Predictions for Week 16: Eagles vs. Cowboys

Our Eagles vs. Cowboys predictions for Week 16 of the NFL season Original publication: NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles (13-1), are traveling to North Texas to take on the Cowboys (10-4).

To the predictions

Reuben Frank (12-2)

This is an amazing game. Can’t wait till 4:25 p.m. Saturday. Mathematically, it’s not even that important for the Eagles. If they win, they secure the No. The No. 1 seed in NFC playoff bracket. According to the 538, their chances of winning the top seed drop from 97 percent down to 96 percent if they lose. But whatever the numbers say, it’s the Cowboys. And it’s Christmas Eve. And the Eagles haven’t swept the Cowboys since 2011. And I’m sure that 51-26 Cowboys win over the Eagles’ backups last January didn’t sit real well with a few people in the organization. Although the Eagles will be the top seed in any way, they would like to secure it this weekend and get as many rests as possible against the Saints or Giants. While the Eagles have been rolling along – five straight wins since their only loss – the Cowboys barely beat the one-win Texans Two weeks ago, they lost a 17 point lead in Jacksonville. This is the one I keep returning to: Jalen Hurts is a great quarterback, and the Eagles will miss him, but to me it’s about the team, and the Eagles have a better team, a better organization, a better culture than the Cowboys. It’s why the Eagles have won 14 playoff games since the mid-1990s and the Cowboys have won three and haven’t gotten to an NFC Championship Game since the days of Emmitt, Troy and Michael. Both sides of the ball are very talented for the Cowboys. But if it’s Star Power vs. Dawg Mentality, I’m going with Dawg Mentality every time.

Cowboys 23 – Eagles 26

Dave Zangaro (12-2)

Jalen Hurts would make this game much more difficult. There is no doubt about that. But it’s still a very winnable game against a Cowboys team that has been hit pretty hard by injuries this season. Maybe I’m crazy or maybe I’ve been too close to a really good team all season, but I think the Eagles can and will win this game. Now, that won’t be easy.

There is a fear. Dak Prescott has a really good game and the Eagles aren’t able to force him into turning the football over. If that happens, the Cowboys might be in a position to march down the field with the Eagles. But there’s no reason to think the Eagles offense won’t be able to work with Gardner Minshew At quarterback, particularly with the return Dallas Goedert, who had 105 yards and 2 touchdowns in Minshew’s start against the Jets last year. It’ll be close, it’ll be a nail-biter, it might come down to the final possession. The Eagles will win the NFC East and the No. On Christmas Eve, the 1 seed.

Cowboys 23 – Eagles 26

Barrett Brooks (12-2)

Dallas Week! This is the most intense rivalry I’ve ever witnessed in my 12-year NFL career. I literally have a deep dislike (Mom said never hate) for the Cowboys’ star!

This game is set up on a platter for Gardner Minshew to have a great game. He is paying house money. It is likely that he will be playing as a backup QB against the league’s 3rd-best pass rush. Shane Steichen as OC will have to call a different offense from what he is used too. That puts all the pressure onto Dallas’ defense. The Bird’s Oline will dominate the line. Minshew will throw the ball constantly and hand off to Pro-Bowl RB Miles Sanders All night.

The Birds will need to stop the run defensively. Cowboys’ RBs Tony Pollard And Ezekiel Elliott They are a formidable pair. Both of them set Dak Prescott up well and allowed him to execute play action very well. I believe the Eagles’ run defense has gotten immensely better in stopping the run with the addition of DL Linval Joseph DL Ndamukong Suh.

This is the game that football players love! This is your chance to defeat your division rival and secure the No. The conference’s No. 1 stop!

Eagles 32, Cowboys 20,

Mike Mulhern (13-1)

I count five teams Gardner Minshew would be the starter for and a handful of others, who if they were being honest with themselves, should prefer the ‘stache to their current situations. He won seven games with a poor Jaguars squad in 2019, and has posted impressive career numbers (41 TD. 12 INT. 93.9 rating). He led 8 drives last year, 7 of them ending in points. He scored 26 points against the Cowboys starters last week, despite being a backup. Suffice it to say, he’s been more than capable with far lesser supporting casts. And while Jalen Hurts has played like an MVP this season, I don’t expect the offense as a whole to drop off much.

The Birds haven’t won in Dallas since 2017. And just like that season, the rest of the Eagles will be out to prove it’s not just about the quarterback.

Cowboys 23 – Eagles 27 

Adam Hermann (13-1)

For the first time this season, I’m picking against the Eagles. And it’s not their fault.

I think they’re probably the most well-rounded team in the league, so an Eagles win on Christmas Eve against the Cowboys wouldn’t completely shock me. Lane Johnson It can be strife Micah Parsons, Darius Slay You can win the battle against CeeDee Lamb, and the Eagles’ elite WR corps against Trevon Diggs & Co. is a winning matchup for the Birds.

However… the drop-off from Jalen Hurts to Gardner Minshew is severe. Minshew is an excellent backup quarterback, capable of winning games in a pinch and highly mistake-averse. But I think anyone who questioned Hurts’ value is going to learn in real time this weekend how crucial he is to the offense.

Between Hurts’ big-play arm and his dynamic rushing ability, he’s been the engine driving the NFL’s best offense all year long. Nick Sirianni will likely lean more on Miles Sanders than he did last week, but even the run game benefits from Hurts’ talents. Minshew simply isn’t Hurts.

Dallas Goedert’s return is enough to convince me that Minshew can win the upset. Goedert is both a great safety valve and sneaky playmaker. With Brown, Smith and Goedert, you have to like the chance of Minshew’s offense moving the ball up and down.

It will have to be more methodical than explosive. This leaves you open for things to go wrong.

The Eagles’ best shot is to force Dak Prescott into bad turnovers (he has 7 INTs in his last four games) while minimizing their own mistakes. It’s not a bad formula, and one I think this team is capable of executing.

I think it will be a close game, but ultimately the Cowboys will have the better QB on Saturday and that’s often the difference in the NFL.

Cowboys 27 Eagles 24

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