When the Eagles (1-1) travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys (1-1) in the final game of NFL Week 3 on "Monday Night Football" (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN2), it will be two teams looking to make an early statement in the NFC East for the 2021 season.
The Giants and Washington have their share of issues, which is making the division feel like it's a familiar two-team race between Philadelphia and Dallas. Although Daniel Jones has played well for New York, Jalen Hurts gives the Eagles the best QB among the four teams not named Dak Prescott.
Prescott has looked good in this first two games back from his devastating ankle injury, leading the Cowboys to a near upset of the Buccaneers in Week 1 and a gritty victory at the Chargers in Week 2. The Eagles threw down the Falcons in Week 1 and couldn't muster enough offense to beat the 49ers in Week 2.
Here's everything to know about betting on Eagles vs.Cowboys in Week 3, including updated odds, trends and our prediction for "Monday Night Football."
MORE: NFL rookie QB grades for Week 3
Eagles vs. Cowboys odds for 'Monday Night Football'
- Spread: Cowboys by 3
- Over/under: 51.5
- Moneyine: Eagles +148, Cowboys -176
(betting odds per FanDuel Sportsbook)
The Cowboys were up a half-point earlier in the week but now it's down to the regular home-field advantage number. When both teams are getting top-notch QB play, like Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott are providing with their arms and legs, the game is a tossup. Let's see if Nick Sirianni vs. Mike McCarthy can be like Doug Pederson vs. Jason Garrett — a tough-to-call game every time.
Eagles vs. Cowboys all-time series
The Cowboys hold a 70-54 edge by winning two of the past three meetings. The teams split home and home last year, with the Eagles winning 23-9 in November and the Cowboys winning 37-17 in December. Philadelphia has won five of the past seven, however.
Three trends to know
—60 percent of spread bettors like the Cowboys to take care of their number at home and most got in when the line was -3.5.
—63 percent of over/under bettors think the game will live up to a shootout reputation between Hurts and Prescott. 75 percent of bettors like the Eagles on the moneyline.
—The Eagles are 2-8 straight up and 4-6 against the spread in their past 10 games, of which only three have gone over. The Cowboys are only 5-5 SU in the past 10 but are 7-3 ATS.
Three things to watch
Ameri Cooper vs. Darius Slay
The Cowboys' savvy veteran wide receiver runs great routes and has terrific hands. Slay, who joined the Eagles last season, helped the team get mixed results vs. Cooper last season. In the win, Cooper was held to a single catch for 5 yards on 5 targets. In the loss, Cooper went off with 4 catches for 121 yards on 6 targets. If Cooper and CeeDee Lamb win their wideout-corner battles, it will be a long night for Philadelphia.
The offensive lines
The Cowboys are hoping they can still extract strong play from their long-time sturdy front. The Eagles are also feeling some of their past strengths in the front five. Dallas faces a much tougher defensive line with Fletcher Cox & Co. while Philadelphia gets a big break with no DeMarcus Lawrence going after Hurts.
The linebackers
The Cowboys will try to win this game by containing Hurts, Miles Sanders and rookie Kenneth Gainwell on the ground with two first-rounders, rookie Micah Parsons and Leighton Van Der Esch and Jaylon Smith. The Eagles' much-maligned linebacker corps must come through vs. Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. The team that gets the most push past the second level will win.
Stat that matters
98.6. That's not just the normal body temperature of Elliott. That's also how many rushing yards he's averageed in eight career regular-season games against the Eagles. The Cowboys are 6-2 in those games while he's averaged 21 rushes and racked up 5 total TDs. He's also added 43 receptions for 322 more yards. Dallas went away from using Elliott much in Week 1 by design. Then it was back to a normal workload for him combining with Tony Pollard in Week 2. It would behoove the Cowboys to stick with feeding the backs to open up the passing game for Prescott.
Eagles vs. Cowboys prediction
The Eagles have a red-hot up-and-comer in Hurts. The Cowboys have an established elite and expensive passer in Prescott. Expect a high-scoring affair as both QBs exploit the opponent for big pass plays and a few impact running plays. Philadelphia is still a young rebuilding team while Dallas has a better feel of its NFC East title goal with McCarthy and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. That will manfiest in a typical last-possession close victory.
Cowboys 31, Eagles 28
