Cowboys vs. Eagles: NFL Week 18 betting odds, preview, and pick

Two teams with playoff spots already locked up will meet in a possible Wild Card Weekend preview when the Dallas Cowboys visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday.

Let's examine this NFC East matchup in depth, starting with the latest betting odds.

Dallas needs a bounceback performance

The Cowboys were one of the hottest and most impressive teams in the NFL over the last month. However, that all came crashing down after a home loss to another NFC contender in a game against the Arizona Cardinals.

The biggest issue in that game was the lack of offense from the No. 1 scoring offense and the No. 2 total offense in the NFL. Dallas only scored 22 points and accumulated 301 total yards of offense. That is down from their average of 29.9 points and 402.8 yards per game.

The Cowboys will need an impressive performance in their regular season finale to get their confidence back up as the franchise has not won a playoff game since 2018 and has not been to a conference championship game since their 1995 Super Bowl run. The Eagles defense will be a good test for the Cowboys to prove they can beat playoff-caliber defenses.

Eagles defense is Super Bowl worthy

The last two times that the Eagles defense was ranked in the top 10 in both points and yards allowed, they went to the conference championship in 2008 and won the Super Bowl in 2017. They are currently ranked eighth in points allowed per game and sixth in yards allowed per game.

The Eagles have not allowed more than 20 points in a game since Week 11 and have not allowed more than 350 total yards since Week 9. This is a major reason why this once 2-5 team is now a 9-7 playoff team. Combine this defense with the No. 1 rushing offense and you have a real contender.

The last time the Eagles faced the Cowboys was way back in Week 3. This team was very different back then with a lack of rushing attack and an inconsistent defense. The Cowboys scored 41 points with 380 total yards and the Eagles only managed 64 rushing yards, their lowest total of the season. This will be a good opportunity for the Eagles to prove they are a much better team and a real contender in the NFC.

Cowboys and Eagles betting trends

• The favorite is 9-3 ATS in their last 12 meetings
• The home team is 6-0 ATS in their last six meetings
• The Under is 5-1 in the last six meetings in Philadelphia
• The Cowboys are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games vs. NFC opponents
• The Eagles are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following an ATS loss
• The Under is 7-1 in the Cowboys' last eight games as a road favorite
• The Under is 5-0 in the Eagles' last five games in January

COVID and Rest will be big factors

On Monday, the Philadelphia Eagles placed 12 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list and several of them are starters. With the new protocols put in place by the league many of these players would be eligible to return by Saturday. However, the Eagles may just want to let these players rest anyway.

While the Eagles can still improve their seeding with a win and a 49ers loss, they will likely be more focused on making sure they are as close to 100% as possible. This is especially relevant given that this is the first NFL season with 17 regular season games.

The Cowboys are going to rest some players as well, but there are more signs pointing to the Eagles doing so. This game will likely start with the Dallas first string against the Philadelphia second string before Dallas pulls their starters around halftime. Because of this, I love the Under, and will take the Cowboys against the spread since I could see hem jumping out to an early lead.

Score prediction: Dallas 20, Philadelphia 12

NFL Week 18 picks: Cowboys -7, Under 42.5

Cowboys vs. Eagles pick powered by The Quant Edge

Our predictive engine is calling for the Cowboys to win outright.