Eagles (11-5) at Cowboys (11-5)
6:00 p.m. MT
The Line: Cowboys by 3.5

The Story: An interesting juxtaposition of playoff histories will see the field tonight: the Dallas Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game since 1996, while the Philadelphia Eagles are 7-0 under Andy Reid in the opening game of a playoff berth. Things will have to change dramatically from last week for that to happen, though: the Cowboys and Eagles played for the division title in Philadelphia, where Dallas dominated Philly 24-0 and now aim for the fabled three-game season sweep of their heated rival.

The Breakdown: The Eagles laid an egg last week partly because the Cowboys were able to shut down DeSean Jackson (three catches, 47 yards), but mostly because they never got their ground game going. They only rushed 10 times, a stat that will have to change as the Cowboys boast Marion Barber and Felix Jones, who both ran for 91 yards last week against them. The Cowboys are hot because of their defense and running game, but, above all, they’re hitting their stride because QB Tony Romo is playing excellent football. He was named the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Month for December — unfathomable considering the knocks against him over the past several late season slides — and now will try to get January’s Monkey off his back.

The Pick: I expect the expertly-coached Eagles to get off to a fast start and the Cowboys to stumble a bit. These things happen when you know how to handle the pressure, and your opponent doesn’t. But Dallas is playing too good a game of football to be denied for long. Cowboys 27, Eagles 20.

Donovan McNabb #5 of the Philadelphia Eagles drops back to pass against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field on December 20, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Breaking down the Denver Broncos‘ opponent from the Football Outsiders‘ perspective. This week: Philadelphia.

Recall that lower (negative) percentages are good on defense, bad on offense and special teams.

We hope you all had a very merry Christmas, and we wish you a continued happy holidays! The schedule makers certainly didn’t give the Broncos anything to be merry about this season, as the Broncos’ Week 16 opponent boasts the league’s top overall DVOA. Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles are the league’s most statistically efficient team. This will be no easy task for the up-and-down Broncos.

Pass Offense: 28.1% (12th)
Run Offense: 15.1 (4th)
This is one case where the FO/DVOA numbers don’t really tell the whole story. The Eagles’ passing offense keys off the big play, and the Eagles have five more plays (20) of 40 yards or more than any other team in the league. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson broke an NFL record for such plays, with he and quarterback Donovan McNabb connecting on nine touchdowns of 50 yards or more. So the numbers to take from this are the rushing DVOA — the Eagles’ 4th-ranked attack suggest the Eagles can get the job done on the ground when needed. What’s more, they expect to get dynamic starting running back Brian Westbrook back against the Broncos. The Eagles are a dangerous, explosive, and efficient offense.

Pass Defense: -16.4 (4th)
Run Defense: -6.2 (15th)
The Eagles don’t have the hard-hitting, consistent presence of Brian Dawkins in the back of their secondary, but their pass defense has still done a good job behind Asante Samuel and company. The Eagles are blitz-happy and don’t hesitate to send two defenders on an A gap blitz, which can be a protection nightmare. This is an area in which the Broncos have struggled this season, so Casey Wiegmann and company can expect to be tested. Their rush defense isn’t the strength of the team, but they still rank in the top half of the league.

Special Teams: 6.4% (3rd)
Jackson is a dangerous returner to boot, and the Eagles boast one of the top special teams units in the league. Mitch Berger needs to have a consistent outing this game; one bad punt to Jackson could really turn the tide in Philly’s favor.

1. Indianapolis Colts (14-0)

Indianapolis won again… woo… Well actually this time it only benefited Denver putting the Jacksonville further from playoff contention.

Glaring Stat: Bill Polian believes in resting his starters for the post season. Polian was the GM of the Bills when they went to the Super Bowl 4 years straight, losing every time. Every time the Colts rested their starters they saw a short post-season. The one time the Colts won the Super Bowl they had to play out the season to guarantee a post season berth.

2. New Orleans Saints (13-1)

Losing at home to the Cowboys isn’t bad when you’ve already won 13 game straight and wrapped up a post-season berth. The Saints did look vulnerable against the boys but every team deserves an off game. How the Saints rebound from their home loss should determine what we see come playoff time.

Glaring Stat: Despite the highly potent passing attack the Saints have, none of their receivers has gone over 1,000 yards yet (Marques Colston is about to at 994).

