Sunday Free Service Winner

[InsiderEdge]

Free Service Play For Sunday October 12, 2003

(225) Philadelphia Eagles at (226) Dallas Cowboys 1:00 pm EST

Philadelphia +1.5 (3 Units)

Who would have thought that Philadelphia would come into this game as the dog? They have been a near touchdown favorite in each of their last 2 visits to Dallas (both easy wins by the way) and now they just need to win the game. Is Parcells worth 6 points or has Philadelphia taken a big step back? We think it’s a big overlay and we will bite. While making the playoffs for the last three years, Philadelphia has beaten the Cowboys six straight times, outscoring them by 204-64 in the process. But now Bill Parcells is the man in charge of the Cowboys, and they have won three in a row since suffering an opening-day loss to the Atlanta Falcons. They are in first place heading into Sunday's showdown, a scenario not many people could have seen coming. The Eagles ran the ball only 33 times in starting 0-2 but have called 64 running plays during the two-game winning streak. Duce Staley continues to get more carries with Brian Westbrook as a change-of-pace back and Correll Buckhalter as the short-yardage runner. McNabb also has run the ball 15 times in the past two games, keeping defenses honest even when he drops back to throw. The offensive line has responded well to a run-first approach, and coach Andy Reid, a passing guru, must adjust to a more personnel-friendly offense. If the Eagles are patient with the run, it should force the Cowboys to gamble by moving up their safeties. McNabb then will attack the Cowboys' young cornerbacks because they won't have deep help. With Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard filling in for injured cornerbacks Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent and Clinton Hart subbing for injured safety Brian Dawkins, the Eagles' secondary has held up well. Vincent looks like he will be back this week. The big concern this week is the speed of the Cowboys' Joey Galloway, Terry Glenn and Antonio Bryant. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson likes his safeties to be active near the line, so Sheppard and Brown must keep the Dallas receivers in front of them and be sure to tackle after catches. The Eagles have a better team, but that advantage can be neutralized by one or two big plays but the return of Vincent will be a big boost. Philadelphia is 21-9 ATS against conference rivals and they have covered 14 of 19 on the road and 13 of 16 away from home against division foes. While the Cowboys are trying to think they are contenders, we still feel they are a year away.