Dallas @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 2, 2012 ) Philadelphia 33, Dallas 38

The NFC East is hardly a dominant division, but someone has to emerge as the best of the bunch. The Dallas Cowboys and host Philadelphia Eagles will battle for first place on Sunday in a divisional matchup that could feature a back-and-forth aerial display. Philadelphia has given up the second-most passing yards in the NFL on average (314.5), while Dallas’ mark is the third-worst in the league (308.2).

That could be good news for Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, who was named the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week after torching the Buccaneers for 296 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-20 victory. Michael Vick missed that game with a hamstring injury and will sit out versus Dallas, but don’t expect any sympathy cards from the Cowboys’ coaching staff. The laundry list of injuries for Dallas includes star linebacker DeMarcus Ware (quadriceps), who has never missed a game in his nine-year career, and running back DeMarco Murray (knee), who also appears unlikely to play this Sunday.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, Fox. LINE: Philadelphia -2.5. O/U: 54.5.

ABOUT THE COWBOYS (3-3): Tony Romo’s interceptions are always put under the microscope, but the Dallas quarterback has 14 touchdown passes against only three INTs this season. Jason Witten could be in for a big game, as the Philadelphia defense has struggled against tight ends this season and Witten has given the Eagles fits throughout his career. The biggest concern for Philadelphia might be Dallas return man Dwayne Harris, who had an 86-yard punt return for a touchdown and a 90-yard kickoff return in last week’s victory over Washington.

ABOUT THE EAGLES (3-3): The Eagles, who lead the NFL with 178.5 rushing yards per game, gave the ball to LeSean McCoy 25 times last weekend, resulting in a 116-yard performance for the league’s leading rusher. McCoy has 630 rushing yards and his stellar season has somewhat overshadowed teammate DeSean Jackson, who is second in the NFL with 589 receiving yards under first-year coach Chip Kelly. That said, nobody on the Eagles overshadows Jason Peters – literally – but the massive offensive tackle could miss Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Both the Eagles and Cowboys are 2-0 within the NFC East, 1-0 against the rest of the NFC and 0-3 against the AFC West.

2. On Wednesday, Dallas released four-time Pro Bowl DT Jay Ratliff (sports hernia, hamstring).

3. No team has allowed more yards per game (420.2) or first downs per game (25.3) than the Eagles.

PREDICTION: Eagles 34, Cowboys 20