2010 NFL Wildcard Playoffs Eagles vs. Cowboys Picks & Predictions
NFC East rivals square off in Texas this Saturday night when the Dallas Cowboys host the Philadelphia Eagles in the opening round of the NFL playoffs.
The Eagles lost to the Cowboys 24-0 as a 3-point underdog in Week 17, while the combined score fell under the posted total of 47.5 points.
Donovan McNabb threw for 223 yards, but fumbled twice in the loss. Tight end Brent Celek finished with seven receptions for 96 yards.
Quarterback Tony Romo threw for 311 yards with a pair of touchdowns and one interception for Dallas, while running back Felix Jones rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries in the win.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sports Interaction have made the Cowboys 4-point favorites over the Eagles for this Wildcard matchup. The over/under total has been set at 45 points.
Our free pick prediction for this game is the Eagles +4. Philly is 6-1 straight up in its last seven games and 17-8 against the spread in their last 25 games on the road. The eagles are also 10-4 against the number in their last 14 games when playing on the road against Dallas.
The Cowboys enter the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the league, but this has been a squad that has failed to live up to expectations in the playoffs under Wade Phillips. For whatever reason, they underachieve at this time of the year and we’re not ready to buck that trend just yet.
It’s hard to beat a team three times in one season, which the Cowboys will do if they can beat the Eagles on Sunday. We think this is a three-point game either way and like the fact that we’re getting four points with a team as good as Philadelphia is. Remember, the Eagles were scorching hot before being shutout last Sunday and we don’t think they’ll play as poorly as they did last week.
Our free pick prediction for the total is the over 45. Both of these teams can light up a scoreboard and even though NFC East matchups tend to be low scoring and hard-hitting, we think both offenses will be on display come Saturday night.
Our NFL Wildcard Free Pick for this matchup is: PHILADELPHIA EAGLES +4 and OVER 45.
Eagles vs. Cowboys Current Odds
103 Philadelphia Eagles +4 (+170 moneyline) Over 45
104 Dallas Cowboys –4 (-200 moneyline) Under 45
NFL Wildcard Playoff Trends
All games in this series since 1992
PHILADELPHIA is 19-17 against the spread versus DALLAS since 1992
DALLAS is 20-18 straight up against PHILADELPHIA since 1992
19 of 37 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL since 1992
Games over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 3-3 against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 4-2 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
3 of 6 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
All games played at DALLAS since 1992
PHILADELPHIA is 11-9 against the spread versus DALLAS since 1992
DALLAS is 13-7 straight up against PHILADELPHIA since 1992
10 of 19 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL since 1992
Games played at DALLAS over the last 3 seasons.
PHILADELPHIA is 2-1 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 2-1 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
2 of 3 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
NFL Wildcard Playoff Injuries
PHILADELPHIA
[LB] 08/03/2009 - Stewart Bradley IR ( ACL )
[OT] 09/15/2009 - Shawn Andrews IR ( Back )
[OT] 09/06/2009 - Fenuki Tupou IR ( Chest )
[LB] 10/22/2009 - Omar Gaither IR ( Foot )
[CB] 11/11/2009 - Ellis Hobbs IR ( Neck )
[QB] 12/27/2009 - Michael Vick "?" Sunday vs. Dallas ( Quad )
[db] 12/27/2009 - Quintin Demps "?" Sunday vs. Dallas ( Ankle )
[DB] 12/28/2009 - Quintin Mikell injured last game, "?" Sunday vs. Dallas ( Ankle )
[C] 12/28/2009 - Jamaal Jackson out for season ( Knee )
DALLAS
[OT] 09/07/2009 - Robert Brewster PUP list ( Pectoral )
[LB] 08/22/2009 - Brandon Williams IR ( ACL )
[LB] 09/06/2009 - Stephen Hodge IR ( Knee )
[OT] 12/10/2009 - Marc Colombo expected to miss 6 weeks ( Fibula )
[S) 12/14/2009 - Pat Watkins expected to miss 2-4 weeks ( Knee )