3. San Diego Chargers (11-3)

It’s painful to see the Chargers doing so well and it’s even more painful now that Denver fans have to root for them. That’s right, it’s time to cheer for the Bolts. San Diego plays Tennessee next and a Titan loss would put them out of the wildcard picture. The Chargers bandwagon is overflowing nowadays and I love it because it is very reminiscent of their 2006 season where they lost to the Patriots in the AFC Divisional round. The MSM is asking “Who can stop the Chargers? They’re huge Super Bowl contenders!” Their expectations are soaring now, it will be painful if Philip Rivers and company make me eat my words.

Glaring Stat: Philip Rivers is unbeaten in January, a staggering 17-0.

4.  Minnesota Vikings (11-3)

Brett Favre says everything is fine and dandy in Minnesota but I beg to differ. Whenever you get destroyed by Matt Moore and the gang on Sunday night there’s some work to be done and some worry to be had. The Vikings just smell of one and done this year. I don’t think they’ll fall short in the playoff run, but I don’t see a Super Bowl in their future. The Viking pass is non existent as well as their pass protection. Adrian Peterson proved last season that he couldn’t do it alone, so if the Vikings want to go anywhere this January they’ll need their offensive line to have some confidence.

Glaring Stat: It’s an absolute joke that out of their 19 positions in the pro-bowl 10 of them are Vikings voted by the fans. Thank the lord that it’s only a third of what counts.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (9-5)

If it wasn’t for a botch officiating non-call that Tony Dungy aptly pointed out (without blinking… ever) the Bengals very well could have beat the Chargers. However, that doesn’t matter because they didn’t win. It was really emotional seeing Chad Johnson honoring Chris Henry while playing his heart out. This is what you can expect from him for the rest of the year. The Bengals should rally and win their division and play tough come post-season, much like the Redskins did after the passing of the great Sean Taylor.

Glaring Stat: The Bengals have gone 6-0 in their division and 3-5 outside of it.

6. Dallas Cowboys (9-5)

Tony Romo is always chastised for his poor play in December. The best way to disprove that is to beat the best team in the NFC in their own house. Dallas has the toughest December they’ve possibly ever seen, they’ve played the Giants, Chargers, and Saints so far and now they have to head to the nation’s capital to play a tough divisional game and then finish out against the Eagles for a second straight season.

Glaring Stat: The Cowboys beat the Saints despite the missed field goal by Nick Folk. The Redskins lost the Saints with the missed field goal by Shaun Suisham. Both teams cut both of those kickers and now Suisham is on the Cowboys. Ironic.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (10-4)

The Eagles are looking like the already a playoff berth wrapped up, whether it’s the division title or the top wild-card spot, they’ll most likely see January this year.

Glaring Stat: DeSean Jackson has burned nearly everyone, the Eagles are 5-1 when Jackson scores a touchdown.

8. Green Bay Packers (9-5)

And the Steelers get over once again…  However much like the Eagles the Packers also seem to have the playoffs in the bag, that is if they beat Seattle next week.

Glaring Stat: Aaron Rodgers only has 30 less rushing yards than Reggie Bush (309 vs. 339).

9. Arizona Cardinals (9-5)

Easiest division on the NFL? Possibly the NFC West. However, not for long. I believe that the Niners, Cardinals, and Seahawks will start competing at a higher level in the next few seasons. The Cardinals are a dangerous team once they get into the playoffs so it will be interesting to see if they have another miracle post-season run.

Glaring Stat: The Cardinals are -8 in the turnover differential.

10. Baltimore Ravens (8-6)

Baltimore’s curb stomping of Chicago was very bitter-sweet for Denver fans. Baltimore took Denver’s top wildcard spot, but guaranteed the Broncos a top 10 draft pick while making the Cutler trade look like Ocean’s Eleven.

Glaring Stat: Ray Rice may have 1,128 yards on the year, but he has 73 receptions for 669 yards for a running back.

11. Denver Broncos (8-6)

Since I write about the Broncos I had to make an exception to the Tentative Ten. It’s obvious that this game against Philadelphia is huge. Brian Westbrook is looking like he’ll be making a return so the Denver defensive line can’t afford to be bossed around like they were against the Raiders. Denver’s defense is starting to looked gassed late this season and they need to win while their playoff berth is still in their hands.

If it makes anything better, the Eagles lost the Raiders too.

Glaring Stat: Kyle Orton has 3,182 yards on the season and Jay Cutler has 3,117.

What do you think Nation? Any more deserving teams in the Tentative Ten? Air it out!

