Cowboys vs Eagles Odds, Picks, Prediction | Sunday Night Football

Cowboys vs. Eagles Odds

Sunday, Oct. 16

8:20 p.m. ET

NBC

From laughingstock to powerhouse? The NFC Least has suddenly turned into the NFC Beast.

Three teams have jumped out to 4-1 or better starts, including the Eagles, who remain the league's only undefeated squad. Even the Commanders picked up their second win on Thursday night.

Maybe even more impressive than the Eagles' start has been the fact that the Cowboys have gone 4-0 with backup quarterback Cooper Rush at the helm. Including last year, Rush is now 5-0 SU and ATS as a starter.

Something has to give between 5-0 Rush and 5-0 Philadelphia. Let's take a closer look at the matchup and what I like from a betting perspective in this battle for first place in the NFC East.

Cowboys vs. Eagles Matchup Analysis

Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how the Cowboys and Eagles match up statistically:

Cowboys vs. Eagles DVOA Breakdown

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Overall DVOA	17	5
Pass DVOA	17	3
Rush DVOA	9	20

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Overall DVOA	5	6
Pass DVOA	7	4
Rush DVOA	5	18

Despite all of the Rush love, the Cowboys offense has not done much this season. Just take look at their season-long statistics in some key offensive statistics:

• EPA per play: 25th
• Yards per play: 23rd
• Points per game: 24th

Rush has simply been asked to manage the game and not make mistakes. However, he has been a bit fortunate even in that regard if you dig a little deeper.

While Rush has yet to throw an interception, he only has three big time throws compared to five turnover-worthy throws, which doesn't include two Washington interceptions overturned as a result of penalty. The Bengals also dropped multiple interceptions in their loss to Dallas.

How have the Cowboys been winning in spite of poor quarterback play and inefficient offense? Their defense has been absolutely dominant, starting with a ferocious pass rush that has caused endless havoc for opposing quarterbacks over the first five weeks of the season.

Dallas not only boasts an abundance of pass-rushing talent, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has done a masterful job of moving guys like Micah Parsons all around to take advantage of exploitable matchups. For the season, the Dallas defense ranks fourth in EPA per play and second in success rate.

That said, things might get a lot more difficult in Philadelphia.

The Cowboys have four wins on the season, which came against the Commanders, Bengals, Rams and Giants. What do those teams all have in common? Poor offensive line play. All four rank 26th or worse in adjusted sack rate.

Now, Dallas will have to face the best offensive line in the league for my money. And it looks like the Eagles will be at full strength up front with the return of stud left tackle Jordan Mailata. Meanwhile, the other four starters (Landon Dickerson, Jason Kelce, Isaac Seumalo and Lane Johnson) haven’t allowed a single sack, with Kelce and Dickerson ranking second and third in pressure rate allowed among qualified offensive linemen.

Not only can Philly's elite offensive line neutralize the elite Dallas pass rush, it should also have success on the ground, which remains an area of weakness for the Cowboys. Look for Hurts and company to take advantage of the Cowboys' aggressiveness with their dynamic option rushing attack.

Dallas has been winning games with its defensive front, but it will finally run into one of the few teams that can match them in the trenches. That will ultimately be the deciding factor in my opinion.

Betting Picks

Behind that elite offensive line, Philly's explosive offense should build a lead at home. That will force Rush to become more than a game manager, which could spell disaster on the road in a raucous environment against an Eagles defense that should be able to create pressure.

With the turnovers looming on the horizon for Rush, this could get ugly quick for the Cowboys if they can't build a lead early on. Rush has barely had to play from behind during this four-game winning streak, so the game script changes dramatically if the Eagles jump out early, which I expect them to do.

The Eagles are arguably the best team in the NFC at this moment. In fact, they are the only team in the NFL to rank top five in both offensive and defensive DVOA. I'll gladly take them under a touchdown at home against a backup quarterback that has been living a charmed life.

For what it's worth, this isn't an ideal travel spot for Dallas. After facing the Giants in New York, the Cowboys flew back to Dallas on a short week to face Washington. They then went out to the West Coast to take on the Rams before flying back across the country for this divisional showdown.

QuickSlip: Eagles -6.5