Don’t tell the Dallas Cowboys this is a meaningless game. Playing in one of those on Monday night, the Boys steamrolled the Lions, who had plenty at stake. If the Cowboys need any motivation, they can set a franchise record for wins in a season by knocking off the Philadelphia Eagles in their Week 17 contest. Philly nearly became the first team not nicknamed the Giants to slap an L on Dallas, but faltered in an overtime loss back in Week 8.
This matchup in Week 17 of the regular season will take place on Sunday, January 1, 2017, at 1 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field.
Odds Analysis
With the Cowboys having played on Monday night, the spread and total have yet to surface. It wouldn’t be a stretch to see similar odds to what we had in the first meeting between these two when Dallas covered as a 5-point favorite in its 29-23 overtime victory in Week 8. Dallas is 4-0 SU and ATS in its last four visits to Philly and should the Boys rest some starters, the under carries plenty of value.
Injury Report
Terrell McClain – The Cowboys defensive front got thinned out a bit more when McClain went down with an ankle injury on Monday night. The team also lost Ryan Davis to a knee injury. Dallas played the game with Cedric Thornton, Demarcus Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford all inactive along the line. At least the Boys can give their regulars some additional time to recover with the top seed already locked up.
Ryan Mathews – The Eagles’ leading rusher is done for the year after sustaining a neck injury in the win over the Giants. Mathews was coming off his best game of the season with 128 yards and a score on the ground against the Ravens a week earlier, however, a collision with a Giants lineman left him hurt. Darren Sproles and Byron Marshall are the only healthy running backs currently on the active roster.
Last Game
The Cowboys are poised for a deep playoff run and there is always a concern over losing a starter to injury in a game that has no postseason ramifications. So the line is thin on playing regulars over not playing them. Jason Garrett hasn’t tipped his hand on what the Cowboys will do in Sunday’s finale, but in all likelihood he treats this like a preseason game. There’s no sense in risking Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott or Dez Bryant to injury and it sure wouldn’t hurt to have some of the players deeper on the roster get some playing time.
The Eagles can point to the first meeting with the Cowboys as the one that probably changed the direction of their season. Philly entered Big D with a 4-2 record and had its own rookie quarterback playing solid football. The Eagles built a 10-point fourth quarter advantage but let it slip away on a Prescott touchdown pass with three minutes left in regulation. They never possessed the football in overtime as Prescott drove the Boys 75 yards for the game-winning score. The Eagles followed with losses in six of their next seven games relegating them to the basement of the NFC East.
Free ATS Pick
The Eagles showed some fight by knocking off the Giants last Thursday, but the win came at a cost. Mathews was lost with a neck injury and Allen Barbre exited with a hamstring issue. Carson Wentz was taken to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion, but returned to the game. We’re not quite sure what to expect from Dallas in this one with the No. 1 seed and home field secured. While it’s considered a meaningless game in terms of playoff positioning, don’t tell that to these teams. Dallas waltzed all over the Lions on Monday night and the Eagles would like nothing better than to finish the year with a couple of victories.
Philly won’t be aided by quarterback inaccuracies in this one. Prescott will likely play and has thrown only four picks the entire year. He was harassed into one of his poorer performances when the teams met earlier this season, but the Cowboys still prevailed. The Eagles defense has been good for most of the season, but it’s tough to contain the Cowboys versatile attack. Look for Dallas to spend time running the ball with Elliott and Darren McFadden to control the clock and the outcome.
NFL Odds: Cowboys 24, Eagles 18
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