The Philadelphia Eagles are going to lose to the Dallas Cowboys tonight.

It’s going to suck.

Losing always does.

Losing to the Cowboys, even worse.

Losing to the Cowboys one week after getting blown out by the San Francisco 49ers, incredibly not fun.

There’s going to be a lot of discourse about how the Eagles are frauds.

And it’s not going to be totally undeserved.

But here’s the thing: it’s going to be OK.

Or, at least, it might be.

The reality is that the Eagles were never going to go 6-0 in their six-game Gauntlet™.

They’re currently 3-1.

They needed to go at least 3-3.

They could still very well go 4-2, which would’ve been viewed as a big success entering this stretch.

So, I’m far from ready to say the season is over if the Eagles get beat by the Cowboys.

Especially when becoming the first team to repeat as NFC East champions since 2004 and getting the No. 1 seed is still very much possible.

The Eagles losing this game doesn’t have to be an insurmountable indictment.

It’s quite possible that they simply find themselves in a really bad spot.

For the third straight game, they’re playing a team that has a rest advantage over them.

More specifically, it’s the second straight game where their opponent is coming off a mini-bye week.

And the rest disparity is exacerbated by the Eagles playing an unusually high number of snaps.

Over the last three weeks, Philly’s defense has basically been on the field for the same number of snaps they played in their first four games combined.

They’re tired.

And even if they weren’t, a fully fresh secondary just doesn’t match up great with the Cowboys’ passing attack right now.

Dallas is playing at a high level.

They also just need this game more.

With a win, the Eagles essentially (though not officially) clinch the division.

The Cowboys aren’t suffering that fate in their own house.

In a building where they’ve won 14 straight.

And five straight against the Eagles.

I’d love to be wrong.

And I’d certainly at least like to see this team put up much more of a fight than they did against the Niners.

But the truth is I’m not too worried about this result.

I know it’s important but it has more of a “house money” feel to me.

If the Eagles continue to crater after this one?

Well, then the panic truly begins.

Until then, I’m not writing the Eagles off.

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Suggested format:

Score prediction:

Bold prediction:

My predictions:

Score prediction: 33 to 26, Eagles lose.

Bold prediction: The Eagles still get the No. 1 seed despite losing this game.

Your predictions:

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