Sunday Night NFL Preview: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys
Sunday, 12/29/13, 8:30 PM EST
Opening Point Spread: Philadelphia -2.5
Current Betting Line: Philadelphia -6.5
Opening Total: 55.5
Current Total: 52
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles are playing for the NFC East division title Sunday night

Philadelphia has won six of its last seven games, including a 54-11 victory over the Chicago Bears as 2.5-point home favorites in Week 16, while going OVER the betting total in its last three affairs. The Eagles will be out to avenge a 17-3 loss against the Cowboys as three-point home favorites earlier this season, as they were held to 278 total yards, which is important to consider when making your NFL betting picks. Philadelphia is 5-2 SUATS on the road during the 2013 campaign, with the OVER cashing in six of those seven opportunities.

The Eagles are second in the NFL in averaging 27.9 points and 420.7 yards per game, with a lot of that success coming from the league’s best rushing attack—led by running back LeSean McCoy and head coach Chip Kelly’s play calling. McCoy tops the statistical leaderboard with 1,476 rushing yards. On the other side of the ball, Philadelphia has limited opponents to 107.5 yards per game on the ground.

Dallas has failed to cover the number in six of its last seven games, as it comes off a 24-23 victory over the Washington Redskins as three-point road favorites last Sunday, while going UNDER the betting total for the first time in six contests. The Cowboys are third in the league in averaging 27.8 points per game, but sit behind 21 teams in terms of total yards per game, which could prove troublesome without the services of starting quarterback Tony Romo, who is out for the year after having back surgery this week. Dallas is 14-9 SU and 7-16 ATS at home the last two-plus seasons.

The Cowboys have dropped six of their seven elimination games with Romo under center—something that eases a bit of the pressure that backup quarterback Kyle Orton will be under at AT&T Stadium. He has compiled a 35-34 SU record in his professional career, and will need to target wide receiver Dez Bryant and tight end Jason Witten in the passing game. Dallas will need to give running back DeMarco Murray a heavier workload, as he’s run for 614 yards and six touchdowns over the last six games.