The Philadelphia Eagles will play their second straight prime time game this Sunday night when they face off against the NFC East Division rival Dallas Cowboys under the bright lights of Cowboys Stadium. The game is slated to get underway at 8:20 p.m. (ET) and it will be broadcast nationally on NBC.

This weekly betting preview is part of my season-long series where I use my years of experience covering the Eagles to offer a free NFL pick using Doc’s Sports Unit Betting System. When it comes to wagering on the NFL, one successful sports betting strategy is to focus your efforts on what you know best to try and gain that all-important edge.

Betting Lines by BetOnline   

Pointspread: Dallas -10
Total Line: 43

Game Overview: Philadelphia

Just when you thought it could not get any worse for the beleaguered Birds, it has. The final shoe dropped last Monday night in a 30-22 loss to lowly Carolina as three-point home underdogs. The loss was Philadelphia’s seventh in-a-row to take its overall record to 3-8 straight up and a dismal 1-9-1 against the spread. The total has gone “over” in four of its last six games.

It appears that Michael Vick will miss his third straight game after getting knocked out of the first Dallas game in Week 10. Running back LeSean McCoy is listed as questionable while recovering from his own concussion, and wide receiver DeSean Jackson was lost for the season with broken ribs. Add this to an offensive line that has just one starter left from opening day, and it should be another long night for rookie quarterback Nick Foles, who has looked like a deer in headlights in his first two NFL starts. The greater concern for this team is how much heart does it have left after enduring one beating after another. There is little doubt that Andy Reid is out the door, so it will be a true testament to his coaching ability to get his team up for this game.

Game Overview: Dallas

The Cowboys playoff hopes took a serious hit in last Thursday’s shocking 38-31 loss to Washington as 3.5-point home favorites. They are now 5-6 SU (4-7 ATS) and two games behind New York in the division title race. They have now lost three of their last five games overall and are a costly 0-5 ATS at home this season.

This is another storied franchise on the brink of collapse after falling way short of its lofty preseason expectations. It has gotten so bad in Big D that a group of fans have reportedly petitioned the President of the United States to have Jerry Jones removed as owner. What the Cowboys need to remove are a myriad of penalties, blown assignments and turnovers that continue to undermine their efforts to win games. Last week, they dug themselves an early hole against the Redskins they could never climb out of and needed a miracle comeback against Cleveland in overtime to get a win the week before. Fortunately this week, they are playing a team that is even more self-destructive when it comes to finding ways to lose games.

Game Betting Trends

The Eagles are 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight games against the NFC East but just 1-4 ATS in their last five games on the road. The total has stayed under in their last seven road games.

The Cowboys are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 division games and 5-16 ATS in their last 21 home games. The total has gone over in 15 of their last 22 games at home.

Head-to-head, Philadelphia is 3-5 SU and 2-6 ATS in the last eight meetings, including a 38-23 loss in Week 10 as a one-point home underdog. The total went over the 44-point line but it has stayed “under” in the three previous games.

Game Prediction

This is the kind of matchup where you have to really discount past trends given the current form of both teams. There is nothing on the line but pride for Philadelphia, which can still be a strong motivator, especially if you are playing for your job. The Eagles will not go into Dallas and win this game, but 10 points is an awfully high amount of points to lay in what is still a very heated division rivalry. I have been wrong about Philly all season long, but I am taking the bait and the 10 points against a team that is really not all that much better. Utilizing Doc’s Unit Betting System, I am going with the Eagles and the 10 points for 2 Units.

Take #365 Philadelphia (+10) over Dallas for 2 Units

YTD Record: -24 Units (-$2670)