The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys meet for the third time this season, and for the second consecutive week under the ginormatron at the new cathedral known as Cowboys Stadium or Jerry Jones’ Orgasm or “Someone is Compensating for Something”, but this time it is for the NFC Wildcard game.

The Cowboys won the first two games (in the regular season), but winning the difficult third game will be anything but a given.  However, one thing is for sure: both teams are better off heading into this game without the headache that is Terrell Owens.

The Oddsmakers: Cowboys by 4 over the Eagles

My Pick: Eagles 24 – Cowboys 17

The Big “Buts”:

But the Cowboys are on a roll. Yes, the Cowboys won their last three games and held the past two teams scoreless (which includes said Philadelphia Eagles), but there is a fine line between “momentum” and “arrogance.”  The Cowboys are never short of cockiness and the 24-0 drubbing last week of the Eagles will work against the Cowboys.  It will feed into the overconfidence of the Cowboys, who already have a tendency not to show up in big games.

But the Eagles haven’t scored in the new cathedral. The Eagles looked a little shaken walking into the new stadium (and shell-shocked walking out).  Playing in front of the 100,621 Cowboy crazies (honestly, the state of Texas scares me so being trapped in a stadium with that many Texans could account for a little trepidation), intimidated the Eagles and they played like it.  The Eagles now know what to expect playing in the new environment and won’t be caught off guard, or at least shouldn’t be.

A new game plan. The Eagles have coach Andy Reid and if you had to choose between Reid or Dallas coach Wade Phillips, who would you choose?   Exactly, Phillips seems to be nothing more than a wooden puppet with that same confused look on his face, and we all know who the ventriloquist is that is making his mouth move.  Reid will change up the game plan, whereas good-old-boy Phillips will do the same thing because it worked last week (and by the way, it will be Philips last game as the coach of the Cowboys).

The offensive line will have new blocking schemes to provide Donovan McNabb time to make plays and control the ball.  The defense will … well … show up.  They will stop the run and place the burden on the shoulders of the Dallas quarterback, Tony Romo — Jessica Simpson seems to have a larger mental capacity than Romo.

Reid will use tight end Brent Celek (grow the stache) down the middle to open up Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson to roam the sidelines and stretch the field.  And believe it or not, Jackson will actually play hard this game.  Reid will also add a couple wrinkles to use Michael Vick in different ways then he has in the past (can you see him at wide receiver doing a reverse, a reverse pass, a double pass?).  These wrinkles will keep the defense of the Cowboys off-balanced and from just running downhill.

Nothing to lose and everything to prove. That is the message Reid is preaching to his guys in preparation for this game.  Last week’s lost was big for the Eagles but it relieved any pressure that they might be feeling to win this game.  Everyone expects them to lose like they have done the prior two times, and that can lead to a “us-verse-the-world” mentality that often stirs the pride in pro-athletes.

Score first. If the Eagles win the coin toss, they should take the ball first and throw any conservative first-drive tendencies out the window.  An early score will give the Eagle offense and defense confidence and put the pressure and doubt in the minds of the Cowboys.

They are who we thought they were. Just don’t give the Cowboys the game because they will find ways to give it to you.  Remember, this squad led by Romo still hasn’t won a playoff game and has always struggled when the brightest lights shine on them.  Even without the distractions of T.O., there are still a plethora of questions about the mental make-up of this team.  No matter what kind of winning streak they are riding into this game, the monkey is still firmly riding on their backs.

What are the chances: There is a better chance of hooking up with a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader than one of the punters hitting the ginormatron during the game.  Translation: There is no chance in hell.

Look out, the Eagles just might be the Cardinals of last year: limping into and counted out of the playoffs only to find themselves a toenail away from being Super Bowl champs.

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3. ⊚  NFL Preview Week 5 – NFC East
4. ⊚  HUMP DAY: The Girls of the NFC East
5. ⊚  Vick signs with Eagles, PETA boycotts birds.