myerstownherald.com

By ERIC FISHER
The Eagles lost to a better football team on Sunday. It’s that simple.
The Dallas Cowboys beat the Eagles twice this season. That’s not a fluke. Especially when the second game was a 24-0 shellacking.
Unlike Cincinnati or Arizona, which can claim that their rematches this weekend with the Jets and Packers, respectively, will be different than Sunday’s lopsided defeats, the Eagles have no such defense. The Bengals and Cardinals had no incentive to play well. The Eagles did.
If the Eagles had defeated the Cowboys, they would have secured the No. 2 seed in the NFC. They would have had a bye this weekend and would have been guaranteed at least one home playoff game. Now, the Birds must win three road games to reach the Super Bowl.
But, as coaches say every week: one game at a time. First, the Eagles have to get past Dallas.
History says the Eagles will win this Saturday (8 p.m., NBC). Since Andy Reid became head coach, the Eagles are 7-0 in their opening playoff game. During this same stretch, the Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game. While the Eagles were going to five NFC championship games and one Super Bowl, the Cowboys were missing the playoffs or going one-and-done.
Cowboys coach Wade Phillips is 0-4 in playoff games. Quarterback Tony Romo is 0-2.
Unfortunately for the Eagles, Saturday’s game won’t be decided by history. It will be decided by this year’s Cowboys and Eagles. And this year’s two head-to-head meetings are evidence that the Cowboys are better.
Additional evidence supporting the Cowboys’ superiority can be found in the teams’ records. The Cowboys went 4-2 against teams that finished the season with a winning record, including a 3-2 mark against playoff teams (beating the Eagles twice and New Orleans once; losing to San Diego and Green Bay).
The Eagles compiled a 1-4 record against teams that finished the season with a winning record, with the only victory coming against Atlanta (9-7), which was missing quarterback Matt Ryan and running back Michael Turner. Otherwise the Eagles did not defeat a team that finished with a winning record, going winless against playoff teams (losing twice to Dallas and once to the Chargers and Saints).
This isn’t to suggest that the Eagles’ 11-5 record is a house of cards or some sort of mirage. It was real. The Eagles deserve credit for achieving that record despite numerous injuries.
At the same time, however, the Eagles aren’t quite as good as their gaudy record and six-game winning streak made it appear. Their six-game winning streak included narrow victories over the Bears, Redskins and Broncos, as well as a wild 45-38 win over the Giants. Again, the Eagles deserve praise for pulling those games out, but they are a good team capable of producing big plays at crucial moments rather than a terrific team that can dominate opponents.
The problem for the Eagles this Saturday is that they haven’t been able to generate those big plays against the Cowboys. Dallas has allowed just 250 points all season, second only to the Jets, so their ability to bottle up the Eagles isn’t an accident.
Not only has the Cowboys defense stifled the Eagles offense twice this season, but the Cowboys offense moved the ball at will against the Eagles defense on Sunday. The Cowboys ran the ball. The Cowboys threw the ball. The Cowboys controlled the ball.
Unless you believe that Reid brilliantly kept his cards close to his vest, thereby lulling the Cowboys into a false sense of security, the Eagles are in trouble Saturday.
This doesn’t mean the Eagles can’t win. I fully expect them to make a better effort than they did Sunday.
There are several things the Eagles can do in order to prevail. First, they must apply more pressure on Romo. One way to do that is by taking an early lead. An early Eagles lead may force Romo to try to make more big plays, and that should make him more prone to turnovers.
The problem with that scenario is that Romo, whom the Eagles used to be able to rattle, has been largely unflappable this season. One reason for that is the Cowboys’ balanced offense doesn’t put all the weight on his shoulders.
Speaking of balanced offenses, the Eagles should use one to defeat the Cowboys. Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg only called eight running plays Sunday. That’s absurd. A better running game will set up effective play-action fakes that could produce big plays in the passing game. It will also help the Eagles control the clock and keep their defense off the field.
Remember, however, that center Jamaal Jackson’s season-ending knee injury means the Eagles are once again running behind a revamped offensive line. Nick Cole, Max Jean-Gilles and Winston Justice are not a trio anyone envisioned starting for a playoff team.
Does all this mean the Eagles can’t win? Of course not.
The Eagles can win Saturday. But to do so, they must beat a better team.