PHILADELPHIA- Once again, the Cowboys have found themselves with an opportunity to take first place in the NFC East.
A showdown with the Eagles will take place Sunday night with both teams sitting at 9-4. Philly took the first game 33-10 on Thanksgiving Day but the Cowboys will try to stay perfect on the road this year after winning their first six games away from AT&T Stadium.
Here are the gut feelings for staff writers Nick Eatman, Bryan Broaddus and David Helman.
Bryan Broaddus: When the month of November begin I thought that the Cowboys and Eagles would have split their two games on the season with each one winning on their home turf. It really concerns me how Philadelphia came to AT&T Stadium and handled the Cowboys just two weeks ago. To a man they have acknowledged how poorly they played and how this time around things would be different. I want to believe that will be the case but I just don't see how. This Cowboys offense is going to have to win this game but with their struggles against these 3-4 defenses I think it is going to be a difficult task. I am going to pick the score 31-21 Eagles.
David Helman: I was incredibly confident the Cowboys were going to win on Thanksgiving, and they responded with their worst performance of the season. With that in mind, I don't feel overly smart about picking Dallas again – and for the exact same reasons. With a full 10 days to prepare, though, I keep coming back to this thought process – I just don't think Mark Sanchez can outperform Tony Romo. That's probably the most homer stance I've taken since I started working here, because Sanchez already has outdueled Romo. But in two games, with Romo having a full week to prepare? I just don't see it. I also don't see the Dallas defense struggling to deal with LeSean McCoy quite as much. McCoy is going to get his yards, but the Cowboys have been much better defending the run than they showed on Thanksgiving. The Eagles deserve to be considered the better team after what happened two weeks ago. But basically, I'm doubling down – I don't think they can maintain that over the course of two games. I think Romo is going to throw for 280 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, and the Cowboys will sneak out of Philly with a huge win – something like 27-24.
Nick Eatman: First let me say, that yes, I was at the game on Thanksgiving Day at AT&T Stadium. I watched every play and saw the Cowboys completely struggle on both sides of the ball, particularly on offense. But I've also seen every game the Cowboys have played this year, too. And since I don't believe the Eagles are the best team Dallas has faced all year and not even defensively, then I still want to a rematch. Two weeks ago, I didn't think the Cowboys would win at home. Now, I don't see them losing – at all. In fact, I've got the Cowboys controlling the game from the start and having a sizeable lead throughout. Terrance Williams will have some big plays but more than anything DeMarco Murray has a game that has us all thinking he's got a shot at 2,000 yards by the end. Because I think the Cowboys are better than what they showed, because I still think they can get after Mark Sanchez and because I think this NFL is this weird, I'm going with the Cowboys to win 31-13 to improve to 7-0 on the road this year.
