Dec 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) runs past Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland (26) for a touchdown after a catch during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
As they say, it's hard to beat the same team twice.
Within the NFC East, that task triples in difficulty. The Philadelphia Eagles faced the Dallas Cowboys in a marquee matchup all the way back in Week 1. Heading into their second matchup in Week 12, they're both very different teams.
The Eagles are 8-2, but their excellent defense is manning the ship while their sputtering offense hangs on by a Kelly Green thread. The 4-5-1 Cowboys are a mystery; in their last two games, they got clobbered by the miserable Arizona Cardinals and then clobbered the miserable Las Vegas Raiders. Their defense is historically bad, but their offense shows occasional flashes of excellence, buoyed by the 1-2 punch of wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
The Eagles are currently 3.5-point favorites to defeat the Cowboys, per FanDuel Sportsbook. Here's what our On Pattison staffers think will happen.
Tim Kelly (6-4)
Score: Eagles 23 - Cowboys 17
Game MVP: Quinyon Mitchell
I typically pick the Eagles and Cowboys to split, and concerns remain about Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and the offense.
Nonetheless, Vic Fangio's defense is playing at such a high level right now that the offense might be able to get away with being borderline unwatchable for another week.
Can the Eagles win a Super Bowl with their offense playing like this? It's fair to be skeptical. But for another week, they'll overcome it.
Anthony SanFilippo (4-6)
Score: Eagles 24 - Cowboys 20
Game MVP: Thalia and Melpomene
I know what you are thinking. Who the hell are Thalia and Melpomene? You ever see the masks of comedy and tragedy? They are the muses who represent those masks. And they are the MVPs regardless of the outcome – because the Eagles have become such great theater, sometimes filled with laughter, other times filled with anguish. Nevertheless, it's always a compelling story. This week will be no different.
I honestly don't know which way to go with this one. I'm going to side with the Eagles because they are absolutely the better team, but there is something about this matchup that makes me think Dallas is ripe for the steal as well. I do think we'll see an improved offense after the ugliness of the past two weeks, but it doesn't mean it's all going to be clicking either. Let's say Jalen Hurts throws for 230 yards and a touchdown pass to A.J. Brown. Saquon Barkley runs for 85 more, we get a Tush Push TD and a surprise TD from Tank Bigsby.
Meanwhile, the stout defense does a solid enough job against Dak Prescott, who has been good, and his collection of receivers. They'll even get a key interception at some point that contributes to a tight victory. Either all that happens, or something goes horribly wrong and we spend the next week bemoaning a possible repeat of the final two months of 2023.
Grace Del Pizzo (5-5)
Score: Eagles 22 - Cowboys 18
Game MVP: Cooper DeJean
Hey, look, I made it back to .500 on the season! Call me a Dallas Cowboy the way I've achieved complete mediocrity!
Anyway, I view this game as a true turning point for the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles. There are three outcomes. The ideal outcome is that the offense gets it together, wins convincingly and quiets the rumors. Then there's the 'meh' outcome, where the offense looks as disjointed as it has for weeks, but the Eagles win thanks to the defense.
Finally, as Anthony mentioned, there's the 2023 outcome: the offense can't get on the same page, the defense finally has an off game, the Cowboys get their signature upset win, and the rumor mill goes absolutely haywire.
To continue the Greek mythology theme, Vic Fangio and the Eagles defense are effectively Atlas holding up the sky. Fangio is singlehandedly keeping the wheels from falling off the Kelly Green wagon. If the defense falters – and to be fair, they've won the last few games for the Eagles on their own, it's unfair to keep expecting perfection from them – then the weight of the offense comes crashing down, and the wheels completely fall off.
Still, if Atlas holds up the sky for one more week while Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown (hopefully) figure it out, I predict Cooper DeJean will snag his first career Dak Prescott interception, long considered a rite of passage for a Philadelphia Eagle.
