Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys, Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX
Sunday, December 12, 2010, 8:20 pm EST, TV: NBC
Opening Line: Eagles -3
Current Line: Eagles -3.5
Opening Total: 49.5
Current Total: 51
Money Line: Eagles -200 / Cowboys +170
The Dallas Cowboys (4-8) have certainly been a different team under new head coach Jason Garrett, who will face his toughest test to date at home against the Philadelphia Eagles (8-4) on Sunday Night Football. The Cowboys have gone 3-1 straight-up and 4-0 against the spread under Garrett since he replaced Wade Phillips after a 45-7 loss at Green Bay. But the Eagles (-3.5) have gone 4-1 in their last five games to tie for the NFC East lead with the Giants.
Philadelphia also has 10 days of rest in its favor heading into this key divisional matchup after knocking off Houston 34-24 last week. The Eagles bounced back from a 31-26 loss at Chicago by coming from behind against the Texans, who led 24-20 at the end of the third quarter. Quarterback Michael Vick kept his composure despite the deficit, leading his team to two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a 2-yard scoring run that put Philly up for good with 13:04 left.
Vick ended up throwing for 302 yards and two touchdowns against Houston but also tossed his second interception of the season. He added 48 yards on the ground and another touchdown while running back LeSean McCoy was the team’s leading receiver with eight catches for 86 yards. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson made three catches for 84 yards, including a 33-yarder.
Dallas is coming off a thrilling 38-35 overtime win at Indianapolis last week. The Cowboys took advantage of four interceptions by Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, returning two for touchdowns and converting the last one into the game-winning field goal. Still, they blew an early 17-0 lead and saw Indy tie the game on a 2-yard touchdown run by Javarris James with 29 seconds remaining to force OT.
Running back Tashard Choice enjoyed his best game of the season for Dallas with 100 yards on 19 carries against the Colts. Choice combined with Felix Jones (22 carries for 83 yards) to help the Cowboys rush for a season-high 217 yards. Quarterback Jon Kitna has also been solid since Garrett took over the team, posting a passer rating of 107.9 combined over the last four games.
The key for Philadelphia in this game might be whether or not they are successful running the ball. The Eagles are 3-0 when they rush for at least 100 yards in the last eight meetings with Dallas and 0-5 when they do not. The Cowboys have won the past three meetings both straight-up and against the spread, and the OVER has cashed in each of their last nine games overall.
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