Stephen A. Smith mocks Cowboys, predicts Eagles to repeat as NFC East champions - “When it matters the most, they will collapse”

The battle for the NFC East is long thought to be a two-horse race between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles. After Nick Sirianni's team clinched the division along with the NFC championship last season, many think the Eagles will repeat.

This is despite the Eagles losing a host of starters on defense and both coordinators as well. But still, many think the Eagles will be just fine and will beat Dallas to the NFC East division title. Even ESPN's Stephen A. Smith likes the Eagles as his NFC East bet.

There has been some hype for the new-look Cowboys this season as key additions in Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore no doubt help both sides of the ball. But for Smith, he still thinks the Eagles are the team to beat and that the Cowboys will, as they always seem to do, fail when the lights are brightest.

"You ain't beating the Eagles for the Division crown, you ain't winning the NFC championship and going to the Super Bowl and you damn sure ain't winning the Super Bowl," Smith said on "First Take." "You're going to be 0-for-3. They're going to have problems. … That's how they're going to be.

"And that team is going to become fragmented and they're going to divide, and right when it matters the most, they will collapse. They will not let me down. I don't know whether it's going to be Dak Prescott. I don't know what it's going to be Tony Pollard not being able to be an every-down back, maybe it’s maybe CeeDee Lamb."

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Can Cowboys unseat Eagles for the NFC East?

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys

The truth is, Dallas has everything needed to unseat the Eagles for the division, and it feels like many are overlooking the fact of what Philadelphia has lost over the offseason: both coordinators and a host of starters. Also, the Eagles' success is predicated on Jalen Hurts being at the MVP level again. He was superb last season, but now he needs to do it again.

For Dallas, it has everything needed to dethrone the Eagles and make a deep playoff run. The defense, for some, is the best in football, and the offense has plenty of weapons for Dak Prescott.

There are some concerns, like Prescott's turnover worries and Mike McCarthy's play-calling ability. But last year was a clear outlier for Dak and his turnovers, and McCarthy did win a Super Bowl calling plays.

It's a coin flip for who will win the NFC East, but for Stephen A. Smith, it's the Eagles' division to lose.