The Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins will be looking to pick up their first win of the season against each other on Sunday, September 18th at FedEx Field – with the loser going straight to the bottom of the NFC East division. Here are the odds for people looking to engage in a little online NFL betting:
Cowboys +3 (-125) 45½ (-110)
Redskins -3 (+105) 45½ (-110)
As a result of Tony Romo’s latest injury, the Cowboys had no choice but to start the first rookie QB (Dak Prescott)/RB tandem (Ezekiel Elliot) since Roger Staubach and Calvin Hill in the 1969 season opener versus the St. Louis Cardinals. Dallas won that game as well as the next five. Ah, ’69… I got my first real six-string, bought it at the five-and-dime, played it ’til my fingers bled… those were the best days of my life. Needless to say things have changed and in 2016 the Cowboys lost to the New York Giants 20-19. Elliot was kept to 51 yards on 20 carries, though he did pop his touchdown cherry. Prescott finished 25 of 45 for 227 yards with no TDs or interceptions. All things considered, the Cowboys have no one but themselves to blame; they were in position for a 57-yard field goal, but wide receiver Terrance Williams didn’t get out of bounds after a reception and the clock expired. Two rookies on the starting lineup, and it’s the four-year player that makes the rookie mistake.
The Redskins came close to getting the best of the Steelers on a couple of occasions in week 1, but each time Ben Roethlisberger put an end to that happy crappy. Washington led 6-0 and seemed to have another opportunity to score late in the first quarter when LB Ryan Kerrigan sacked and stripped – and almost tarred and feathered – Roethlisberger deep in Steelers territory. Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey knocked the ball out of Kerrigan’s hands, however, and Roethlisberger dived on it at his own 13-yard line. The Redskins came as close as 24-16 on running back Chris Thompson’s fourth-quarter TD. But Roethlisberger took the Steelers 77 yards as DeAngelo Williams sealed the deal with a 15-yard touchdown run.
Back to the Cowboys, Prescott had a decent debut. He did throw a few bad passes, had difficulty getting his team to the end zone, might be dependable to make big plays, and might not be able to lead a vertical offensive attack if the Cowboys fall behind in Prescott’s first regular season away game – but as online NFL betting fans know, Romo wasn’t built in a day. Nevertheless, most football betting sites don’t like Dallas’ chances heading into this Sunday. Then again, the Cowboys can thank their lucky stars that they will be facing a team that seems to have regressed from last season – when they won the division – and taken their QB Kirk Cousins with them. Cousins went 30 of 43 against the Steelers, with no TDs and two interceptions. Defensively, the Redskins allowed the most points of any NFC team. Online NFL betting fans could expect a war of attrition in this one.
