Monday Night Preview: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys

The Philadelphia Eagles take on the Dallas Cowboys this Monday night in what is sure to be one of the most talked about games of the week. The strength of the NFC East Division was in full force on Sunday afternoon with the Washington Redskins coming back from a fourth quarter deficit to beat the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants making quick work of the laughable St. Louis Rams.

Whichever team wins Monday night's match-up between the Cowboys and Eagles is sure to be considered the favorite to win the NFC East. It is very difficult to repeat as Super Bowl Champions and it will be even harder for the New York Giants, who lost both of their starting defensive ends during the off season. The Redskins did very well to beat the Saints but a lot of that had to do with injuries that the Saints suffered earlier in the week and the fact that the Redskins are a tough team. Tough does not always equal victories. The Eagles and Cowboys? Both of those teams are loaded on offense and defense.

That's the reason, of course, that NFL betting fans have been looking forward to this game since last Tuesday. From a football betting point-of-view, it really doesn't get any better than this Monday nighter. The Dallas Cowboys are currently a 6 1/2 point favorite. Money has come in on the Eagles as the Cowboys started the week as a 7 to 7 1/2 point favorite. The money line on this game has changed some as Phildaelphia was (if my memory is correct!) a +260 underdog on the BetUS online sportsbook website. At this time the Eagles are +240 at BetUS Sportsbook.

Which team has the advantage in this game from a football betting point-of-view? Let's analyze a few things before deciding that.

The Dallas Cowboys looked terrific on both offense and defense when destroying the Cleveland Browns in their first game of the season. What was impressive about the Cowboys' victory is that they entered that game as a 7 1/2 point favorite. Not only did they beat the Browns on the road, which is always difficult to do in week one, but they beat them easily, 28 to 10. The Cowboys dominated in every way. They go into this Monday nighter versus the Eagles as another big favorite. With the exception of Marion Barber's bruised ribs and a cut on Tony Romo's chin, the Cowboys also go into this relatively healthy.

The Philadelphia Eagles looked fantastic in their first game of the season when throttling the hapless St. Louis Rams 38 to 3. The Rams might be the worst team in the NFL so the Eagle's victory needs to be looked at under those circumstances. Still, it was a magnificent performance from Donovan McNabb who dissected the overmatched St. Louis secondary. McNabb and the Eagles will find Dallas a bit more difficult to beat on Monday night, but this Eagle team looked so good in their first game of the season that I'm hesitant to pick against them.

There is something different about this Eagles' team as opposed to last year's version. This team has the ability to dominate on defense, McNabb has more weapons at his disposal than last season, and, most importantly, the Eagles appear to have that killer instinct that very good teams need. They pretty much put their foot to the pedal in the first quarter of last week's victory and never let up.