Eagles vs. Cowboys 2018 Prediction: Dallas Will Beat Philadelphia In Week 14, Lock Up NFC East Title

With the Washington Redskins losing three straight games and forced to rely on Mark Sanchez at quarterback, the NFC East has turned into a two-team race. That could come to an end Sunday afternoon when the Dallas Cowboys have a chance to virtually lock up the division title.

The Philadelphia Eagles are the lone, realistic challenger to the first-place Cowboys with four games left on the regular-season schedule. The defending champs will visit Dallas in a pivotal Week 14 matchup that could make or break their season.

If the Eagles can pull off the upset, they’ll tie the Cowboys atop the NFC East. In that scenario, Philadelphia would technically be in first place because they’d have the better division record.

A loss for the Eagles, on the other hand, would basically end their shot of winning a second straight division title. It would put them two games behind the Cowboys, and Dallas would own the tiebreaker because they’ve already beaten the Eagles once this season. That means the Eagles would have to win three straight games and the Cowboys would have to lose their final three games in order for Philadelphia to win the NFC East.

With Dallas favored by 3.5 points at home, per OddsShark, the two teams are considered to be virtually even. That hasn’t exactly proven to be the case, however, when watching the rivals over the last month.

The Cowboys have rebounded from a 3-5 start to the season, winning four straight games and looking like a team that might be able to do some damage in the playoffs. The acquisition of Amari Cooper has made the offense more explosive, though the team still has trouble scoring points at times. Most importantly, Dallas has one of the NFL’s best defenses that can shut down any offense in a given game. After holding MVP candidate Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints to 10 points in Week 13, the Cowboys have given up fewer points than 30 other teams.

The Eagles have won two straight games themselves, but they haven’t been nearly as impressive as the Cowboys. Philadelphia needed a fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Giants at home, and they won at home against a Redskins’ team that’s been devastated by injuries.

In their game before beating the Giants, the Eagles were embarrassed in New Orleans 48-7. Philadelphia is 1-3 when playing at an opposing team’s home stadium. They are 0-3 against teams that enter Week 14 with a record above .500.

Dallas is 5-1 at home. Ezekiel Elliott is averaging 139 yards from scrimmage with five total touchdowns in those six contests. He totaled 187 yards and two touchdowns in the Cowboys' win at Lincoln Financial Field on Nov. 11 against an Eagles’ defense that ranks 29th in opponents’ yards per carry.

Philadelphia hasn’t done anything particularly well this season. They’re 17th in total offense and 21st in total defense. They’ve scored 30 points one time.

We’ve watched the Eagles fail to look like the team that won last year’s Super Bowl for 12 straight games. Why would that change in game No.13?

Prediction: Dallas over Philadelphia, 20-13