Week 16 Picks: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys

Philadelphia Eagles (4-9-1 SU, 5-9 ATS) vs. Dallas Cowboys (5-9 SU, 4-10 ATS)

NFL Football Week 16

Date/Time: Sunday December 27th, 2020. 4:25PM (EST)

Where: AT&T Stadium Arlington, TX

TV:FOX

Point Spread:PHI -1/DAL +1 (Intertops – In today’s climate, strength/trust/stability matters more than ever! This book has been online since the 1990’s! ROCK SOLID!)

Over/Under Total: 49.5

There are going to be a lot of people that hate this next statement. However, at just 5-9 SU, the Dallas Cowboys are still very much alive in the playoff hunt. The Cowboys’ kept their postseason hopes alive by capturing their 2nd straight victory last week against the 49ers in a wild 41-33 shootout. With Washington leading the NFC East at 6-8 SU, both the Cowboys and Eagles are technically still alive in the postseason race. If Philadelphia wins this week, they just need Washington to lose, and they will have a showdown in week 17 for the NFC East crown. The Cowboys are in a similar scenario needing two wins and then two losses from Washington over the next two weeks. While it’s not an ideal situation for either the Eagles or Cowboys, what more could you ask for with a sub 40% win percentage?

While neither the Eagles nor the Cowboys deserve much postseason humor, it is still an odd situation that both teams still have a fighting chance. The Cowboys have been fighting the good fight in the wake of QB Dak Prescott’s season-ending injury earlier this season. Plagued with defensive issues and the loss of their most important player, it has not been a pleasant debut season for Head Coach Mike McCarthy. Still, Dallas has shown some grit in recent weeks by remaining competitive. Meanwhile, Philadelphia has lost five of their last six games, which may seem like a doom and gloom scenario. However, the newly named starter in QB Jalen Hurts has provided some unexpected optimism for the Eagles moving forward.

QB Jalen Hurts provides Eagles’ hope

Despite losing 33-26 to the Cardinals in week 15, all Eagles’ fans will tell you that was probably one of the most encouraging losses in recent memory. The reason for the optimism is because QB Jalen Hurts was thoroughly impressive in his 1st career start. Hurts passed for 338 yards through the air for three touchdowns and scrambled for another 63 yards with one touchdown on the ground. In many ways, it was a Kyler Murray/Lamar Jackson style dual-threat performance that gave sudden life to an Eagles offense that has been horrible throughout the 2020 season. Now Hurts has earned the right to keep the starting job and will have the opportunity to build off last week’s success. Of course, the million-dollar question is, can Hurts continue to play at a high level? The good thing for Eagles fan is that Hurts will have the most ideal opportunity this Sunday against one of the league’s worst defenses in Dallas.

Falcons at Chiefs Point Spread Pick >>>

Eagles vs. Cowboys Betting Analysis

This week 16 match-up between the Eagles and Cowboys is highly intriguing. The Cowboys have looked solid over the last two weeks with wins against the Bengals and 49ers. In those two wins, the Cowboys have scored defensive touchdowns, special teams touchdowns, and received solid output from backup QB Andy Dalton and backup RB Tony Pollard. Pollard stole the show last week with two rushing touchdowns and more than 120 all-purpose yards. In a weird way, Pollard looked more elusive than Ezekiel Elliott has in recent weeks. With Elliott still not at 100%, Pollard may and should get the nod again this week.

The reason that I find this match-up highly intriguing is that on paper, this is a dream match-up for Jalen Hurts. However, I am not convinced Hurts is the elite level dual-threat that people are quickly assuming following the performance against Arizona. If we look at the law of averages, the Eagles have been very mundane on the offensive side of the football, and that is scary against a team (Dallas) that is starting to play well in all facets. Despite the big performance last week, Hurts still only completed 54% of his passes, and that inaccuracy is something that plagued him in college. Remember the highly controversial benching in the National Championship Game by Nick Saban? The point that I am making is that I need Hurts to show more than one performance before we expect huge performances to be normal. The match-up is ideal, but something is telling me this is a let-down spot for the Eagles.

Eagles vs. Cowboys Betting Trends

• The Eagles are just 5-10 ATS in the last 15 games.
• The Eagles have hit the “under” in six of the last eight games.
• The Eagles are just 2-4 ATS in the last six games against Dallas.
• The Eagles are also 0-5 ATS in their last five games on the road.
• The Cowboys are 4-10 ATS in the last 14 games.
• The Cowboys have hit the “over” in four of the last five games.
• The Cowboys have hit the “over” in seven of the last nine games at home
• The Cowboys are 4-2 ATS in the last six games against Philadelphia.

Jay’s Pick to Cover the Point Spread: I may get burned for this comment, but I’m not buying the Jalen Hurts messiah narrative. I think we see Hurts come back down to earth thanks to the Cowboys’ pass rush. I’m going against the heavy public play here, but I think the Cowboys win this game. Take Dallas +1. Bet your pick and ALL your football picks each week at -105 odds instead of the expensive -110 you’re currently risking every time you bet at BetAnySports! Making the switch to discounted odds will save you a BOATLOAD of cash!