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Edgar Chaput
Rams vs. Cowboys Point Spread: NFL Week 8 Odds, Prediction
Dallas’ schedule has seen them play a lot more away from home than in front of their fans. It’s already Week 8 and the Cowboys are getting ready for only their third match at AT&T Stadium. Their last bit of action was Monday night two weeks ago, a narrow 20-17 win over the Chargers. The Rams played last Sunday at home to the Steelers. While they fought hard, it wasn’t enough as they fell 24-17.
Dallas’s big defence is expected to himself in Big D, with the NFL odds pinning them as -6.5 favourites.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Los Angeles and Dallas have traded wins the last four times they’ve crossed paths. Last year’s contest saw the Cowboys flex their defensive muscles in a 22-10 win at SoFi Stadium. In fact, the last two contests have been held in L.A., making this the first game since 2019 to be played in Texas. The Cowboys demolished the Rams that season 44-21.
It’s been a roller coaster start to the season for the Rams, who are only 3-4 despite putting up decent offensive numbers almost every week. As for the spread, the club is a bit better, sporting a 4-2-1 record. One defeat to the 49ers was close enough to convert into a cover and another against the Bengals resulted in a push.
The Dallas Cowboys are 4-2 ATS, just as they are in the standings. Their route to earning such a record is as straightforward as they get. When they win they cover and vice versa. Of note, they’ve already covered twice this season when the spread was in their favour by six points or more (Patriots and Jets), their failure being the shock defeat to the Cardinals
Los Angeles Rams
Expectations were tempered for the Rams when the season began. The championship run of 2021 was spectacular, but most would agree that that was a special moment in franchise history that was going to be difficult to follow up.
For what it’s worth, L.A. regularly puts up a fight, as they did in Week 7 when hosting the Steelers. They led 9-3 at the midway break and then 17-10 in the third quarter. WR Nuka Pacua, only a rookie, is proving his worth before everyone’s eyes. He’s third in the NFL with 752, and he added 154 on eight catches versus Pittsburgh. The guy can seemingly do it all, including getting yards after the catch. Along with Cooper Kupp (who was quiet last week), they make a formidable receiving duo that can give any secondary fits. The issue is the defence can be soft at the worst moments and the running game is average on a good day. They brought back former Ram Darrell Henderson Jr. given Kyren Williams’ injury.
Dallas Cowboys
Being the brand that they are, there’s always something to talk about regarding the Cowboys. They’re scrutinized like no other NFL club, especially when they lose. As such, it must have been a relief to be on the winning side against a team like the Chargers, who are even more notorious in the art of losing winnable matches.
To be fair, the 20-17 Monday night battle two weeks was an all-around entertaining affair. Dallas certainly required a bounce-back performance after the drubbing they suffered the week before at San Francisco. QB Dak Prescott hasn’t had a great game so far this year, but with a defence as stout as theirs, a 21-for-30, 272-yard night will usually get the job done. He threw a TD to Brandin Cooks and ran in for one himself. It wasn’t a game to remember for Micah Parson, except that he executed a sack very late to put pressure on Justin Herbert’s attempt at a possible dramatic comeback. That was followed up with a game-sealing INT courtesy of Stephon Gilmore. This is who the Cowboys are in 2023. They can score, but they won’t blow anyone out of the water with their offence. It’s the defence that will deliver the requisite punishment.
LAR
DAL