Eagles prepare for Christmas showdown

Football Betting Lines

12/20/2006 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last time Philadelphia and Dallas met on a holiday was almost 20 years ago, on Thanksgiving.

The Eagles were donning their popular Kelly green uniforms on November 23, 1989, and smacked the Cowboys around to the tune of a 27-0 beating at Texas Stadium.

Even the network's introduction displayed clips of the bitter history between the division rivals as Ugly Kid Joe's "Everything About You" played in the background. Eagles defensive tackle Mike Pitts was ejected for brawling in the end zone that day, setting the tone for his teammates.

Philadelphia's play certainly ticked off Dallas head coach Jimmy Johnson, who vehemently vented his frustrations after he thought Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan put a bounty on quarterback Troy Aikman and kicker Luis Zendejas.

"I have absolutely no respect for the way they played the game," Johnson said. "I would have said something to (Eagles head coach) Buddy (Ryan), but he wouldn't stand on the field long enough. He put his big, fat rear end into the dressing room."

I can assure you words like that will not be coming from either head coach on Monday. But that doesn't mean the players will necessarily be professional in their between-plays interaction. These two teams hate each other, and the fact that the Eagles will again be squaring off against former teammate Terrell Owens only ratchets up the intensity.

In the first matchup between the rivals, on October 8 at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles spoiled Owens' return to Philadelphia with a 38-24 victory. Owens had just three catches for 45 yards that day, while Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard sealed the win with a 102-yard interception return for a touchdown with 16 seconds left.

Now it's Round II, and both teams are coming off big wins.

Philadelphia posted its third straight victory with quarterback Jeff Garcia at the helm this past Sunday, posting a 36-22 triumph over the division-rival New York Giants on the road. The victory gave the Eagles an 8-6 record and moved them a game behind Dallas in the NFC East standings. Philadelphia will play its third straight division game on the road on Monday at Dallas, which defeated Atlanta on Saturday and clinched a playoff berth.

The Eagles have been the hottest team in the NFC playoff hunt, and owe it all to Garcia, who has quieted the critics with a 3-1 record as a starter. Against the Giants, he spread the ball around to eight different receivers and finished with 237 yards and a touchdown on 19-of-28 passing. After his interception led to a 22-21 New York lead, the 36-year-old Garcia orchestrated an eight-play, 80-yard drive culminated by his 19-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Brown.

"It has been a lot of fun," Garcia said. "A year ago I really was not thinking that this could happen for me."

The Eagles are one win from a playoff berth and two wins shy of clinching their fifth NFC East title in six years. A win over Dallas would put the Eagles back in the driver's seat in the division.

Garcia, though, is not the only bright spot on Philly's offense right now. Running back Brian Westbrook takes a load off Garcia's shoulders with what he brings to the field on gameday. Westbrook ran for 97 yards and two touchdowns and caught five balls for 40 more yards at Giants Stadium, becoming the first running back in Eagles' history to rush for 1,000 yards and have 600 yards receiving in the same season.

Westbrook, who eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing for the first time in his career, scored from a yard out on fourth-down early in the game, and later busted through the Giants' defensive line for a 28-yard touchdown run. He has rushed for 479 yards and three touchdowns in the past five games, with an additional 226 receiving yards.

In the first meeting against Dallas, Westbrook ran for 33 yards and a touchdown and hauled in five passes from McNabb for an additional 53 yards. Head coach Andy Reid will certainly feed Westbrook the ball on Christmas Day, with backup Correll Buckhalter getting some carries as well. Buckhalter had 48 yards and a touchdown in last week's win.

B-DAWK COMES THROUGH AGAIN

Like fine wine, Eagles safety Brian Dawkins seemingly gets better with age. Dawkins put forth another solid effort on Sunday against New York and posted 12 total tackles, an interception and two forced fumbles.

Dawkins is an emotional leader on Philly's defense, and it shows with his energy and fire on the field. During the Eagles' three-game winning streak, Dawkins has amassed 33 tackles, two interceptions and a sack in victories over Carolina, Washington and the Giants.

After straining a calf muscle in pre-game workouts at Giants Stadium, Dawkins headed back to the locker room before becoming the defense's vocal leader for 60 minutes.

"I look forward to this," Dawkins said. "I'm having a ball. Having to make plays or standing up in these times, I'm happy that I'm making those plays. I'm blessed to play this game, and I do what I do on that field because of that."

Before the season, many questions surfaced in regard to whether Dawkins has lost a step in the secondary. After 15 weeks of football, Dawkins is still making plays and continues to stamp a big NO on the loss of his speed.

UP NEXT: T.O. UNDER THE MISTLETOE

Eagles fans hope to have something other than chestnuts roasting on an open fire this Christmas day. But before anything like that can happen, the Eagles' defensive backfield must make sure Owens doesn't roast them.

Owens didn't have the type of return to Philadelphia he wanted in October, so now he gets another chance with the Dallas faithful in his corner. Owens is having a fine season, but so are Philadelphia corners Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown. Add in Brian Dawkins and Sean Considine, and the Eagles are in good shape defending the pass.

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will get a first-hand glimpse of the Philadelphia/Dallas rivalry which dates back decades. Dallas head coach Bill Parcells will try to pound the run before he unleashes Romo and the aerial assault, even though the Eagles handled the run against the Giants last week. After shutting down Tiki Barber and Brandon Jacobs, the Eagles have another dynamic duo to stop in Julius Jones and Marion Barber this week.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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Pro Football Odds : NFC SOUTH BETTING ODDS

NFL Sports Betting

NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.

Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.

There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.

Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.

The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.

NFL Betting

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