1. New Orleans Saints (7-0)

Sorry rookie Jairus Byrd, the veteran Darren Sharper won’t let you hold the top spot alone. Sharper grabbed yet another pick to close out the game. The Saints not only have top tier talent this season but their coaching and preparation is immaculate week in and week out.

Glaring Stat: The Saint’s secondary has 16 interceptions on the year.

2. Indianapolis Colts (7-0)

I’m really excited for the Colts to start picking one someone their own size. Even though the Colts haven’t played anyone worth writing home to Mom about, I still think they can hold their own against the best out there. Indy has an interesting divisional match up against the Texans this Sunday and then the Patriots the next week.

Glaring Stat: Finally a week where Peyton Manning disapointed his fantasy owners. I despise those fortunate to have him. Joseph Addai had more touchdown(s) than Manning this week.

3. Minnesota Vikings (7-1)

I bet Elvis Dumervil wishes he got to go up against the Green Bay line twice a year like Jared Allen gets to do. That being said, Brett Favre can retire peacefully… we think.

I was ready to write Favre off at the beginning of the year. With Adrian Peterson at running back all Favre would have to do is hand the ball off and make a screen pass to guys like Percy Harvin and Chestor Taylor. Instead he’s throwing bombs and last second game winning touchdowns. I’m sorry Brett Favre, I was wrong, you’re still good… however, you’re still a prick.

Glaring Stat: Jared Allen has 10.5 sacks on the year and 7.5 of them come against Green Bay alone.

4. Denver Broncos (6-1)

Defeat? Something Denver fans have been shielded from for almost the first two months of football. Loosing like this is hard to swallow, loosing in general is difficult to handle. Denver’s offense resembled Stevie Wonder taking his drivers test. Watching Kyle Orton throw screen after screen was like watching the leaked Modern Warfare 2 Airport level. My jaw was dropped while these innocent people were getting massacred and I just couldn’t stop it. Josh McDaniels cannot afford to run an inefficient game plan like that against the Steelers.

Glaring Stat: Despite allowing 30 points against the Ravens, Denver’s defense is ranked second in the NFL for points allowed.

5. New England Patriots (5-2)

New England’s defense has quite the test against Miami’s dynamic offense. New England has had some easy games in the past two weeks so it’s to put up against a team on a hot streak.

Glaring Stat: Miami is 3-0 in the AFC East but 0-4 for the rest of their games. The Pats are playing the kings of the AFC East… but with a worse record?

6. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2)

Marvin Lewis better have something good planned up his sleeve to sweep Baltimore this year. The offense really is starting to get into sync, Carson Palmer, Cedric Benson, Chad Ochocinco are all having Pro-Bowl caliber years. The defense is surely missing Antwan Odom but they have the depth.

The Bengals could breathe easy in the NFC North race if they win their next two games which are against Baltimore and Pittsburgh respectively; since afterwards they have gimme games against the Raiders, Browns, Lions.

Glaring Stat: Cedric Benson has one fumble in 164 carries on the year that wasn’t even lost.

7. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)

Ryan Clark won’t be playing this weekend but Troy Polamalu is healthy as they come now. Ben Roethlisberger is statistically having a career year and it will be tough for Denver to stop his reign.

Glaring Stat: The Steelers have lost both of their two games by a field goal.

8. Dallas Cowboys (5-2)

The defense needed to play like that a lot sooner. Wade Phillips is finally getting the potential out of his Cowboys. Tony Romo was efficent and made many great decisions. The offense managed the clock well and the defense made sure Matt Hasselbeck had as few snaps as possible on the field.

Glaring Stat: Miles Austin is averaging 21.7 yards a catch.

9. Philadelphia Eagles (5-2)

DeSean Jackson all day every day. Mike Jenkins is going to have his hands full Sunday night. Brian Westbrook may be out but LeSean McCoy is doing well for a rookie. Donovan McNabb has never had this may targets in life, Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Brent Celek have 10 touchdowns and 1,241 yards between each other.

Glaring Stat: Why is Michael Vick on the Eagles? He is 2/6 for 5 yards on the year with only 25 rushing yards on 11 attempts averaging 2.3 yards a rush.

10. New York Giants (5-3)

The Giants have a big game coming up against the Chargers. The NFC East is a rough division and the G-Men can’t afford to fall to 5-4. Similarly the Chargers are 4-3 and need to win to stay in the AFC West race. This is one desperate match up. Eli Manning and Philip Rivers are both of my fantasy quarterbacks as well. I am in one tough pickle.

Glaring Stat: Despite being known for having a stout defense, the Giants are allowing 5.2 yards a rush.

