Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys (-3)
The Eagles and Cowboys mark the first of what should be many great matchups in Week 13 when they meet Thursday afternoon in Dallas’ annual home game on Thanksgiving.
Philadelphia bounced back in a huge way after its Week 11 loss to the Packers by crushing the Titans and keeping pace in the NFC East race. Dallas almost dropped off when it trailed the Giants on the road on Sunday Night Football, but rallied late to turn Thursday’s matchup into a perfectly timed battle for first place.
The Mark Sanchez-led Eagles have kept pace with the identity of the team all season long, as they blew out two weaker teams and lost to the terrific Packers on the road. The loss in Green Bay is the most telling of all the games, however, as it is an indication that Philadelphia is still a vulnerable team prone to struggle against the league’s better teams.
That’s where the Cowboys come in. Entering this season, even owner Jerry Jones had his expectations tempered, but the tune quickly changed when Dallas jumped out to a quick 6-1 start. The Cowboys survived an injury to quarterback Tony Romo and now look to take control of what has been a hotly-contested divisional race. The key matchup should be the Eagles’ fast-paced offense against a Dallas defense that appeared to be the team’s weakness, but has instead hovered around the middle-of-the-pack, allowing 30 points in a game only once.
The Eagles will run up against the second-best team they have seen since Nick Foles went down, and will suffer a similar result, losing at the hands of a healthy Cowboys team that has only dropped one game with a full squad. Dallas wins by ten and covers.
