By FRANK WARD
DailyPhiladelphian.com Editor
Eagles. Cowboys. NFC East rivalry. Playoffs. It doesn’t get much bigger than this.
However, after last week’s pitiful 24-0 loss to the Cowboys, do the Eagles have the capability of rising to the challenge and sending Tony Romo and the Cowboys to another playoff loss? Here’s how your DailyPhiladelphian sees the game playing out.
The Eagles and Cowboys battle in a Wild Card game Saturday night.
Quarterback — Edge: Push. As we said last week, both quarterbacks are consistently inconsistent. Donovan McNabb had a below average game last week while Tony Romo was at the top of his. Do their fortune’s reverse? Or, do we see a repeat performance from six days ago?
Running back — Edge: Dallas. The return of Brian Westbrook has not helped. We don’t expect vintage Westbrook, but we also need more than 17 yards on five carries. In addition, Shady McCoy and Leonard Weaver better get the ball more if the Eagles want to win. For once Marion Barber earned our respect last week, and Felix Jones displayed the break away ability we knew he had. Point blank, Dallas has the better running game right now.
Jeremy Maclin and the Eagles receivers look to rebound this week.
Wide receiver — Edge: Push. DeSean Jackson can’t do it alone. Jeremy Maclin needs to have a big game, while Jason Avant must continue to haul in passes in the slot. Patrick Crayton displayed that he can and will take advantage of Asante Samuel’s overaggressiveness, and he makes a great 1-2 punch with Pro Bowler Miles Austin.
Tight end — Edge: Push. Jason Witten is still one of the league’s best, although he’s been called on to block more this year. Brent Celek now garners the same respect as Witten. You know he’s getting the ball, and you still can’t stop him. Both are capable of having big, multiple TD games.
Offensive line — Edge: Dallas. The injury to Jamaal Jackson hurt the team last week. Nick Cole did a solid job filling in at center, but we don’t like starting max Jean-Gilles in Cole’s spot. Plus, that also means Stacy Andrews is in the rotation. Dallas’ group is intact and as solid as they’ve been in years.
Defensive line — Edge: Push. Jay Ratliff is a beast inside who cans top the run and get to the quarterback as evidenced by his six sacks. The Cowboys create pressure that is helped by linebacker DeMarcus Ware who acts as a pass rusher. Trent Cole leads the Eagles charge. It’s clear that the Birds need the blitz to help pressure Tony Romo.
The Eagles need to force more turnovers this week.
Linebacker — Edge: Dallas. The Eagles linebackers are a mess. Chris Gocong and Akeem Jordan — two starters at the beginning of the year — can’t get on the field. Jeremiah Trotter, who was cohosting radio shows on WIP in September, is the team’s best linebacker right now. Unless this unit steps up, makes plays and follows Trotter’s passionate play, the Eagles are in trouble and will get run on all over again. For Dallas, Ware leads the charge.
Secondary — Edge: Eagles. OK, the Birds defense had a poor game last week. We just don’t see a secondary with Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown getting beat up again this week.
Special teams — Edge: Eagles. We’ll take DeSean Jackson’s ability to change a game every week.
THE PICK: Dallas 23, Eagles 20. You can’t hold the Eagles offense down two weeks in a row. The only other time they went without a touchdown this year, the Eagles bounced back by scoring 27 points on Washington despite losing Westbrook in the first quarter with his first concussion of the year. Jackson, Maclin and Celek should all produce this week. In addition, the Eagles defense will surely blitz more than last week, which will help put the pressure on Romo. Having said all of this, we see a more competitive game, but the home field advantage likely helps Dallas pull it out in the end.
