Getty Who will cover the spread in Week 7?
The Philadelphia Eagles (3-3) will pay a visit to AT&T Stadium as they take on the Dallas Cowboys (3-3) in a battle for first place in the NFC East.
Both the Eagles and Cowboys have underwhelmed through the first six weeks of the season, but both teams remain in the driver’s seat to win the division. The Cowboys won the first three games of the season in convincing fashion before dropping each of their last three games.
As far as the Eagles are concerned, they’ve been up and down all season long and are coming off of an unexpected 38-20 beatdown at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings. The performance by the Eagles’ defense was so bad that they allowed four passing touchdowns to Kirk Cousins.
Whoever walks away with a victory in this Week 7 matchup will have the advantage when it comes to winning the NFC East by the end of the year.
Here’s everything you need to know about this Sunday Night Football matchup.
Game Info and Betting Line
Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
October 20, 2019 at 8:20 pm ET
AT&T Stadium, Dallas, Texas
Coverage: NBC
*All odds and betting info courtesy of OddsShark and originally posted by BetOnline
Spread: Dallas (-2.5)
Over/Under: 49.5
Philadelphia Eagles
The whole storyline entering this game has been head coach Doug Pederson guaranteeing victory in Dallas.
Eagles coach Doug Pederson today on @SportsRadioWIP: “We’re going down to Dallas, and our guys are gonna be ready to play. And we’re gonna win that football game, and when we do, we’re in first place in the NFC East.”
Needless to say, Pederson backed off of his claim later on, stating that he didn’t say they would win — he was merely expressing confidence in his franchise.
Doug Pederson: I didn’t guarantee a win against the Cowboys this morning on WIP, I just voiced confidence in my team. #Eagles
Outside of the storyline surrounding Pederson, the Eagles could once again be without starting cornerbacks Ronald Darby (hamstring) and Avonte Maddox (concussion), which means the same secondary that was shredded by Cousins could be Dak Prescott‘s defense to shred in Week 7.
Dallas Cowboys
Boy, that 3-0 start feels like forever ago. During this recent three-game losing streak, the Cowboys’ offense has looked as stagnant as ever. They’re averaging just 18.6 points per game and 3.0 points in the first half during that losing stretch.
The key here will be ensuring that Ezekiel Elliott gets it going. The Cowboys have been relying too heavily upon Prescott’s passing ability rather than centering their offense around the best player on that side of the ball.
Elliott is averaging just 3.5 yards per carry during the losing streak. If Dallas is going to win this game, that sluggish yards per attempt is going to have to change.
Trends and Prediction
Eagles Trends:
- Philadelphia are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Philadelphia’s last 6 games.
- Philadelphia are 4-8 ATS in their last 12 games against Dallas.
- Philadelphia are 3-6 SU in their last 9 games against Dallas.
- Philadelphia are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games on the road.
Cowboys Trends:
- The total has gone OVER in 7 of Dallas’ last 9 games.
- Dallas are 11-5 SU in their last 16 games.
- Dallas are 7-1 SU in their last 8 games at home.
- Dallas are 3-6 SU in their last 9 games when playing at home against Philadelphia.
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas’ last 6 games this season.
The Cowboys should pull this one off and cover the spread. The Eagles have been a tough team to gauge this season, as they have no clear identity through their litany of injuries.
However, Dallas is playing at home and they are the more balanced team. As long as the Cowboys rely on Elliott — not Prescott — to win this game, they should move to 4-3 and defeat the Eagles by at least a field goal.
Also, expect this one to be a shootout. So I’m going over.
Pick: Cowboys (-2.5), Over (49.5)