The Philadelphia Eagles need to forget about last week’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys and try to continue their recent postseason dominance over the Cowboys.  It’s hard to forget last week’s 24-0 beat down the Cowboys gave the Eagles, which gave them the NFC East and home-field advantage in this game.  Donovan McNabb will need a much better performance than the 223 yards, zero touchdowns, and a fumble loss he had last week.  He was sacked 4 times too, so the offensive line needs to step it up and protect McNabb.  If not, McNabb needs to use his legs and allusiveness to buy some time and look down field.  The Eagles were one of the best teams at making big plays, so if McNabb and wide-receiver DeSean Jackson can hook up for some deep plays it will be huge for the Eagles.  The Eagles averaged 102 rushing yards per game this season, so if they can get some good production from their running backs, it will make the Cowboys’ pass rush less effective.

The Cowboys offense has been peaking lately, and quarterback Tony Romo is making some great plays for them.  Romo has not had much success in the postseason though, and the pressure has been building each year on him.  So, if the Eagles can get to Romo early and force a turnover it may rattle him.  Romo threw for 4,483 yards, 26 touchdowns, and only 9 interceptions while completing 63% of his passes, so he is a very good quarterback.  Romo gets a lot of support from his running game though, with the Cowboys averaging 131 rushing yards per game.  If the Eagles can keep the Cowboys running duo of Marion Barber and Felix Jones in check, it will make a world of difference on how they can attack Romo.  I expect this game to be closer than their matchup last week, but with the Cowboys peaking along with their dominance over the Eagles just a few days ago, I am going to go with the Cowboys in this NFC Wild Card game.

PREDICTION:  Philadelphia Eagles 17, Dallas Cowboys 27

The Philadelphia Eagles (11-4) are on the road going up against the Dallas Cowboys (10-5) on Sunday.  Although the Eagles have secured a spot in the playoffs, they need to bring it on Sunday if they want to capture the NFC East title.  If they win the NFC East they could likely end up with a first round bye.  It could be a tough game for the Eagles offense though, especially since the Cowboys’ defense is playing the best it has all season.  That means Donovan McNabb needs to have a good day for the Eagles and hopefully he can find DeSean Jackson on some deep routes.  Jackson has had an outstanding year at receiver for the Eagles, with 1120 yards and 9 touchdowns on 60 receptions.  Also, Michael Vick should get a few more snaps to keep the Cowboys’ strong defense off balance.

The Eagles defense is going to need to have a strong game too, since the Cowboys offense has been hot ever since they took down the formerly undefeated Saints two weeks ago.  If the Eagles can rattle Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo, he is very likely to turn the ball over.  He uses his legs well to give himself more time though, so it will be a challenge.  The Cowboys also average 128 rushing yards per contest, so the Eagles need a good all-around game to keep the Cowboys offense in check.  I expect this to be a close playoff-type game, but I am giving the Cowboys a slight edge with the home-field advantage.

PREDICTION:  Philadelphia Eagles 27, Dallas Cowboys 28

The Philadelphia Eagles (8-4) are on the road against one of their rivals, the New York Giants (7-5).  The Giants got a big win last week against the Cowboys, but their quarterback Eli Manning has not been playing very well and is battling a foot injury.  This is good news for the Eagles, as their pass defense is not as strong as their run defense.  Brandon Jacobs will likely be getting a lot of carries, with Ahmad Bradshaw filling it at times.  The Giants will be looking for a big day out of their running backs, so if the Eagles can keep them in check they will be in great shape.

The Eagles offense looked great last week, and Michael Vick proved he can still be a viable option in their offense.  The Giants have solid defense all-around, but the Eagles passing game has been great lately so they may be dropping some more defenders back into coverage.  They are also giving up over 100 rushing yards per game, so LeSean McCoy should get more than six carries this week and he could be a difference maker.  The Eagles have been playing better than the Giants lately, so I am going with them in this one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Philadelphia Eagles 27, New York Giants 20

The Philadelphia Eagles (7-4) are on the road Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons (6-5) and both teams will be missing some key players.  The Eagles will be without DeSean Jackson, who suffered a concussion last week in which he said he “blacked out.”  That is never a good sign with a head injury, so it is smart that Jackson is sitting this one out.  Donovan McNabb will probably go to his TE Brent Celek more, who is the Eagles second leading receiver behind Jackson.  This will also be Michael Vick’s first time back in Atlanta since the infamous dog fighting scandal that nearly ended Vicks’ career.  Although Vick has not been an impact player for the Eagles this year, it will be very interesting to see how he and the Atlanta crowd reacts to his return.

I don’t think the Eagles should have too much of a problem beating the Falcons in this one, even without their star receiver.  The Falcons will be without their starting quarterback Matt Ryan (turf toe) and may be without their star running back Michael Turner.  Turner re-aggravated an ankle sprain last week, so even if he does play he wont be the same explosive back.  Chris Redman will start in place of Ryan at quarterback, and he led the Falcons to a comeback win last week.  Even though Redman had a good game last week, it was against the very weak Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so I don’t see him having the same success against a Philly defense that holds teams to 202 passing yards per game.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Philadelphia Eagles 28, Atlanta Falcons 17

The Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) and Chicago Bears (4-5) are facing off at Soldier Field Sunday, and both teams have been looking bad lately.  The Bears have looked a lot worse, and their quarterback Jay Cutler has been playing awful.  That doesn’t meant he Eagles can relax though, as they are still without Brian Westbrook and will be without him for the next few weeks due to his concussion symptoms still lingering.  LeSean McCoy will get the bulk of the carries, but the Eagles have not been running the ball much so I don’t know if he will get the ball all that much.  McNabb has had to throw the ball a ton, and it has lead to some interceptions.  The Bears give up only 195 passing yards per game, so McNabb will need be careful with his throws as the Bears have a decent secondary.

