be the biggest indicator of where the Eagles actually are.
The Birds have been impressive through the season's first five weeks, but have also been the benefactors of one of the NFL's easiest schedules.
That run may continue against the Cowboys, but even with Dak Prescott out, Dallas has kept up in the NFC East at 4-1 with backup QB Cooper Rush under center, even beating the defending Super Bowl champion Rams on Sunday 22-10.
The Cowboys haven't fallen apart like many thought they would without Prescott and considering that Dallas has had the Eagles' number for the past few seasons now, that all makes Sunday night at the Linc huge.
Going in, however, the Eagles are the early favorites by around 4.5-5.5 points depending on the sportsbook.
Here's an early look at the odds:
Book | Spread | Money Line | Total (O/U) |
DraftKings | PHI -5 | DAL +195 PHI -230 | 43 |
FanDuel | PHI -5.5 | DAL +184 PHI -220 | 43.5 |
BetMGM | PHI -4.5 | DAL +200 PHI -250 | 43.5 |
UniBet | PHI -5 | DAL +175 PHI -225 | 43.5 |
PointsBet | PHI -5 | DAL +190 PHI -240 | 43 |
The Cowboys have won their last three matchups against the Eagles and seven of the last nine dating back to that freezing 6-0 game on December 31, 2017 when neither team could do much of anything.
Since Jalen Hurts took over as the team's starter in 2020, the Eagles are 0-3 against the Cowboys. Dallas crushed the Eagles 37-17 at home in Week 16 of the 2020 campaign. The Eagles got blown out 41-21 down in Dallas on Monday Night Football in Week 3 last season. Then in Week 18 at the Linc, a regular season finale that didn't matter to the Eagles by that point, the Cowboys starters trounced the Eagles' second-stringers just for the ego boost, I guess (that really didn't matter either).
On paper, the direction of both teams have dramatically shifted in the months since. The Eagles made major upgrades to their roster with the additions of A.J. Brown, James Bradberry, and Haason Reddick, while a cap-strapped Dallas was forced to trade Amari Cooper to save money, lost starting offensive tackle Tyron Smith possibly for the season with a complete hamstring tear, then immediately lost Prescott for weeks with a broken thumb.
An Eagles win on Sunday night, however, would be a real statement that the NFC East landscape has completely changed.
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