NFL underdog report: Division rivals look to play spoiler in Week 17

Canales spent last season working as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator and clearly understands what makes his old team tick. Look for him to take advantage of the Buccaneer’s 31st-ranked pass defense and make life miserable for his old team this week.

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles (-9)

Hardly the marquee matchup schedule makers envisioned in the offseason, this week’s game should feature a pair of backup quarterbacks as Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts is unlikely to play on Sunday.

Hurts left last week’s game against the Commanders after suffering a head injury and remains in the league’s concussion protocol. Kenny Pickett, who’s been limited in practice with sore ribs, went 14-24 for 143 yards and a touchdown in relief of Hurts but also threw an interception deep in Eagles’ territory that led to Washington’s first touchdown.

More importantly, Saquon Barkley clearly struggled with Hurts on the sidelines. After rushing for 109 yards and two touchdowns in the opening quarter, Barkley had just 41 yards on 22 carries in the final three quarters of a game Washington would eventually win 36-33. 

"In our situation, a lot of the things that we do in our run game are designed with Jalen, so it's kind of hard to continue to run the same stuff when he's not in there,” Barkley told reporters. “We had to adjust. They did a really good job. We just didn't make the plays that we needed to make."

Meanwhile, the rival Cowboys have won two straight games, including an upset 26-24 victory over Tampa Bay in Week 16. Not only did Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush average a season-high 8.3 yards per pass for 292 yards and a score against the Buccaneers, he also posted his best QBR score of the year.

The Cowboys are 4-3 with Rush as their starting quarterback this year and unlike the Eagles, won’t need to make adjustments for their starting quarterback as they look to spoil Philadelphia’s playoff seeding at Lincoln Financial Field.