Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys Betting Odds, Analysis, NFL Pick

The Dallas Cowboys (2-5) hope to break a five-game losing streak when they host the Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) in a key NFC East matchup Sunday night. The Cowboys started the season 2-0 before losing quarterback Tony Romo to a broken collarbone and just got wide receiver Dez Bryant back from a foot injury. Romo was hurt during a 20-10 win at Philadelphia in Week 2, and the road team is 7-1 against the spread in the past eight meetings between the teams.

Point spread: The Cowboys opened as 2.5-point favorites; the total was 45.5 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).

NFL pick, via Odds Shark computer: 24.0-19.8 Cowboys

Why the Eagles can cover the spread

The Eagles are coming off their bye week, which followed a 27-16 road loss to the Carolina Panthers in the Week 7 Sunday night game. They are fortunate that the New York Giants have not seized control of the division, leaving it wide open for any team that can manage to finish above the .500 mark this season. You can bet Philly head coach Chip Kelly told his players how important it is to win this game after the bye.

Dallas continues to struggle offensively without Romo and will not be able to keep up on the scoreboard if the Eagles can get off to a quick start. Philadelphia running back and former Cowboy DeMarco Murray had a terrible performance in the first meeting, totaling only two yards on 13 carries. Murray will be motivated to bounce back in this spot, especially playing in Dallas for the first time since he left to sign with the Eagles.

Why the Cowboys can cover the spread

The Cowboys have been able to stay in their last two games thanks to solid defense, and that will be put to the test here against Philadelphia. Dallas held Murray in check and also picked off Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford twice in the victory. Philly’s offensive performance was so bad that Bradford was the leading rusher with nine yards.

Bradford has not played much better for the team since that loss and remains a wild card with the Eagles. His contract is up after this season, and he should be motivated to play well so they will re-sign him. However, he has more picks (10) than touchdowns (nine) and will keep opponents in any game Philly plays if he keeps making mistakes.

Smart pick

While Bradford has had his struggles, Dallas is in a much worse situation with Matt Cassel under center right now. Cassel has had an opportunity to win a game with the Cowboys in each of his two starts, failing to come through in both. Last week, he threw for only 97 yards despite having Bryant back on the field. Look for the Eagles to soar past Dallas and make it eight covers in nine games for the road team in the series.

Betting trends

• The away team is 7-1 ATS in the last eight games in this matchup.
• The Cowboys are 11-3 SU and ATS in their last 14 games after consecutive losses.
• The Eagles are 9-3 SU and ATS in their last 12 games after a loss.

All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and get the free odds tracker app.