The Dallas Cowboys made a big statement with their convincing 24-0 win over the Philadelphia Eagles last week, giving them home-field advantage in this rematch and the NFC East Title.  That doesn’t mean it will be another easy win for the Cowboys though, as Andy Reid and the Eagles will have revenge on their minds and they have also dominated the Cowboys in recent playoff years.  The Cowboys have been playing great though, and Tony Romo needs to get the big monkey off his back and finally win a playoff game.  He had one of his best seasons this year and the Cowboys are finally peaking at the right time.  With Romo playing well and the running combo of Marion Barber and Felix Jones, you have got to feel good as a Cowboy fan heading into this game.

The Cowboys’ defense has been doing more than their part for the Cowboys lately, getting great pressure on quarterbacks and not missing tackles.  They had a ton of success against the Eagles last week, giving them their first shutout in a few years.  They did it with strong pressure on Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb, which limited McNabb’s opportunities to look down the field.  McNabb and DeSean Jackson led the league in passing plays of 50+ yards, so the Cowboys secondary can’t let the speedy Jackson get behind them.  If the Cowboys can stop the Eagles’ big plays, then they will really limit what the Eagles’ offense can do.  They don’t run the ball great, but they did average 104 yards per game, so they can’t just focus on McNabb and the pass.  If they shut down the run, it will make things even harder on McNabb.  McNabb has proven he can do it with just his arm at times though, buying time with his athleticism, so the Cowboys need to keep him contained.  This should be an exciting game, but I think the Cowboys are the better team right now and will beat the Eagles again.

PREDICTION:  Dallas Cowboys 27, Philadelphia Eagles 17