One of the good things about the Andy Reid Era in Philly was that you never had to worry about whether or not the Philadelphia Eagles would win their first game back after a bye. Through his first two seasons at the helm, Chip Kelly is 1-1, with both games coming against the Arizona Cardinals.
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This time, however, the stakes are just a little bit higher, as the Eagles will travel to Dallas to take on Matt Cassel, Dez Bryant and the rest of the Cowboys. They handed the Birds a 20-10 defeat during the Eagles home opener in Week 2, so there's a bit of a revenge factor here, but when facing Dallas, there's never a need for extra motivation.
Bryant was out the last time these teams met (as was Greg Hardy), and Tony Romo left the game with an injury and hasn't played since, so there will likely be a different dynamic out on the field Sunday then there was in Week 2. In eight career games against the Eagles, Bryant has scored seven touchdowns and is averaging 83.9 yards/game, more than any other opponent he's faced more than twice, meaning Byron Maxwell will have his work cut out for him. The last time the Birds faced a receiver* with Bryant's skill set was in their Week 1 loss to the Falcons, and we all remember what Julio Jones (9 rec, 141 yds, 2 TD) did to Maxwell in his Eagles debut.
*Yes, they were able to keep Odell Beckham Jr. (7 rec, 61 yds, TD) relatively quiet in Week 6, but he wasn't 100 percent.
This weekend against the Cowboys, the Birds will look to avoid another big game from a big name wide receiver. If so, they'll be able to stay in first place atop the NFC East as their season hits the midway point. Here's what you need to know about the Eagles primetime matchup in Dallas, including predictions from our staff and around the web:
EAGLES AT COWBOYS
Sunday, 8:30 p.m. ET | AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
Broadcast Info
TV: NBC | RADIO: 94.1 WIP
Betting Lines
SPREAD: Eagles -3 | TOTAL: 44.5 (via topbet.eu)
PREDICTIONS
For the fourth game in a row, Brandon Gowton over at Bleeding Green Nation, has predicted an Eagles loss. And for the third time in those four weeks, he's the lone BGN writer to pick against them. Meanwhile, both Jeff McLane and Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer predict the Eagles will win -- and cover.
As for the national outlets, here's how they see the Eagles' Week 9 matchup playing out...
• At ESPN.com, seven of their 13 writers are picking the Eagles.
• Elliot Harrison of NFL.com predicts a 17-14 win for the Cowboys.
• All eight CBSSports.com writers are picking the Eagles to win.
• It's not quite a clean sweep over USA TODAY, but a majority of their writers (5-of-7) are picking the Eagles to win.
• And if you want to go strictly by the numbers, Nate Silver and the FiveThiryEight crew think the Cowboys should actually be favored by a point Sunday night. They also give the Eagles a 45 percent chance of winning.
And now, our staff picks:
Jimmy Kempski
PREDICTION: Cowboys 17, Eagles 16
Jason Peters did not practice all week, and while nothing is official yet, it certainly doesn't seem like he will play this Sunday night in Dallas. Lane Johnson will move over to left tackle in Peters' likely absence, while Dennis Kelly will fill in at right tackle. To say the least, that is not ideal, especially considering the Dallas defense had a great plan of attack Week 2 against the Eagles OL when they completely dominated the line of scrimmage. And that was without their best defensive lineman, Greg Hardy.
The Cowboys' offense has struggled since Tony Romo went down with a fractured clavicle Week 2, and have rattled off five consecutive losses under the guidance of Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel at quarterback. The Eagles offense, however, has arguably been worse. All season long, the Eagles have said that they just have to execute better. Or they just have to catch the ball. Or block better. Or just clean up some timing and rhythm issues with their offense. Or Sam Bradford just has to be more accurate. Those are the kinds of things bad teams say they have to do when they're just, you know, bad.
Many Eagles observers have been waiting for things to "click" for the offense since the season began, and I'm not so sure a bye week is suddenly going to cure them of their issues. The Cowboys have the best offensive weapon on the field in Dez Bryant, and I think they win a defensive struggle, 17-16.
Rich Hofmann
PREDICTION: Eagles 17, Cowboys 13
Jordan Hicks probably ended the Cowboys’ season in Week 2. Dallas hasn’t won a game since that afternoon at The Linc, the worst Eagles performance in a year of bad Eagles performances. At least people are starting to recognize how good Tony Romo is.
As for this game, it should be noted that the Cowboys have managed a bunch of close calls in Romo’s absence. The defense is decent, and Greg Hardy against a reworked offensive line likely missing Jason Peters is very concerning. Chip Kelly working off the bye feels like a huge advantage. I see Sam Bradford taking a lot of sacks and short completions in this one, but not risking turning the ball over.
It says here that the offense will do just enough, and the defense will make Matt Cassel look like Matt Cassel.
Matt Mullin
PREDICTION: Eagles 24, Cowboys 17
Yes, Dez Bryant, who was noticeably absent the last time these teams met despite the Cowboys' 20-10 win, is back for Dallas, but he still doesn't have his quarterback, Tony Romo, throwing him the ball. And sure, we've seen Matt Cassel serve as a more-than-adequate NFL backup QB, but that doesn't change the fact that the 2-5 Cowboys are winless since beating the Eagles in Week 2.
The Eagles, on the other hand, are 3-2 since that meeting and have looked much more competent offensively recently -- even if it's still not running as smoothly as expected. DeMarco Murray is healthier than he was in Week 2 -- despite the fact that neither he, nor his coaches, are willing to admit he was ever "unhealthy" in the first place. The defense remains the Eagles' strongest weapon, and if the front seven is able to get to Cassel and prevent any deep balls to Bryant, they should be able to hold the Cowboys to a relatively low score.
Facing Greg Hardy for the first time this season could prevent a challenge for an Eagles offensive line that will likely be without its starting left tackle. That unit was at its worst in their Week 2 matchup -- the Eagles only rushed for 7 total yards in the game -- but has looked much better since. If they are able to establish a ground attack, that will help limit Hardy's effectiveness. If not, he could wind up repeatedly hitting Sam Bradford in the backfield. And that wouldn't end well for anyone, except Hardy.
Considering the road team has won all five Eagles-Cowboys games since Chip Kelly arrived in Philly, I'm going to say that trend continues on Sunday, although it's likely going to be a close game.
Follow Matt on Twitter: @matt_mullin