NFL Odds: Don’t waste your money, the Dallas Cowboys are not serious contenders
The Dallas Cowboys have been arguably the best team in the NFL through the first two weeks of the season. They’re 2-0 with blowout victories over the Giants and Jets and they now have the second-best odds to win the NFC Conference outright at +351.
But, let’s get serious. The Cowboys are not a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Dallas Cowboys are rolling
On paper it’s hard to find anything wrong with Dallas through the first two weeks of the season. They opened the year with a 40-0 win over the Giants and followed that up with a 30-10 spanking of the Jets. Entering Week 3, the Cowboys lead the NFL in points scored (70), points allowed (10), point differential (+60), giveaways (zero), takeaways (seven), turnover margin (plus-seven), total yards per game allowed (193.0), yards per play allowed (3.5), red zone touchdown percentage allowed (zero), sacks (10, tied with Washington) and passer rating allowed (34.2).
But, let’s slow the hype train down a bit and consider the teams Dallas played to put up those stats. Yes, they made the state of New York their personal punching bag over the last two weeks, but we’re talking about the Giants and Jets, not the Bills. Daniel Jones and the Giants project to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season and we’re talking about the Zach Wilson Jets, not the Aaron Rodgers Jets.
Talk to me in a few weeks
The Cowboys are set to face Arizona and New England over the next two weeks, who are both 0-2 at this point, so Dallas should continue to roll. But, talk to me in Week 5 when they play in San Francisco. Or Week 9 when they travel to Philly. Or Week 15 and Week 16 when they follow up a road game in Buffalo with a road game in Miami.
Don’t underestimate the impact Trevon Diggs’ season-ending knee injury will have on the Cowboys. Since entering the league in 2020, Diggs’ 18 interceptions leads the NFL and his 52 passes defended ranks second. In two games this season, Diggs allowed completions on just two of eight passes thrown in his direction. Over that stretch, he had one interception, allowed no touchdowns and had a league-leading 0.0 passer rating on 98 snaps. Dallas’ biggest strength has been their defence and they just lost the biggest piece.
Moving on to the offence, can you really trust Dak Prescott to consistently perform and stay healthy? Prescott is coming off a season that saw him throw a league-high 15 interceptions in just 12 games. He’s led the NFL in fumbles twice in his career and two of his last three seasons have been marred by serious injury issues.
Don’t trust the Cowboys
There’s a team in every major sport that always comes into a new season expecting to win it all. We’re talking the Lakers in the NBA, the Yankees in the MLB, and the Maple Leafs in the NHL (ridiculous, right?). Well, that team in the NFL is the Cowboys.
“America’s Team” has a massive fanbase that lives and breathes with every pass, tackle and play. That level of support leads fans and bettors alike to overreact to the positive and the negative. It’s been a great start for Dallas, but they haven’t proven anything when it comes to the big picture. They lost one of the best defensive players in football and they have a quarterback who can’t stay healthy and loves to cough up the ball.
So, what do we say about this team? Don’t trust the Cowboys!
