Spread: Cowboys by 3 1/2
Hash marks: Dallas has won two of the three previous playoff meetings between these two teams. . . . This is the Eagles’ eighth playoff appearance since the start of the 1999 season, the most of any NFC team over that span. . . . Eagles coach Andy Reid is 4-0 in this round. . . . Dallas won both regular-season meetings this season, including a 24-0 win this past Sunday.
The Eagles win if: They get their big-play offense cranked back up. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson has scored on a run, a reception and a punt return of at least 60 yards this season. Playoff games are traditionally close-to-the-vest affairs with few big plays, but the Eagles will need to create some because they likely aren’t physical enough up front to pound away at the Dallas defense.
The Cowboys win if: Their defense rises up like it did last Sunday when there wasn’t nearly as much on the line. With head coach Wade Phillips making the defensive calls, the Cowboys have been aggressive and shown pressure from almost any angle. They closed out the regular season with back-to-back shutouts.
Eagles player on the spot: QB Donovan McNabb. Now in his 11th season, he’s playing for a legacy. He’s shown he can pile up yards and victories in the regular season, but he’s 9-6 as a starter in the postseason. Good, but not great.
Cowboys player on the spot: It would be easy to say QB Tony Romo, but against the Eagles’ blitz- happy defense, it is Cowboys RBs Marion Barber and Felix Jones who have to keep the chains moving. If they can’t do that, the blitz will get to Romo.
Bet you didn’t know: Cowboys K Shaun Suisham, having been signed last month to replace Nick Folk, is just 3-of-6 on field-goal attempts in the Cowboys’ new stadium this season.
Key matchup: Eagles C Nick Cole vs. Cowboys NT Jay Ratliff. Cole took over for the injured Jamaal Jackson against Denver. Ratliff is quick and tied for second on the team in sacks with six.
The call: Cowboys 24-20
Jeff Legwold, The Denver Post
