Eagles vs. Cowboys predictions: Health more important than a win

The playoff-bound Eagles wrap up their regular season against the 11-5 Dallas Cowboys at 8:15 p.m. Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field.

Here are the game predictions from the Eagles beat writers.

Without knowing if the Eagles will rest key players, it’s hard to predict the outcome of the season finale. Logic suggests Nick Sirianni won’t play quarterback Jalen Hurts, et al., at least for more than a series or two. There’s little to be gained with a victory. The Eagles are locked into the sixth or seventh playoff seed and thus a road contest in the playoffs. Of their four possible first-round opponents, the Buccaneers are the most likely. If the Eagles beat Dallas, they will face Tampa Bay in two out of four scenarios, with the Rams and Cardinals filling out the other two slots. If they lose, Tampa Bay will be their opponent in two of five scenarios, with the Rams, Cardinals and Cowboys the foes in the other three matchups.

» READ MORE: Cowboys? Bucs? Rams? Here’s the playoff opponent Eagles fans should be hoping for.

There is always the fear of rust with a week off, but Hurts and other starters could benefit from rest. The Eagles also had more than a dozen players on COVID-19/reserve as of Thursday. And further, why risk possible injury with little to gain? Dallas intends to play to win, according to coach Mike McCarthy, but he, too, will likely be without valuable pieces because of the virus. Linebacker Micah Parsons and tackle Tyron Smith were two of the more prominent Cowboys to test positive this week.

Straight up, it would be hard to pick against Dallas considering how it whipped the Eagles in September. But that was a long time ago. Sirianni has found a winning, run-based formula on offense, and the defense has, at least, made marginal improvement over the last two months. Has Jonathan Gannon’s unit faced a quarterback of Dak Prescott’s quality during that span? Far from it. But indications are we won’t get to see how the defense stacks up at full strength.

If Hurts sits, or is a few drives and done, backup Gardner Minshew has already shown that he can execute the offense and win. Yeah, he beat the lowly New York Jets, but it’s not as if Sirianni will be tossing Nate Sudfeld out there. Minshew could be playing behind a mostly second-unit offensive line, though. The starters would have had their hands full against one of the best defensive lines in the NFL, so this could be a significant mismatch.

The Eagles on the field will play to win, of course, but the powers-that-be just want to get through the 60 minutes intact. And then bring on the playoffs.

Prediction: Cowboys 27, Eagles 13

Sirianni’s playing coy about his plan with his starters makes this game difficult to project, but it would be surprising to see the starters on the field for the entire game considering the circumstances. It’s not literally a meaningless game for the Eagles, but it’s pretty close. They could improve their playoff seeding a bit, but they’d need help. In fact, if they’re hoping to avoid Tom Brady, a loss could actually be beneficial.

For what it’s worth, Dallas has a similar situation going into the game. A win would marginally improve the likelihood of climbing the standing, but not without losses from other teams.

» READ MORE: Eagles’ ‘ultimate pro’ Greg Ward making the most of his limited chances

If both teams were going into this game with something on the line, it would have been a nice barometer for where the Eagles are. They played suspect competition during their four-game winning streak and the Cowboys would show whether this apparent improvement has more to do with them or the teams they’ve faced.

Who wins this game will likely come down to one of two things: Who plays their starters longer and/or who has the depth advantage. The Cowboys came out flat offensively against the Cardinals last week and McCarthy has already said he plans to play his first-teamers, so Dallas might be the safer bet as the offense tries to regain its rhythm.

Even if they leave Lincoln Financial Field with a loss, the Eagles will be happy as long as every important player goes into next week healthy.

Prediction: Cowboys 28, Eagles 17

My inclination is Sirianni either fully rests his starters or allows them to play one or two drives before pulling the first team. If Hurts winds up sitting for a majority of this game, which would probably be the wisest decision, then it’s Minshew Mania time. We’ve already witnessed Minshew run an efficient and effective offense during his emergency start last month. He’s certainly capable and fits the backup role well.

» READ MORE: Hayes vs. Sielski: Fire Howie Roseman? Not quite. Celebrate Howie Roseman? Please.

McCarthy insists he’ll play his starters, but he went on that ledge before Dallas was struck with COVID-19 problems and injuries to other key players, such as standout rookie Micah Parsons. Could the week’s course possibly change his thinking?

There’s a chance the Eagles improve their playoff seeding by one spot, but they aren’t in complete control of that outcome, which means not much, if anything, will be on the line when these two teams kick off Saturday night.

NFC East matchups still tend to be entertaining, regardless of the circumstances. Looking ahead to the playoffs, the Eagles should absolutely prioritize health. But Sirianni possesses a unique trust with his backup quarterback, and the first-year coach will be looking to avenge a blowout loss at Dallas in September.

Prediction: Eagles 24, Cowboys 21