What They’re Saying About the Eagles

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

ESPN.com’s Ashley Fox likes Dallas, 35-12:

The Eagles have lost seven straight games. The wheels have fallen off. They might not win another game. Cowboys 35, Eagles 12.

Peter Schrager of FoxSports.com has the Cowboys, 34-23:

Jim Schwartz’s errant challenge flag and Mark Sanchez’s “running into my lineman’s butt” fumble got more airplay, but I also got a kick out of Tony Romo hurrying to the line and running a quarterback sneak for 1 yard on … first and 10. Romo and Jason Garrett (presumably in his ear) must have thought it was third-and-inches. It wasn’t. The play summed up all you needed to know about the 2012 Dallas Cowboys. They’ll win on Sunday night, Dez Bryant will go bonkers, and you’ll wonder “What happened this year?” before you go to sleep. Quarterback sneaks for a yard on first-and-10. That’s what happened.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com likes Dallas, 37-21:

This once looked like a big game. It isn’t. The Eagles are horrible and out of it. The Cowboys are trying to survive. I think they get it going here against an Eagles team that is playing on a short week and playing for nothing. Cowboys roll.

Elliot Harrison of NFL.com has the Cowboys in a 31-24 victory:

It’s tough to predict 24 points from the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense, but if you saw the Dallas Cowboys’ defense on Thanksgiving, you smell what I’m stepping in here …

On the other side of the ball, Tony Romo’s arm might fall off. In the last two games, he has attempted 112 passes for 754 yards. I anticipate the Cowboys to scale that back, but here’s some nuggets you might enjoy: Since Todd Bowles took over as DC in Philly, the Eagles have allowed five straight quarterbacks to compile a passer rating of 120 or above (tying an NFL record), while not picking off a pass in five straight games (first time since 1976 for that franchise).

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk picks the Cowboys, 34-20:

Philly is in a full-blown free fall.  After seeing them lose to the lowly Panthers, I’m done picking them until next September at the earliest.  The Cowboys aren’t much better, but they’re good enough (and sufficiently healthier) to get it done.

Mike Tanier of SportsOnEarth.com has the most unique prediction of the week: Cowboys 28, Eagles whatever:

Andy Reid and his Eagles are trudging through the final weeks of the season like a doomed Arctic expedition. They set out 13 years ago with ample provisions, high morale and military precision, but the elements wore them down. Look at them now: weary, frostbitten, half-mad from lead poisoning, sloughing off valuable party members at every turn for desperate, ill-conceived reasons. Juan Castillo: tried for mutiny and left to fend for himself on a mountaintop. Jason Babin: waived so he could join a friendly Inuit tribe. Michael Vick … well, if ever there was a character who fell out of a Jack London novel and into the NFL, it is Michael Vick.

Doomed Arctic expeditions often resorted to cannibalism in those final, horrible days. Let’s hope the team charter doesn’t taxi on the runway too long.

Evan Silva of Rotoworld.com predicts a 23-20 Cowboys win:

Bryce Brown is the real deal, alright. Temporarily forgiving the seventh-round rookie for two lost fumbles due to careless if correctable ball-carrying technique, Brown’s cutting ability, turbo jets down the sideline, and physical inside running jumped off the tape in Philly’s Week 12 loss to Carolina. “His skill set is very similar to someone like Ben Tate,” NFL Films’ Greg Cosell observed of Brown this week. “He’s a very decisive, downhill runner with natural power and short-area burst.”

All 12 ESPNDallas.com experts pick the Cowboys. Writes Matt Mosley:

Someone wake me up when it’s over.

All eight Dallas Morning News writers pick the Cowboys. Writes Rick Gosselin:

If there’s even a slim shot at the playoffs, the Cowboys must win their final two games against divisional opponents.

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
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