SPORTS BETTING

• Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles

  Posted on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT by GetChalk

  
  

  If there wasn't already enough hostility between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, these NFC East rivals will battle for the top spot in the division on Sunday Night Football in Week 9.
   
  Oddsmakers have set the Eagles as 3-point home favorites for this primetime showdown. Philadelphia has bragging rights in the NFC East after knocking off the Cowboys 44-6 in their most recent matchup last December. That one-sided win officially spoiled Dallas' playoff chances and started the fire under the Eagles, burning all the way to the NFC Championship game.
   
  Philadelphia may have found another spark in last week's dominant performance against the New York Giants. The Eagles slapped around their divisional foes for a 40-17 victory as 3-point home underdogs. Quarterback Donovan McNabb exploited the Giants' shaky secondary, passing for 240 yards and three touchdowns.
   
  McNabb is inching closer to 100 percent health since suffering broken ribs a few weeks back. He’s gone for an average of over 232 yards passing and has totaled seven touchdowns and no interceptions in his last four games. Against Dallas last December he hung 175 yards and two scores on the Cowboys.
   
  McNabb may have one of his biggest weapons on the sideline this week. Versatile running back Brian Westbrook is still recovering from a concussion but did return to practice this week. His status is uncertain for Sunday night's game. Last year, Westbrook totaled 165 total yards of offense and two touchdowns in the two meetings with the Cowboys.
   
  Heading into this season there were two major question marks concerning Dallas. One of those was the team's secondary, which gave up big plays in the closing weeks of the 2008 schedule. Things appeared to be repeating in the early stretch of 2009, but in recent weeks the Cowboys’ pass defense has shown its fangs.
   
  A lot of that has to do with getting the pass rush back into its 2008 form, when it led the NFL with 59 sacks. Dallas struggled to put pressure on opposing passers through the first four weeks of the season, but since then the defense has totaled 11 sacks in their last three games – all of them victories. DeMarcus Ware, last year's NFL sack leader, was held without a QB kill until Week 5 but now leads the Cowboys with five.
   
  The second question mark hanging over Big D this season was the lack of a go-to receiver. With Terrell Owens cut loose, the team was left with underachieving WR Roy Williams and a cast of unproven receivers along with standout tight end Jason Witten. However, in recent weeks the Cowboys’ pass attack has received a boost from Miles Austin, who was tagged as a third-string option heading into the year.
   
  Austin has exploded since his breakout game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5, in which he finished with 250 yards and two touchdowns. The fourth-year undrafted free agent out of Monmouth University has scored six touchdowns and totaled 563 yards receiving this season. Last week Austin had 61 yards receiving and a touchdown in the team's impressive 38-17 win over the Seattle Seahawks as 10-point home favorites.
   
  Having an option like Austin has also helped Dallas quarterback Tony Romo limit his mistakes under center. Romo has been exceptional over the last three games, passing for an average of over 300 yards per game, totaling eight touchdown passes and, more importantly, he hasn't thrown an interception in that span.
   
  Romo will test that current hot streak against the 10th-ranked pass defense in the NFL. Philadelphia is giving up an average of just under 194 yards passing this season and locked down the Giants for 215 yards through the air and picked off Eli Manning twice.
   
  One of those picks was at the hands of talented corner Asante Samuel, who leads the team with five interceptions. The Eagles have snagged 14 wayward passes, third most in the NFL, and are among the leaders in sacks with 23 on the season. Defensive end Trent Cole is responsible for 5.5 of those sacks.
   
  Oddsmakers have set the total for Sunday night's tilt at 47.5 points. Last year these two rivals played over the total in both meetings and have gone 4-2 over/under in their last six contests. Philadelphia owns the best over mark in the NFL at 6-1, while Dallas has played over the total in five of its seven contests this season.