Cowboys vs Eagles

Eagles vs Cowboys Odds

While the Eagles-Cowboys rivalry has gripped the Delaware Valley and Dallas-Fort Worth regions for decades, the annual showdowns have grown into one of the NFL’s pre-eminent and most-watched clashes around the country.

When these teams play each other, two of the country’s biggest markets stands still as both fan bases are considered among the most passionate in the sport and the rivalry has featured plenty of bad blood and villainous personalities throughout the decades.

For gamblers, though, the heated rivalry has proven to be as difficult to profit from as it has been captivating to watch.

Only 24 of the 117 total clashes between these NFC East titans, about 20 percent, have produced a winner by more than two touchdowns. Meanwhile, 48 games, or 41 percent, have produced a winner by just one possession.

Bettors have spent most of these showdowns at the edge of their seats, with few fingernails remaining by the final buzzer. 23 total games between Dallas and Philly entering the 2019 season have been decided by three or fewer points.

Complicating this is the home-road splits for both teams. From 2009-2018, the Cowboys are 12-8 total against the Eagles, with an 8-2 record at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field and a 4-6 record in their own AT&T Stadium. Those who live and die by home-field advantage in NFL betting haven’t profited from this rivalry.

It’s best to bet these games earlier in the season rather than later. Because of playoff seeding, many of the recent season finales that featured these two teams against each other have seen starters rested and backups asked to play most, if not all, of the game.

Most recently, the Eagles were 13-2 in 2017 entering the season finale against the 8-6 Cowboys and averaging well over 25 points per game. They rested starters and lost 6-0.

Cowboys vs Eagles History

If anything, the intense series between these NFC East powers has been marked by its streakiness – and by the superstars and outlandish personalities who helped turn the annual battle into one of the league’s most brutal and bitter rivalries.

The Eagles won 8 of the first 11 games in the series from 1960-1965 but the Cowboys turned the tables, going an astronomical 22-4 over the next 13 seasons, including an 11-game and nine-game win streak.

Great Eagles-Cowboys Games

The Eagles prevailed in the first ever postseason showdown between these teams, a 20-7 win at Veterans Stadium in Philly on Jan. 11, 1981, in the NFC Championship, propelling the Eagles to their first Super Bowl.

Dallas responded by winning nine of the next 12, but the rivalry took a turn in 1987 during a players strike when bold, trash-talkin’ Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan called out legendary Cowboys coach Tom Landry for running up the score following a 41-22 Dallas victory fueled by Cowboys players who had crossed the picket line against Ryan’s replacement players.

Two weeks later, with his regular players back, Ryan called for quarterback Randall Cunningham to fake a kneel-down with Eagles up 10 and time winding down. Cunningham tossed the ball toward the end zone, which drew a pass interference from the stunned Dallas defense and put the ball at the 1-yard line, enabling the Eagles to score another touchdown in the 37-20 win.

The Eagles won eight straight games from 1987-1991, still the team’s longest win streak against their division rivals. But the Cowboys bounced back with seven straight wins from 1992-1995, including a 34-10 playoff win on Jan. 10, 1993, in the NFC Divisional round to author a new chapter of the rivalry.

Dallas had stockpiled elite, young offensive talent in Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, wide receiver Michael Irvin and a massive offensive line that would become known as the “Great Wall of Dallas.” That nucleus helped Dallas win three Super Bowls from 1992-1995.

Infamous Eagles-Cowboys Moments

The bad blood between Ryan and Landry spilled over in 1989 even as the Cowboys were led by new head coach Jimmy Johnson, who accused Ryan of ordering bounties on Cowboys' quarterback Troy Aikman and kicker Luis Zendejas. In a snowy second game that year at The Vet in Philly, Eagles fans pelted Johnson with snowballs – and perhaps other objects – and beer as he was escorted by police out of the stadium following an Eagles 20-10 win. Both games that year became known as Bounty Bowl I and II.

In 1999, Irvin was sarcastically cheered at The Vet after going down and suffering a spinal injury that would ultimately end his career. Chants of “Deion Sucks” cascaded on Deion Sanders as the All-Pro corner consoled his Hall of Fame teammate.

In 2002, the Eagles blasted Dallas, 41-14, in a steamy September game at the Vet known as the “Pickle Juice Game.” Eagles players went to the sidelines to drink pickle juice in order to combat cramping and dehydration as temperatures soared into the 100s.

The 27-point win was their largest home win margin over the Cowboys in team history until 2008 when Andy Reid’s team scored a 44-6 blowout over Dallas in the season finale at Lincoln Financial Field, a win that propelled Donovan McNabb and the Eagles into the playoffs.

Notable Players

Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens became a controversial figure during the rivalry, as Owens was acquired by the Eagles in 2004 in a trade with the 49ers. Owens had already established himself as a Dallas villain four years earlier while with San Francisco when he ran to midfield after catching a touchdown and celebrated on the home team’s star logo.

Owens wore out his welcome with Reid and the Eagles in 2015, just seven games into his second season with Philly, and was released after making unflattering public remarks during a contract dispute about McNabb. He signed a megadeal with the Cowboys the following season and played three seasons for Dallas.

Owens is the most prominent player to have jumped ship in the rivalry. Despite his three consecutive seasons of at least 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns, the Cowboys were just 2-4 against the Eagles in those three seasons and their 44-6 loss in the 2008 season finale was Owens’ last game for Dallas.

Hall of Fame defensive end Reggie White waged war on the Cowboys during his time in Philly, including an 11-sack game against Aikman in 1991.

Eagles vs Cowboys FAQs

• What is the Eagles All-Time Record vs the Cowboys?
  The Cowboys are 65-51 all-time against the Eagles in the regular season, 3-1 against them in the postseason.
• When Do the Cowboys and Eagles Play Next?
  The NFC East rivals first meet this season at 8:20 p.m. on Oct. 20 at AT&T Stadium.
• When Was the First Meeting of the Eagles and Cowboys?
  The Eagles and Cowboys first met on Sept. 30, 1960, at the Cotton Bowl.
• Who Won the First Meeting Between the Eagles and Cowboys?
  The Eagles won 27-25.