November 04, 2023
It's Dallas Week in Philadelphia, and the Eagles, at an NFL-best 7-1, have the chance to really separate themselves within both the NFC East and the entire conference ahead of their bye.
Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott will both start against one another for the first time since 2021, the O-line will be once again tasked with neutralizing Micah Parsons, and the Philly defense will be looking to make another statement as an elite unit against a Cowboys offense that has shown it can put up points.
A lot on the line and definitely no love lost between these two.
So how's it all going to go?
Here are our thoughts and predictions:
TV: FOX (Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi)
RADIO: 94.1 WIP (Merrill Reese, Mike Quick)
| Book | Spread | Money Line | Total (O/U) |
| DraftKings | PHI -3 | DAL +140 PHI -166 | 46 |
| FanDuel | PHI -3 | DAL +146 PHI -174 | 46 |
| BetMGM | PHI -3 | DAL +130 PHI -155 | 46 |
| UniBet | PHI -3 | DAL +135 PHI -165 | 46 |
| PointsBet | PHI -3 | DAL +140 PHI -170 | 46 |
The Cowboys live and die by creating turnovers on defense. As we noted in our five matchups to watch, Dallas led the NFL in takeaways in each of the last two seasons, with 33 in 2022 and 34 in 2021, and they're on pace for 32 so far in 2023. They are outstanding at capitalizing on opposing offenses' mistakes, and in this matchup that is their most likely path to a win.
If the Eagles are able to limit their mistakes, they should beat this team, because they have more talent. The Eagles have the better quarterback, the better offensive line, the better pass rush, and the better skill position players. And, of course, this game will be played in front of 70,000 liquored-up Philadelphians. There's a lot to feel good about heading into this matchup if you're the Eagles.
This is kind of big game for both teams. If the Eagles win, they'll have a 2.5-game cushion with a head-to-head win in the bank. They will be overwhelming favorites to be the first repeat champions in the NFC East since 2004. If the Cowboys win, the Eagles' lead will be down to 0.5 games, and Dallas will have a road win over the Birds in their pocket. They would likely be the favorites to win the division, especially with the Eagles' brutal schedule ahead.
I'll take the Eagles, because again, they're better, but they cannot continue to make big mistakes like they have done pretty consistently so far this season.
The Cowboys haven't really played any close games this season and I don't think their first will come in Week 9. These two teams are close in the standings and will likely both be playoff-bound, but the Eagles have a complete roster and have shown they can win in a lot of different ways this season.
Dallas on the other hand, has really only been able to blow out teams by flexing a turnover-hungry defense. I think the Eagles are a smart veteran team that will know how to protect the football and move the ball against the Cowboys, and I think they'll win by double digits before they rest up over their Week 10 bye.
Dak Prescott is always a tricky matchup for the Eagles, but Jalen Hurts showcased why he’s the best passer in the entire conference during his elite performance in last week’s win over Washington.
As fans saw in these Commanders games, divisional games are tougher than they look on paper, but the Eagles’ edge at quarterback, receiver, both sides of the trenches and coaching just stacks so many things in the Birds’ favor.
I’m banking on another 125-yard performance from A.J. Brown as well.
I still have concerns about the middle of the field defensively for the Eagles and how Dak Prescott might be able to take advantage, but at the same time, I think back to last year and how the offense put Micah Parsons on an island by forcing him to cover the pass.
I think the Eagles are going to be okay in this one and come out on top. Close maybe, but a huge divisional win going into the bye no matter what.
Sometimes this game truly does come down to the quarterback and head coach, as so much of the game is about their decisions. Dak Prescott has had similar seasons of early success but enters a spot this week where he’s routinely struggled. It’s not a trend, it’s a way of life for Prescott, who is about to hit a buzzsaw but only because he allows it to happen. Prescott is 5-12 in road games between two home games with a 21-16 TD to INT ratio. He has this game then the Panthers coming up on the schedule. The other game that fits this bill? Week 3 at Arizona. No matter how great he’s played, coming into this spot is a major issue for the Dallas signal caller.
It’s actually rather easy to predict this game as the Eagles have a perfect chance to “get right” against a good team. That’s normally reserved for sub-par opponents, but the Birds have a lot of motivation. Their defense can bounce back against a QB known for wilting under pressure in this scenario, they can distance themselves from the Cowboys in the division, and stop a lot of people from poking holes in victories by beating a good team.
Jalen Hurts was fine last week, he will be fine this week. Plus, have you heard about this guy AJ Brown?
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