Last season, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys played two very different games against each other.
The Eagles were flying high on Thanksgiving Day, but it was only two weeks later that Dallas knocked them out of the playoffs in the City of Brotherly Love. Now, the two teams meet again for the first time in 2015 in significantly different circumstances in Week 2.
WHEN THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES HAVE THE BALL
We were supposed to learn what Chip Kelly really had with his brand new offense in Week 1, but we really didn't learn a lot last week. Sam Bradford is who he is. He's going to make some great plays which remind us all why he was the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft just a handful of years ago, but he is going to largely be nothing special.
Instead of being a high-octane, up-tempo unit, the Eagles were standing around a lot last week against the Falcons at the line of scrimmage just waiting for instructions to be barked out by Bradford. Things did pick up in the second half, but there are some real problems which need to be fixed if this unit is going to score enough points to either cover this spread or push the game anywhere near the highest total of the year, which currently sits at 55.
The real key is going to be getting the ground game going. Darren Sproles can't be the most explosive back in this lineup when you've got both DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews are splitting time as well.
Dallas' defense played better than allowing 26 points to the Giants suggested. Remember that the G-Men picked up three turnovers, one of which came back for a touchdown and one of which setup a field goal.
WHEN THE DALLAS COWBOYS HAVE THE BALL
The Cowboys had two very different games last year against the Eagles. In the first, they had no balance whatsoever in the second half after they fell behind by too many points. In the second, they ran Murray 31 times. Yes, he only managed 81 yards on those 31 carries, but that was really the difference, as the passing game was setup from there.
Even though Murray is now on the other side of the field, the theory has to be the same here for the Cowboys. They have to keep their balance with Lance Dunbar, Darren McFadden and Joseph Randle. If they aren't doing that, that means Tony Romo is going to have to throw the ball a ton. And, considering the fact that Dez Bryant isn't in the lineup, that could be a huge problem.
Of course, the Eagles allowed a ton of big plays in the passing game against a similarly built Atlanta team just six days ago, which could be a bit of a nuisance for live bettors who are banking on them. Then again, that's a lot of the same problem which Philly had last year, too. Regardless, if Dallas is throwing it far too much, one has to think that that plays into the hands of Philadelphia.
TREND TO TRACK
The road team has won six of the last seven games in this series SU, and the underdog team has covered five in a row.
That's good news for the Cowboys in this one, and live bettors should certainly take note of that, especially knowing that the Eagles are incredible unknowns until they establish some sort of an identity with this new collection of players.
The NFL betting lines and props for this Sunday game were first available at BookMaker Sportsbook. The Philadelphia Eagles were lined at -5 alongside a total of 55. Live wagering during commercials offers adjusted moneylines, totals and spreads. Log in and start gambling during the game now!
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