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Cowboys Favored Over Eagles to Win NFC East Ahead of Week 16 Clash

Daniel Coyle

by Daniel Coyle in NFL Football

Updated Apr 7, 2020 · 4:00 PM PDT

Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott screaming
Quarterback Dak Prescott powered Dallas to a decisive 44-21 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, leaving the Cowboys poised to clinch the NFC East title with a win when they visit the Philadelphia for a pivotal Week 16 showdown. Photo by Keith Allison (Flickr) [CC License].
  • Dallas enters its Week 16 clash with Philadelphia as -200 favorites to win NFC East
  • The Cowboys and Eagles both have 7-7 record, but Dallas owns the tiebreaker edge and can clinch the division with a Week 16 win
  • The Eagles still control their playoff destiny and will take the NFC East title by winning their final two games

After marching to a resounding 44-21 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday afternoon to maintain their precarious perch atop the NFC East standings, the Dallas Cowboys enter next weekend’s showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles as -200 favorites to win the NFC East in the NFL divisional odds.

Odds to Win NFC East

Team Odds
Dallas Cowboys -200
Philadelphia Eagles +150

*Odds taken on Dec. 16, 2019.

Cowboys Poised to Clinch

With its victory over the Rams as one-point home underdogs, Dallas snapped a three-game slide that put their playoff hopes in jeopardy. The Cowboys can now clinch the NFC East title with a win in Week 16 at Lincoln Financial Field.

While the Cowboys and Eagles remain deadlocked with identical 7-7 records, the Cowboys hold the edge on tiebreakers, courtesy of a decisive 37-10 win over Philadelphia on home turf, back in Week 7. It is that edge that has kept Dallas atop the NFC East odds despite some dismal performances in recent outings.

Opportunities Missed

The Cowboys’ odds were as short as -143 following that victory over Philadelphia, but they have been unable to slam the door on their struggling divisional rivals ever since. After briefly taking a step back to +100 after blowing an opportunity to seize the division lead in a 28-24 loss to Minnesota (while the Eagles were idle in Week 10), the Cowboys rebounded with a 35-27 win in Detroit the following week, while Philadelphia lost to the New England Patriots.

https://twitter.com/NFLFBGAMETIME/status/1200213921136705536?s=20

Dallas’ subsequent losses to the Patriots, Bills, and Bears kept the Eagles alive in the NFC East race, but never moved the Cowboys from their perch as favorites, thanks to an equally dismal stretch of losses by Philadelphia.

However, with the Eagles snapping their three-game slide with last weekend’s 23-17 win over the New York Giants, they managed to close the gap heading into Week 15, entering the weekend with strong -103 average odds, just back of Dallas at -120.

Eagles Still Control Playoff Destiny

While the Eagles still control their own playoff destiny, unlike Dallas, they will need more than a Week 16 win to lock up the division crown; they will also need to beat the NY Giants on the road in Week 17.

Further complicating matters for the Eagles are their continuing struggles with injuries, a tendency towards slow starts in recent contests, and a dismal record in recent clashes with Dallas. While quarterback Carson Wentz has been nothing short of spectacular while leading the Eagles to comeback victories in their past two outings, he has had to make do with a receiving corps decimated by injuries to Desean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery, and Nelson Agholor.

The Eagles fell behind quickly in their recent wins over the bottom-feeding Giants and Redskins, something they cannot afford to do against a Cowboys squad that just racked up its biggest single-game point total in almost five years.

The Eagles enjoy home turf in next weekend’s date with the Cowboys, but they have struggled badly at times to generate offense during a 0-4 SU and ATS run against their archrivals, scoring just 20 total points in the last two at home.

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Eagles Offer Value

However, the division crown is far from out of reach for Philadelphia. A light travel schedule since their stunning 37-31 loss in Miami in Week 13 has been a big bonus for the battered and bruised squad, who haven’t needed to board a plane since. The defense has managed to largely contain opposing offenses in recent home games, surrendering just 14.2 PPG over their past five at the Linc.

The Cowboys have averaged 35.7 points per game in their seven victories this season, four of those wins came against divisional rivals, with Sunday’s win over Los Angeles marking their first victory over a team with a winning record this season. That soft track record, along with the Cowboys’ inability to slam the door on the divisional race, adds value to a wager on the longshot Eagles to win the NFC East.

Pick: Eagles (+150)

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