Dallas Cowboys(1-1SU, 1-1ATS)vs.Arizona Cardinals(1-1SU,0-2ATS)
NFLWeek3
Date/Time: Monday, September 25, 2017 at 8:30 PMEST
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium
TV:ESPN Monday Night Football
byJeff Hochman, Professional Handicapper, JHSportsline.com
Point Spread:DALL -3/ ARZ +3
Over/Under Total:47
The Arizona Cardinals will be playing in their home opener on Monday Night Football. That’s a big deal. Arizona has played two road games so far and manage a split by defeating the Colts 16-13 as 7-point road underdogs last Sunday. Despite the close score, the Cardinals outgained Indy by 123 yards. The Cowboys fell to Denver 42-17 as 2.5-point road chalk. Dallas played their worst game in over a year, but there is no need to panic right now. The Broncos defense would shut down Tom Brady and Aaron Rogers in that spot at home. Don’t forget the stat I gave out last week on these pages. Denver owns the most wins at home since 1993 and have been a top 5 defense for almost a decade. We cashed with the over and small lean on the Broncos. Will I be taking the Cowboys this week or going against them? You will know shortly.
One of these teams will drop to 1-2 after this game, so I would expect a maximum effort in this prime time affair. Should be a doozy!The big question for all Cowboy fans is an obvious one. Can the Cowboys’ running game bounce back after a dismal effort against Denver?Ezekiel Elliott was bound to have a bad game at some point in his NFL career, and at least it came on the road against a special Broncos defense.I guess you could see this coming.He started slow last year too.Last season, Elliott started a streak of four straight 130+ yard rushing games in Week 3, so he could be primed for huge night. The Cardinals run defense has been very good, although they really haven’t faced any top tier running backs so far.
Can Arizona’s offense catch fire after a no show against the Colts? Carson Palmer is 48-84 for 600 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions so far this season. Don’t blame the offensive line. They are actually playing above average according to Football Outsiders, ranking 10th. The Cowboys are very young in the secondary (and nicked up) but do have potential stars back there. Dak Prescott is listed as questionable with an ankle injury but is expected to start. Monitor his status throughout the week just in case.
If you like the Cowboys in this game than I would take them now. If you like the home team wait until the public drives up this line to about 4 or 4.5 by game time. If Prescott doesn’t start, the Cardinals will be favored by 4 to 5 points and is a no play. The key for me is the Cardinals will be playing in their home opener on Monday Night Football. Underdogs of 3 or more points have cashed nearly 70% in this role lifetime. The Cowboys should be motivated after their most lopsided result in quite some time. Seems like a good game to watch. Can’t wait!
The Cowboys bring in a huge special teams edge in this game. It’s not close folks. This could be a deciding factor so that does scare me a little bit. At one high limit sportsbook, 74% of the bets have been placed on the Cowboys. Dallas is a “public” team so the line should rise before kickoff.If the oddsmakers don’t move the line much that means they are very comfortable needing the Cardinals at +3. That should be the right side. Arizona is 26-14 SU and 26-14 ATS as home underdogs of 3 points or less since 1993. That means they win the game outright every time. That ties in nicely with teams playing its home opener on MNF. I see a money line (+135) play on the home underdog in my future.
Jeff’sPick to Cover the Point Spread: Arizona Cardinals +3
Wait until game day when the line should be a full point higher. Or, you might get +3 even money. Try a slice on the money line as well when the line goes up. Most of all, enjoy the game and the brilliance of Jon Gruden. The best NFL analyst in the business! Bet this game and all of your wagers at a sportsbook that lets you bet at discounted odds (-105 instead of -110), thatoffers live in game betting and that has the biggest variety of wagers (including high school football betting). Oh, and they offer FAST no hassle payouts as well! —> 5Dimes!