Sports Betting Picks

Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys Betting Preview

Monday Night Football gives us an intriguing Week 6 battle between a pair of former NFC East rivals as the Dallas Cowboys entertain the Arizona Cardinals. Oddsmakers list the Cardinals as one-point favorites on the road with an over/under of 55 points. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 P.M. Eastern

The Cowboys are still reeling from the loss of Dak Prescott to a devastating ankle injury last week. However, Dallas rallied without him to beat the Giants and improve to 2-3 on the season. Somehow, a 2-3 record is good enough for Dallas to lead the NFC East, although the lead is a little precarious, so it’s critical that the Cowboys keep winning so they can tighten their hold on the division.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals have had an uneven but promising start to the season. Arizona had little trouble dismantling the Jets last week 30-10, getting back on track after back-to-back losses to the Lions and Panthers. However, Arizona’s 3-2 record is only good enough for third place in the NFC West, which means the Cardinals need to keep winning to stay relevant in the playoff race.

Get In the Groove

It’s clear through five weeks that Kyler Murray is one of the most dynamic players in the NFL. He has eight passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns through five weeks and is the kind of quarterback who can give opposing defenses headaches.

However, Murray is still being hampered by inconsistency in his second season. He’s thrown six interceptions in five games and can be erratic with his accuracy at times. Murray is also Arizona’s biggest rushing threat, with Kenyan Drake averaging just 3.7 yards per carry.

The silver lining for Murray and the Cardinals is they’ll be facing the worst defense in football on Monday. The Cowboys are conceding 36 points per game and have allowed a minimum of 34 points in four straight games, despite winning two of those contests. Also, the Dallas defense is yet to face a quarterback with Murray’s running abilities this season, which could exacerbate their problems.

If Murray and Drake can run the ball effectively, expect a few big plays from DeAndre Hopkins, who leads the NFL in receiving yards with 528, but has just two touchdowns to his credit.

Return of the Red Rifle

With Prescott hurt, the Cowboys are officially Andy Dalton’s team. Dalton played well, coming off the bench to help Dallas beat the Giants last week. However, it’s a little foolish to think that he can replicate Dallas’ offensive production under Prescott.

The good news for Dalton is he will have the receiving trio of Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and CeeDee Lamb at his disposal. Dallas’ receiver group is among the best in the NFL. However, the Dallas rushing attack has been middle of the pack thus far, and that’s while the elusive Prescott was healthy. The QB sneak is an element the Cowboys will lose with Dalton.

Arizona defense also has concerns, which is an opportunity where the Cowboys must take advantage. The Cardinals have lost pass-rusher Chandler Jones to a season-ending injury and have managed just three takeaways in five games this season. While the numbers say the Cardinals have one of the top defenses in football, giving up less than 21 points per game, they’ve been vulnerable through the air against teams with quality receivers.

Run Up The Score

There’s a good chance this game will turn into a shootout, with both teams scoring a lot of points. In such a game, Murray is more likely to excel than Dalton, especially since the Dallas defense looks more vulnerable than Arizona’s.

Bet on the Cardinals to win and cover the 1-point spread.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *