GAME: Philadelphia Eagles (5-8) at Dallas Cowboys (12-1)
DATE/TIME: Sunday, December 16 - 4:15 PM EST
SPREAD: Dallas -10 TOTAL: 48.5
With their postseason hopes now all but dashed, the
Philadelphia Eagles will attempt to spoil the
Dallas Cowboys' goals of seizing home field advantage throughout this year's NFC Playoffs when the bitter divisional rivals square off this Sunday in a late-season showdown from Texas Stadium.
The
Eagles are in grave danger of missing out on the conference's postseason parade for only the second time in the last eight years after suffering narrow defeats in each of their previous three games heading into Sunday's tilt. At 5-8, Philadelphia now trails Minnesota by two games in the race for the NFC's final wild card spot with three to play.
Those three losses have come by a total of 10 points, with the most recent setback coming at the hands of fellow NFC East member New York last Sunday. The Giants went ahead on Eli Manning's third-quarter touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress, then held on for a 16-13 decision when Philadelphia's David Akers hit the upright on a 57-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds.
Donovan McNabb returned to action for the Eagles after missing two straight contests due to a right ankle sprain and jammed thumb on his throwing hand, but the star quarterback's presence couldn't ignite a Philadelphia offense that converted just 2-of-13 third-down opportunities against the Giants. McNabb finished the day with 179 yards and one touchdown on 20-of-30 passing.
Dallas has already wrapped up the division crown by virtue of last week's 28-27 comeback triumph at Detroit. The Cowboys rallied from a 13-point fourth- quarter deficit and forged ahead on a 16-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Tony Romo to tight end Jason Witten with just 18 seconds left on the game clock.
Witten amassed a club record 15 receptions for a career-high 138 yards, the most catches by a tight end since San Diego's Kellen Winslow Sr. had the same amount in 1984.
That victory was the seventh in a row for the 12-1 Cowboys, who currently hold a one-game edge on Green Bay for the top seed in the upcoming NFC playoffs. Dallas also owns the tiebreaker with the
Packers due to a 37-27 win in a head- to-head matchup during Week 13.
The Cowboys haven't won 13 games in a regular-season since 1992, a year in which the franchise captured the first of three
Super Bowl titles in a four- season span.
SERIES HISTORY
The Cowboys hold a 52-41 advantage in their all-time regular season series with the Eagles, including a 38-17 win in Philadelphia in Week 9. Dallas was swept in a home-and-home with their long-time NFC East rival last season, including a 23-7 home loss. The Eagles' last defeat at Texas Stadium occurred in 2005.
In addition to their regular season advantage, the Cowboys have a 2-1 edge in the postseason series. The Eagles were 20-7 winners in the 1980 NFC Championship, while Dallas won NFC Divisional Playoff games over Philadelphia following the 1992 and 1995 seasons.
Eagles head coach Andy Reid has a career record of 12-5 against the Cowboys. Dallas' Wade Phillips is 2-0 all-time against both Philadelphia and Reid all- time, with the first of those wins coming in the form of a 26-0 rout for Phillips' Bills over the Eagles in 1999.
WHEN THE EAGLES HAVE THE BALL
Philadelphia's eighth-ranked offense (352.9 ypg) is centered around the considerable talents of running back Brian Westbrook (1110 rushing yards, 74 receptions, 12 TD), the NFL's present leader in yards from scrimmage this season. The do-everything back produced his fifth 100-yard rushing outing of the year, gaining 116 on 20 carries in last week's loss, and also caught McNabb's lone touchdown pass of the day. The Eagles will be without backup Correll Buckhalter (258 rushing yards, 3 TD) on Sunday due to a concussion, which puts little-used rookie Tony Hunt (16 rushing yards, 1 TD) into the role of Westbrook's understudy. Philadelphia is averaging a healthy 122.1 rushing yards per game (8th overall) but mustered only 66 yards on the ground against Dallas' sturdy run defense back in November.
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