Despite the marquee matchups making up week six, look at the Texans vs. Chiefs or 49ers vs. Rams, the biggest storyline was the atrocious officiating that took place on Monday Night Football.
Five blown-calls going in the Packers favor led to a game winning field goal by Mason Crosby, sending the Lions home with their tails tucked between their legs, while being confused how a league paying referees over 205k this year can play a pivotal role in the outcome of a game.
Reminiscent of the Rams vs. Saints NFC Championship game that cost New Orleans a chance at the Super Bowl, the referees cost the Lions a spot atop of the NFC North. We only hope the same does not happen this week during Sunday Night Football.
The BushLeagueSports game of the week belongs to a battle for the NFC East as Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles travel to Dallas to take on Dak Prescott and the Cowboys.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (3-3) vs. DALLAS COWBOYS (3-3)
The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles enter Sunday in the middle of a disappointing season, both a mediocre 3-3. Dallas began the season 3-0 and outscoring opponents 97-46 prior to a week four matchup against the Saints.
Since then, Dallas is 0-3 and struggling to muster any offense. Averaging 19 points and losing the turnover battle 6-2 in the last three weeks, the Cowboys look lost on offense. Many of their mistakes have been made in the first half, meaning the team is playing from behind with the inability to complete the comeback.
Due to this, Dak has seen an increased amount of attempts resulting in more yards, touchdowns, and turnovers, but the biggest key to Dallas' recent slide is the ineffectiveness of Ezekiel Elliott.
Elliott has totaled 202 yards and two touchdowns since week four. While the perception of the stat line may be positive, Elliott has averaged just 3.6 yards per carry placing him in between Derrick Henry and Adrian Peterson for 37th in the NFL.
Elliott signed a six-year, $90 million contract earlier this season. The Cowboys will undoubtedly need more from Zeke this Sunday if they plan on winning.
Among the struggling offense is a handful of injuries. Starting tackles Tyron Smith and La'el Collins are expected to miss Sunday's game as they did not participate in practice today but were involved in individual drills, according to ESPN's Ed Werder.
With Collins and Smith likely on the shelf, Dak will have little time to throw the ball, and that's where Dallas will be ineffective. Not because of Prescott but because leading receiver Amari Cooper and slot wideout Randal Cobb were listed as 'doubtful' on the team's injury report as of Thursday.
Cooper told reporters he, "plans to play" this Sunday but will remain a game-time decision.
Without four key offensive starters, it will be even more important for Elliott to bounce back after a mediocre three weeks.
The Eagles are dealing with injury problems of their own with deep threat DeSean Jackson dealing with an abdomen injury, while defensive stars Fletcher Cox and Tim Jernigan did not practice due to illness and a foot injury.
Philadelphia enters week seven with a much more reasonable result. 2-1 might seem as illustrious as it is, but considering the Eagles had to travel to Green Bay and Minnesota and walked away with a primetime victory over the Packers despite their secondary woes deserves praise.
Head coach Doug Pederson boldly claimed to reporters, "We're going down to Dallas. We're gonna win that football game, and when we do, we're in first place in the NFC East."
With Carson Wentz single-handedly leading the Eagles and nearing a return to his MVP form, Pederson's confidence is deserved. But can Wentz do it all against the league's ninth-ranked defense?
Philadelphia, especially if Cooper plays, must receive improved play from their secondary if they want any chance to walk out of Dallas with a win. The Eagles secondary ranks fourth-worst in the NFL, giving up an average of 208 yards per game and the fifth-most touchdowns (13).
Neither the Eagles or Cowboys have a significant edge coming into Sunday. The Cowboys downslide has allowed reports of head coach Jason Garrett's firing to resurface, and the Eagles' subpar defense continues to force Carson Wentz to play near perfection just to win.
Verdict:
The Eagles and Cowboys face a pivotal Sunday Night Football matchup, where one team can leave atop the NFC East while the other falls below .500.
Prescott and Wentz have shown the ability to move the ball up and down the field at will, but Prescott's struggle to limit turnovers may force the Cowboys to feed Elliott.
Unfortunately for Dallas, the Eagles rank second in the NFL when it comes to stopping the run. Expect Zeke to be limited on the ground, and if Cooper, Cobb and the starting tackles miss Sunday's game, the Cowboys offense to be ineffective while Jason Garrett's seat gets even hotter.
The return of DeSean Jackson should open the Eagles offense allowing Miles Sanders and Jordan Howard to find holes and gain needed ground against Dallas' defense.
Final Score: Eagles 27, Cowboys 23
Week 7 Predictions:
Chiefs (4-2) vs. Broncos (2-4) - Chiefs 27, Broncos 20
Raiders (3-2) vs. Packers (5-1) -Packers 31, Raiders 23
Rams (3-2) vs. Falcons (1-5) - Rams 30, Falcons 23
49ers (5-0) vs. Redskins (1-5) - 49ers 36, Redskins 10
Texans (4-2) vs. Colts (3-2) - Texans 26, Colts 24
Vikings (4-2) vs. Lions (2-2-1) - Vikings 31, Lions 26
Jaguars (2-4) vs. Bengals (0-6) - Jaguars 26, Bengals 20
Giants (2-4) vs. Cardinals (2-3-1) - Cardinals 27, Giants 23
Dolphins (0-5) vs. Bills (4-1) - Bills 31, Dolphins 10
Chargers (2-4) vs. Titans (2-4) - Chargers 26, Titans 20
Ravens (4-2) vs. Seahawks (5-1) - Seahawks 31, Ravens 24
Saints (5-1) vs. Bears (3-2) - Saints 26, Bears 16
Patriots (6-0) vs. Jets (1-4) - Patriots 33, Jets 17
Bye Week: Panthers, Browns, Steelers, Buccaneers
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