Will the Andy Dalton-era get off to a winning star for the Dallas Cowboys?
Arizona Cardinals (3-2-0) vs. Dallas Cowboys (2-3-0)
Monday, October 19, 8:15 PM ET – AT&T Stadium, Arlington
TV Network: ESPN
Opening NFL Lines: Cowboys -3 (-110), O/U 52
Cardinals vs. Cowboys Opening NFL Lines and Odds
Early lookahead NFL markets tipped this game with the Dallas Cowboys, but a lot has changed in Jerry’s World in the last week. With less than 24 hours before Monday Night Football gets underway, the Cowboys are treading underdog territory.
Dak Prescott suffered an ankle injury that eliminated him from the rest of the season, opening the door for backup Andy Dalton to take over. It marks the first time that the Cowboys will be without their starting quarterback since he took over the reins from former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Tony Romo, in 2016.
By the direction the NFL odds are trending for this game, it’s clear that NFL observers are wary of the Cowboys without Prescott steering the offense.
Progressively, the Cowboys are being bet down in point spread betting markets, down to anywhere between PK and +1.5 points. As well, the total has moved from an opening 52 to 55 points or thereabouts, depending on the best sportsbook site in question.
Arizona Cardinals Bounce Back in Week 6
The Cardinals bounced back behind a 30-10 victory over the New York Jets in MetLife Stadium last Sunday, improving to 3-2-0 SU and ATS on the season. The win snapped a two-game losing streak that included losses to the Lions and Panthers, both on the road.
A lot is being made about this game being something of a homecoming for Kyler Murray, a return to the stomping grounds of his formative years. However, the date at AT&T Stadium marks the third consecutive road game for the Cardinals, which is a tough scheduling stretch by any measure.
Since opening the season with an upset over the San Francisco 49ers, the Cardinals have been a mixed bag with wins over subpar opponents – Washington and New York Jets, two teams that have served as handy punching bags for the rest of the league. Beating two of the league’s worst outfits that boast a combined 1-9 SU mark is hardly a ringing endorsement.
Key Injuries ARI: Devon Kennard LB (Questionable), Chandler Jones LB (Out for Season), Maxx Williams TE (Out), Robert Alford CB (Out), Marcus Gilbert OT (Out)
Andy Dalton Era Begins
Andy Dalton stepped in for Dak Prescott late last Sunday and completed the job by leading the Cowboys to victory over the NY Giants. In so doing, the Cowboys climbed into top spot in the NFC East standings with a 2-3-0 SU mark. However, the Cowboys are an unimpressive 0-5-0 ATS this season with a 3.4 losing margin on average and -4.9 differential versus the spread.
To date, the Cowboys have beaten only the offensively-challenged NY Giants and Atlanta Falcons, the latter of which represents one of the league’s worst defenses. It’s fair to say that neither victory was exactly convincing. The Cowboys were beaten by the Rams, Seahawks and Browns this season, the latter of which represented the most lopsided defeat to date, a 49-38 loss at the AT&T Stadium.
This is the third straight home game of the season for the Dallas Cowboys, as well it’s the first start for Andy Dalton in his new digs with Dallas and at prime time no less. Those in-the-know, know Dalton’s less than stellar history under the national spotlight.
Key Injuries DAL: Dak Prescott QB (Out for season), Leighton Vander Esch LB (Questionable), Cam Erving T (Questionable), Tyron Smith T (Out), Randy Gregory DE (Out), Lael Collins T (Out), Chidobie Awuzie CB (Out), Sean Lee LB (Out)
Total Betting Overview
All five games for the Cardinals have cashed on the UNDER this season, suggesting to some measure that Arizona’s stop-unit is modestly good. That said, the Cowboys offense is loaded, and it remains to be seen whether they’ll have any answers for Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup, to name a few.
The Cardinals have put up 128 points to 102 points for a plus-26-point differential. The defense is allowing 346.6 yards per game and 20.4 points per game. The offense is averaging 395.4 yards per game and 25.6 points per game.
The Cowboys, by contrast, have seen four of their five games crack the OVER – the only anomaly is the 20-17 loss to the Rams in week 1. The Cowboys have put up a total of 163 points and conceded 180 points for a minus-17-point differential.
While the Cowboys offense leads the league with 488 yards per game and 32.6 points per game on average, the Cowboys defense has the dubious honor of being considered the worst stop-unit in the league, allowing 404.4 yards per game and a whopping 36 points per game. Kyler Murray, De’Andre Hopkins and Larry Fitzgerald, among several others, are sure to exploit the Dallas defense on the ground and in the air.
NFL Betting Verdict and Picks:
The total for this game opened above 50-points, and the NFL line has been bet up to 55 points with most top rated sportsbooks. Predictably, the expectation is for a shootout between these two teams and it’s hard to argue against that stance for our NFL picks against the total, especially considering the Dallas defense which can’t seem to stop anything.
NFL Picks: OVER 55 (-110) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline review)
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