Free Pick: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys: January 3rd 2010
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys
Free Pick: Dallas Cowboys -3 (January 3rd 2010 – Bill Young)
The Cowboys have ended their December curse, winning back-to-back road games over the Saints and Redskins to earn themselves a spot in the playoffs. Now they have even more at stake Sunday, which is winning the NFC East title by beating the Philadelphia Eagles. Not only can they win the NFC East, but with a little help they could earn the #2 seed and a first-round bye. Dallas remembers getting hammered 44-6 by the Eagles in their regular season finale last year in Philly, which knocked them out of the playoffs. The Cowboys would love nothing more than to return the favor this time around, and they are treating this as a playoff game. Eagles center Jamaal Jackson’s streak of 71 consecutive starts will come to an end due to a torn ACL suffered in last Sunday’s 30-27 win over Denver. That leaves former right guard Nick Cole snapping the ball to McNabb, and his poor timing in that process led to one bad exchange and a false start penalty in their 30-27 win over the Broncos last week. Without Jackson, Jay Ratliff will require a double-team inside while DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer wreak havoc on the outside. Donovan McNabb was pressured the entire game in their 16-20 loss to Dallas earlier this season, going 16-of-30 passing for 208 yards with 2 interceptions. He’ll face even more pressure this time around with a banged-up line, which will be the difference in the game. Tony Romo had a 67.9 passer rating last December but he’s been playing a lot better down the stretch this season, posting a 106.7 rating in the last five games. During that span, he’s completed 67.2 percent of his throws for 1,548 yards with nine touchdowns and one interception. Romoe has proven he can handle the pressure of the big game, and he’ll have time to pick apart the Eagles’ defense Sunday while McNabb will not have the same luxury. Take Dallas and lay the points.
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