HOW EAGLES HAVE GONE FROM FAVES TO DOGS TO WIN NFC EAST

By Peter Brennan

Okay, the Eagles must win Sunday against the Cowboys to stay alive for the NFC East title and their only shot at the postseason.

And Bovada has the Cowboys as -180 favorites over the Eagles, who are +140 to win the NFC East.

Both teams are 7-7 and the Cowboys lead the Eagles in the division standings because of their win over Philly back in Week 7.

Coming into the season, it was essentially a two-horse race to win the division between the Eagles and Cowboys. The Eagles’ preseason odds were -105 while the Cowboys were +140 to take the division crown.

As the season progressed and then the Cowboys beat the Eagles in Week 7, the Cowboys finally took over as faves at -135 despite being 4-3 SU after seven games. However, with the Eagles at 3-4, they were not totally dismissed by oddsmakers, coming back at +120.

Since that Week 7 matchup, the Cowboys have been in the driver’s seat to win the division despite looking completely inept one week (the losses to the Vikings and Patriots stand out) to romping over crappy teams like the Giants and Lions. It was only their win over the Rams in Week 15 that gave bettors hope that they could still pull this off.

The Eagles reeled off consecutive wins in Week 14 and 15 vs the Giants and Redskins but needed late-game heroics from QB Carson Wentz to pull out both.

For the pivotal Week 16 game, the Eagles are at home at Lincoln Financial Field, where they have been an underdog only twice this season, both times against superior opponents compared to the Cowboys (the Seahawks and Patriots).

If bettors are planning to back the Eagles to win the division, they might as well take them at +140 for this prop instead of taking their Week 16 moneyline, which is hovering around +120 depending on the sportsbook.

If they beat the Cowboys, Philly’s final game is on the road to the Giants and while New York is more than capable of playing spoiler, the G-Men got lucky to keep that Week 14 game close.

Odds as of December 18 at Bovada