Cowboys vs. Redskins
NFL Week 1 Prediction
NBC Sunday Night Football
Betting Line: Cowboys -3.5 O/U 40
9/12/10
The Cowboys think Super Bowl every year. They are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, but are they loaded with desire? Quarterback Tony Romo threw for 26 touchdowns last year, and only 9 interceptions. Romo should have another big year, he’s a very capable QB who sometimes battle’s a bad technique. The Cowboys have quite the depth at running back. Marion Barber GAined 932 yards last season, while his cohort Felix Jones GAined 685 with an avg. of 5.9 yards per carry. Miles Austin who’s fresh off a 1,320-yard debut season is Romo’s number one target. The boys drafted wide out Dez Bryant and are very high on him. Roy Williams is back for another frustrating season and mister reliable Jason Witten will be there for Romo when ever he’s in trouble.
The new look Redskins have a new coach…Mike Shanahan and a new quarterback…Donavon McNabb who distributed 22 touchdowns last year. MACNabb is now 33 and not the nifty QB he oNCe was, but he’s still head and shoulders above some others. Clinton Portis and LArry Johnson are the running backs. Portis is an old 28 having carried the ball over 2,000 times in the last few years. Backup LArry Johnson is 31 and has been plagued by all kinds of problems the last few years. Receivers Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly can’t beat man coverage to save their lives. Both second-round picks have battled injury and iNConsisteNCy in their first two unremarkable pro seasons. Their problems have allowed defenses to dial in on speedster Santana Moss.
Defensively the Cowboys can dominate with nose tackle Jay Ratliff, and ends Marcus Spears and Igor Olshansky bottling up opposing running backs. DeMarcus Ware is a tremendous linebacker who specializes in harassing quarterbacks. Third-year cornerback Mike Jenkins — another former first-round pick — has developed into the star of the secondary.
The ‘Skins can play a little defense to with pass rushing outside linebackers Brian Orakpo and Andre Carter. Veteran London Fletcher aNChors the run defense and DE Albert Haynesworth is one of the best in the Game. Cornerbacks DeAngelo Hall and Carlos Rogers need to a step it up.
The spot here is a reasonable -3.5 here and while we think Shanahan will turn the Skins around, there’s still a ways to go. We’ll side with the more talented team here. Cowboys -3.5
BETTING TRENDS
DALLAS
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas’s last 6 Games
Dallas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 Games
Dallas is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 Games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Dallas’s last 6 Games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas’s last 5 Games when playing Washington
Dallas is 19-6 SU in its last 25 Games when playing Washington
Dallas is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 Games when playing Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Dallas’s last 9 Games when playing on the road against Washington
Dallas is 8-4 SU in its last 12 Games when playing on the road against Washington
WASHINGTON
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington’s last 6 Games
Washington is 1-6 SU in its last 7 Games
Washington is 7-13-4 ATS in its last 24 Games
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Washington’s last 15 Games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Washington’s last 5 Games at home
Washington is 1-5 SU in its last 6 Games at home
Washington is 3-11 ATS in its last 14 Games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington’s last 5 Games when playing Dallas
Washington is 6-19 SU in its last 25 Games when playing Dallas
Washington is 8-16 ATS in its last 24 Games when playing Dallas
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington’s last 9 Games when playing at home against Dallas
Washington is 4-8 SU in its last 12 Games when playing at home against Dallas
Washington is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 Games when playing at home against Dallas