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

29-year old Tony Romo is proving to be one of the best QBs in the NFL despite constant criticism of his game.  Romo played in all 16 games for the Cowboys this season and he completed 347 of 550 passes (63.1%) for 4,483 yards with 26 TD passes and 9 INTs (97.6 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 35 times for 105 yards (3.0 ypc) with 1 TD run this year.  Romo has now played in 77 games in his NFL career and he has completed 1,178 of 1,857 passes (63.4%) for 15,045 yards with 107 TD passes and 55 INTs (95.6 QB Rating).  Romo has also carried the ball 130 times for 375 yards (2.9 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career.  Romo is one of the best QBs in the NFL so the critics need to leave this guy alone as he could at least start for 25 other teams in the NFL right now.

37-year old Jon Kitna is the back-up and he didn’t even get on the field this season for the Cowboys.  But, he does have a lot of experience and he would likely do well if forced into the starting line-up due to a injury to Tony Romo.  Kitna has played in 128 games in his NFL career and he has completed 2,462 of 4,114 passes (59.8%) for 27,293 yards with 152 TD passes and 151 INTs (76.6 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 279 times for 811 yards (2.9 ypc) with 10 TD runs in his career. 

The Dallas Cowboys (11-5) made a big statement with this win over the Philadelphia Eagles (11-5), giving them the NFC East Title.  Tony Romo got the Cowboys going early and hit Jason Witten for a first quarter touchdown.  Romo had another touchdown pass in the middle of the second quarter and the Cowboys had a 17-0 lead at the half.  Romo finished the game with those 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, and 311 yards on 24/34 passes.  Felix Jones and Marion Barber did their part, getting almost identical numbers.  Jones had 15 carries for 91 yards and 1 touchdown while Jones had 14 carries for 91 yards.  The Cowboys’ offense had very good rhythm, something that is key going into the playoffs.

As good as the Cowboys offense played, the defense probably played better.  They were going up against one of the hottest NFC teams, as the Eagles came into this game with a six-game winning streak.  The defense held the Eagles to 228 total yards, including only 37 rushing yards.  Donovan McNabb threw for 223 yards and the Cowboys kept him out of the endzone.  The Cowboys became the only team this season to shut out the Eagles.  After losing their first two games in December, it looked like deja vu for the Cowboys with a late season collapse looking imminent.  That didn’t happen though, and the Cowboys have now won three straight and look like an NFC favorite in the playoffs.

The Dallas Cowboys (10-5) have made the playoffs, but their game Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles (11-4) has the NFC East title on the line.  If the Cowboys can take down the Eagles they will be the NFC East Champions and may have a bye in the first round of the playoffs.  The Cowboys need Tony Romo to take care of the ball as any turnover could make or break this game.  Romo had gone four straight games without an interception before throwing one last week against the Redskins.  The Eagles’ defense has been playing well lately too, and it has helped them win six straight games.  So Romo will need help from the Cowboys running backs, something he should get as they have been running very well lately.

The Cowboys’ defense needs to limit the Eagles big plays, especially Donovan McNabb going deep to DeSean Jackson.  Jackson is a very fast play-maker and the Eagles have a lot of success when he has good games.  If the Cowboys can limit Jackson they will probably win.  Michael Vick will also get some snaps for the Eagles at quarterback, so the Cowboys defense needs to be prepared for that as well.  This game will have a playoff atmosphere and it should go down to the wire.  I’m going with the Cowboys in a very close one.

PREDICTION:  Dallas Cowboys 28, Philadelphia Eagles 27

The Cowboys are sending five players that one would probably think would go before the season started.  But, 25-year old WR Miles Austin came as a total surprise.  He has played in 15 games for the Cowboys this season and he has caught 74 passes for 1,230 yards (16.6 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  27-year old TE Jason Witten just keeps rolling along for the Cowboys.  He has played in 15 games for the Cowboys this season and he has caught 88 passes for 954 yards (10.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  31-year old center Andre Gurode and 31-year old guard Leonard Davis both have started all 15 games for the Cowboys and they have done a great job of opening holes in the running game and keeping Tony Romo clean.  28-year old DT Jay Ratliff gives the opposing teams trouble right up the middle.  He has played in 15 games for the Cowboys this season and he has made 39 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss, 6 sacks and he has forced 2 fumbles.  27-year old OLB DeMarcus Ware also had a outstanding season for the Cowboys.  Ware has played in 15 games for the Cowboys this season and he has made 56 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, forced 5 fumbles, defensed 6 passes and he has 11 sacks.  The Cowboys hope these six guys will have to cancel so they can play in the Super Bowl.