'The Undefeated Ref': Dallas Cowboys Get 'Pro-Eagles' Referees For 'Sunday Night Football' vs. Philadelphia
FRISCO - The "Sunday Night Football'' matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles is one of the most anticipated games of the season and will help decide who wins the NFC East and maybe even the No. 1 seed in the conference come playoff time.
But after the reveal that referee John Hussey and his crew will be officiating the game, many people think they can predict the outcome.
John Hussey (center), Dak Prescott (4) and Mike McCarthy
Philadelphia is a perfect 7-0 when the Hussey crew is assigned to one of its games. That includes last season's 26-17 win over the Cowboys on "Monday Night Football'' and its 31-7 victory over the 49ers in the NFC title game.
In the "Monday Night Football'' win over Dallas, the Eagles were penalized just twice for 10 yards, while the Cowboys totaled 10 flags for 72 yards. Against San Francisco in last season's NFC Championship game, the 49ers were penalized 11 times for 81 yards while Philly was flagged just four times for 34 yards.
Both of those totals would be hard - if not impossible - to overcome.
Heading into Sunday night, both Dallas and Philadelphia are somewhat evenly-matched. The 10-2 Eagles are just one game ahead of the 9-3 Cowboys for the lead in the NFC East, and a win by either team would improve the head-to-head cause.
Dallas has won four in a row since losing to Philadelphia 28-23 back on Nov. 5 and has scored 40 or more points in three of those and has averaged 42. The defense has allowed an average of just 18 points per contest in that stretch. The Eagles dropped just their second game of the season last week, a 42-19 decision to the 49ers.
Dallas has just one win this season over what some would call a "quality opponent,'' and that came last week in a 41-35 tilt against the Seattle Seahawks at AT&T Stadium. In two previous games against the 49ers and Eagles, the Cowboys seemed overmatched and were outscored 70-33.
There are other mentions of how Hussey's crew deals with home games, division games and more. For instance, against the spread, since 2016, home teams are 33-14-2 when Hussey works. That's the best home ATS record for any ref in that span. But that pales in comparison to the 7-0 stunner.
Dallas already has a tall task ahead of it in beating the Eagles. If it has to beat John Hussey and his crew. too, it might be a long night in Arlington.
