What They’re Saying About the Eagles


Here’s a roundup of what the national media are saying about today’s Eagles-Cowboys matchup:

Elliot Harrison of NFL.com likes the Cowboys, 17-14:

You know when you think you’ve done everything right on a date — cleaned the Doritos from 1986 out of your front seat … wore something besides denim-on-denim … took her to a dazzling Mexican food place (Tex-Mex) — only to discover a big chunk of guacamole under your right nostril? That’s the Dallas Cowboys. They do everything to win a game against a seemingly superior opponent, then fail to close the deal. Think: Dez Bryant dropping a two-point conversion and later being a fingertip away from glory, or Morris Claiborne letting Roddy White take his interception away. Luckily for the Cowboys, they face a team that is in more disarray than they are. Hey, did anyone see LeSean McCoy gain more than 100 yards on 13 carries in the first half Monday? His reward? Six carries the rest of the way.

Peter Schrager of FoxSports.com goes with the Eagles, 27-20:

There’s a joke somewhere about Jason Garrett, Tony Romo, and Jerry Jones being locked out of a locker room in the desert and the only way inside is running a successful two minute drill in the fourth quarter. It ends with them just pounding on the locker room door and the clock running out. Dallas is 3-5 on the year and the losses just seem to be getting worse and worse. They could still make a run in November and December, but I just don’t see it. I’m taking Philly.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com has the Cowboys winning, 28-21:

This is almost a playoff-elimination game. Dallas is playing a second successive road game, while the Eagles are on a short week. The Cowboys have the better team. They will get after Mike Vick against that undermanned line. Dallas stays alive in the division race.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk likes Dallas, 24-21:

It’s a early playoff game between two teams that are destined to miss the playoffs.  In the past two weeks, the Cowboys gave the Falcons a much better game in Atlanta than the Eagles gave the Falcons at home.

Included by Tim in yesterday’s Wake-Up Call, but in case you missed it, SI.com’s Peter King goes with the Cowboys, 23-18:

Wanted to ask my SI.com boss, Tom Mantzouranis, if it would be OK if I passed on picking this game because I don’t like either team. Because America breathlessly awaits my wisdom on every game on the slate, I figured he’d say no. Well, I’m going with Dallas, because the Eagles gave a perfect blueprint for how to beat them last week in New Orleans: Rush Mike Vick into oblivion, and hand his brother a Twitter account.

Evan Silva of Rotoworld.com likes the Cowboys, 28-17:

Michael Vick is keeping his starting job for one more week. It’s the right decision by coach Andy Reid, because he’d otherwise be throwing rookie Nick Foles into a dumpster fire of an offense. Starting four backup linemen, the Eagles simply can not pass protect, and it’s reached the point that they’re pushing Arizona for the worst O-Line in football. “The Eagles right now on offense are a mess,” NFL Films’ Greg Cosell said on ESPN Radio this week. “Rob Ryan is probably salivating when he looks at this offense. … They can’t recognize and react to pressure. I think Rob Ryan will come at them.”

Mike Tanier of SportsOnEarth.com goes with the Eagles, 29-25:

Even with Murray’s stabilizing presence, this game will devolve into a back-and-forth battle of 80-yard drives that end with 100-yard pick-six touchdowns. The winning team will hear that they only won because the losing team did more to lose, which is usually unfair criticism, but not always.

Eight of 12 ESPNDallas.com experts pick the Cowboys. Matt Mosley is one of the four who goes with the Birds:

The teams combine for 780 yards of total offense, but they’re both allergic to the red zone.

Five of eight Dallas Morning-News writers pick the Cowboys, including Tim Cowlishaw, who predicts a 21-10 win:

The unexpected is often the best way to go in this series. And the only unit really performing for either team is the Dallas defense.

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