Coach of the Week

Tony Sparano – I mentioned previously before that the Dolphins are 3-0 in the AFC East. With the Dolphins’ rich history in upsetting the Patriots Sparano could get his team to .500.

Rookie of the Week

Jairus Byrd – Byrd is tied for the lead in the NFL for interceptions with 7, the crazy part is they all have came in the past 4 games. What is even crazier is that in the past three games Byrd has nabbed 2 picks in each game.

Offensive Player of the Week

Chris Johnson – Chris Johnson was a one man show against the Jaguars gaining 228 yards on 24 carries and two touchdowns.

Defensive Player of the Week

Julius Peppers – Peppers came to play against Arizona, he helped Carolina get the upset with a sack and a pick-six.

Rookie of the Year Watch

1. Percy Harvin – A playmaker and a game breaker. What can’t this kid do?

2. Jairus Byrd – Whenever you lead the NFL in interceptions you’re in contention.

2. Hakeem Nicks – Nicks has only 20 catches but they combine for 368 yards and four of them are touchdowns.

3. Knowshon Moreno – Still yet to have his breakout game, but still leads rookies in rushing yards. However with Brian Westbrook out LeSean McCoy could gain some ground on him.

4. Mark Sanchez – He hasn’t been amazing, but hey, he’s still a rookie quarterback. Sanchez needs to fix his interception habit, he’s on pace for 20 for the year.

Defensive Player of the Year Watch

1. Elvis Dumervil – Whenever a referee finally see’s him being held his sack total should improve.

2. Darren Sharper – He provides such a game changing presence on the field. Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter are having career years because of the coverage Sharper is playing.

3. Jared Allen – He leads the NFL now, but he can thank Green Bay’s line for that.

5. Jarius Byrd – He may just be a rookie but since his multi-interception game streak the Bills have gone 2-1.

4. Darrelle Revis – Revis was non-existent in the Jets’ loss against Miami, but sometimes that’s a good thing.

Offensive Player of the Year Watch

1. Peyton Manning – Peyton didn’t throw a touchdown but he sure didn’t make a mistake. Right now Peyton is on pace to break Dan Marino’s single season passing record.

2. Drew Brees – He doesn’t have to do it all anymore, but it’s good to know he still can.

3. Cedric Benson – In one game Benson got his revenge and the lead for rushing yards.

4. Chris Johnson – Chris Johnson had was the game changer on Sunday. Sadly enough for Tennessee he’s been playing at that level all year and they still couldn’t manage a win.

5. Adrian Peterson – Every week now I consider taking him off the list. In now way am I saying he’s bad, but he isn’t the game changer he used to be. Maybe now that Favre has his revenge out of his system AD can start seeing some more carries.

Coach of the Year Watch

1. Josh McDaniels (6-1) – I was not very happy with Josh McDaniels this week, not in the slightest. However he’s still performed miracles this year.

2. Sean Payton (7-0) – When you’re 7-0, you’re doing something right.

3. Mike Singletary (3-4) – What a great showing against the Colts. With the Cardinals losing this week the Niners still have a shot at the NFC West.

Who Needs a V8?

Bob Sanders – Bob Sanders doesn’t need a V8 because he did do something stupid. Sanders needs a V8 to provide him with his vitamins, minerals, and whole serving of vegetables to keep him healthy for at least a game.

Unforunate Incident of the Week

Owen Daniels tore his ACL, effectively ending his potential career year. Matt Schaub loved this guy in the redzone… hell any zone.

Movie to Watch this Week

Escape from New York – What a freaking classic. Escape from New York was made for like what, 10 bucks? The late great Issac Hayes rules Manhattan Island turned post-apocalyptic prison and Kurt Russell has an eyepatch. Enough said. The funny thing is that John Carpenter wrote this movie as a response to Watergate, I don’t really see a strong parallel.

What do you think Nation? Any more deserving teams in the Tentative Ten? Air it out!

As draft day approaches, BroncoTalk will be giving you game tape highlights of some of the bigger (and smaller) names around the draft. Today’s installment: Cal Wide Receiver DeSean Jackson. There have been whispers about Denver possibly taking Jackson with their first round selection at #12.

The first video is a nicely summarized highlight reel. The second after the jump is Jackson showing off his kick return abilities which the Broncos would be highly interested in. Some have compared his return sense and speed to Devin Hester. The third and final clip contains a few more highlights to wrap up.

Jackson’s 77 yard punt return against Tennessee.

Hope you enjoy hip-hop.