Fish Predicts: If So Many Numbers Favor Cowboys Over Eagles, Why Are You So Nervous?

PHILADELPHIA - The vibe inside the Dallas Cowboys circle is a positive one. The stats that lean toward Dallas over the home-standing Philadelphia Eagles are positive, too. So with all this positivity, why is Cowboys Nation so collectively nervous about this afternoon's "NFC East Title Game'' here in Philly?

It really has very little to do with the Eagles, though Philly, if it closes this season with two more victories, captures the NFC East and likely forces the end of the Jason Garrett Era ... with a whimper.

But wait. ...

*Garrett doesn't much lose in this city; as a Cowboys head coach, he's 7-2 here.

*And what about Ezekiel Elliott? In the five games Elliott has lined up against the Eagles, Dallas is 5-0, with Elliott averaging 24 carries for 115 yards. He has never rushed for fewer than 96 yards against the Eagles. And in games when Elliott rushes for at least 96 yards in his career, the Cowboys are 24-5. (See "All Zeke Needs To Be Is Average,'' here.)

*And what about QB Dak Prescott? He's 5-2 against Philly while throwing eight touchdowns (but seven interceptions) He has also rushed for three touchdowns. Add to that the fact that his sore shoulder might end up being an emotional plus ...

'We're Rallying Around #Dak': Could 'Hostile Environment' in Philly Help the #Cowboys? https://t.co/22XrvSkKZZ #DALvsPHI pic.twitter.com/rxwaCILI8e
— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) December 22, 2019

And Garrett, Zeke and Dak should provide Cowboys Nation with some three-pronged comfort.

Want more?

*Eagles QB Carson Wentz is this franchise's centerpiece of planned greatness. But he gets booed by the home crowd all too often - something that might happen today at The Linc, too, if he plays in a way that reflects his 2-4 record against Dallas.

*This year, in games in which Dak throws fewer than 32 passes, Dallas is 5-0. As always, this can be a Chicken-or-Egg stat. But it's in play today, especially if the Cowboys want to minimize even just a little the stress on Dak's shoulder.

*Philly is about out of receivers but the Eagles boast Zach Ertz. Ertz leads all NFL tight ends in receptions with 84, but he was held to two catches in the Week 7 loss to the Cowboys. What if Dallas just puts Byron Jones on him?

*Receiver Amari Cooper is as much a thorn in the Eagles' side as Zeke and Garrett are. He had five catches for 106 yards in Week 7, and had 10 catches for 217 yards and three TDs against them last December.

But ... mired in a bit of a stat slump, Amari has just 18 catches on 31 targets and averaged only 12.5 yards per catch the last five games. And his road numbers are awful. The fix, though, might be an Eagles secondary that has given up 23 pass plays of 30 yards or more, sixth most in the league.

There is something there for the taking.

*Rookie Miles Sanders is a dynamic running back who last week gained 122 yards on 19 carries against Washington, including a pivotal 56-yard fourth-quarter run. And Dallas is vulnerable to runners who catch out of the backfield. But Philly even has a problem with springing guys out of the backfield as its top O-linemen, Lane Johnson, is out today.

There is some fancy computer that gives Dallas a 68-percent chance of winning. The oddsmakers have set Dallas as a favorite, by 2.5 points. Yes, it's true that the Cowboys have completely befuddled oddsmakers this year, and they've do the same to you and to me. But the Eagles are just 4-3 here at The Linc this season and the boo birds are poised to caw. ... at either team.

Dallas has health, numbers and emotion on its side today.

Cowboys 24, Eagles 23.

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