The Eagles’ defense needs to look to get some turnovers, as that is about the only thing the Bears have been doing lately.  Jay Cutler threw 5 interceptions last week and the Bears only managed to score 6 points.  Cutler will be trying to limit those interceptions, so he will most likely throw a lot of short passes and screens.  Matt Forte has been ineffective as a runner, but he has been great for Cutler on screen passes.  He caught 8 passes for 120 yards last week, so the Eagles need to be ready for the screen pass.  This is a tough one to pick for me, as both teams have been playing poorly lately.  With the Bears seemingly falling apart though, I will go with the Eagles in this one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Philadelphia Eagles 28, Chicago Bears 24

The Philadelphia Eagles (5-3) are heading to the west coast to take on the San Diego Chargers (5-3) Sunday.  The Chargers have been playing very well lately, so this should be a very close game for the Eagles.  Donovan McNabb needs to make sure he doesn’t throw any interceptions in this one, as any turnover will most likely turn into points for the other team.  McNabb threw two last game against the Cowboys, which was the main reason they lost.  If McNabb plays like he did last week than the Eagles will be in trouble.  The running game will get a boost with Brian Westrbook coming back, but LeSean McCoy may still get the bulk of the carries.

Phillip Rivers and the Chargers offense have not had the luxury of a great running game, like they have had in recent seasons.  That doesn’t mean the Eagles can forget about LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles, who are both dangerous in both the running game and the passing game.  Still, the passing game is where the Chargers are successful, so they need to limit the big plays.  They average 265 passing yards per game, so the secondary better be ready to be challenged early and often.  I’m expecting a very close game, but with the Chargers having the home-field and coming off three straight wins, I’m going with them in this one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Philadelphia Eagles 28, San Diego Chargers 31

The Philadelphia Eagles are hosting the Dallas Cowboys and it should be a very exciting game.  Donovan McNabb and company have been playing well and are coming off a great game in which they crushed the Giants.  If McNabb and the offense can put some points on the board like they did last week then they will be in good shape.  The Cowboys have an electric offense though, so the Eagles may need to score like last week if they want to win.

The Eagles defense needs to try and stop the Tony Romo-Miles Austin connection.  Austin has been the surprise of the year as the wide receiver has been running all over the field catches passes and burning defenses.  If the Eagles let Austin have another big game they will probably lose.  Romo has been playing great the last few games too, as he has eight touchdowns and zero interceptions in his last three games.  I’m not sure the Eagles offense will be able to keep up with the Cowboys’, so I’m picking the Cowboys in this one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Dallas Cowboys 35, Philadelphia Eagles 31

The Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) are hosting the New York Giants (5-2) Sunday and Philly fans have quite a sports weekend against New York coming up, as the World Series is going on between the Phillies and Yankees.  The Eagles will need a much better effort out of their running game than what they have been getting lately, as Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy combined for only 50 yards last game.  Wide receiver DeSean Jackson has been battling a foot injury, but looks to be ready to go Sunday, so McNabb should look to hook up with Jackson for some more big plays.  Jackson is averaging 20 yards per catch and has three touchdowns this year.

The Eagles defense will have a challenge in stopping the Giants running attack, which averages 142 rushing yards per game.  Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw lead that attack.  Eli Manning is coming off a three interception game, so the Eagles should try and force Eli into some more mistakes like he made last week.  He is a talented quarterback though, so they really do need to try and pressure him or he will sit in that pocket and pick apart the secondary.  This should be a close game, but I think Eli Manning will lead the Giants to a close victory.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  New York Giants 30, Philadelphia Eagles 28

The Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) are happy to have their starting quarterback Donovan McNabb back as they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4).  This will be a good game for McNabb to shake off any rust, as he has not played since week one when he suffered a broken rib.  The Buccaneers give up a ton of yards on the ground (172 yards per game) so McNabb will not have to do a whole lot.  Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy will be able to do most of the damage for the Eagles, as the two running back have combined for 264 yards on 60 carries (4.4 avg).

The Eagles defense should have a field day on the inexperienced Buccaneers’ quarterback, Josh Johnson.  Johnson, only 23-years-old, is making the second start of his career and is facing an Eagles defense that only gives up 156 passing yards per game.  In Johnson’s first start last week, he threw for 106 yards on 13 of 22 passes and had one touchdown and one interception.  The Eagles will probably take an early lead, forcing the Bucs to throw a lot, and I am expecting Johnson to make a lot of mistakes.  The Eagles will win this won easy.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Philadelphia Eagles 34, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10

I really like the Eagles this season and I think they will get back to the playoffs.  With that in mind I would take the over with the Eagles in 2008.  I just think they did a great job in bringing in new talent in the offseason and it will pay off in the win-loss record in 2008.