Bills Cowboys Line

Written by Steve Janus - Google +

The Dallas Cowboys will look to win consecutive games for just the second time this season when they host the Buffalo Bills in week 10. The Cowboys bounced back from a horrible 7-34 loss at Philadelphia with a 23-13 win over Seattle. The win moved Dallas to 4-4 on the year, but they still trail the Giants by two games in the NFC East. The Bills will be looking for a rebound win of their own, as they fell 11-27 at home to the Jets last week. The loss dropped Buffalo into a three-way tie for first in the AFC East at 5-3.

Taking a look at the week 10 spreads, oddsmakers currently have Dallas favored by 5.5-points over Buffalo with the total set at 48 points.

Buffalo Bills:

No one expected the Bills to be playing meaningful games in November, but there is still a lot of work to be done over the final eight weeks of the season. Buffalo has alternated a win with a loss since opening the season 3-0, and will attempt to avoid losing back-t0-back games for the first time this season.

A big reason why the Bills are sitting at 5-3 at the halfway mark is the strong play of their offense, which comes in tied for the AFC lead with New England at 27.8 points per game. That offense didn’t live up to expectations in their last game against the Jets. Buffalo was held under 20 points for the first time this season. The Bills managed just 287 yards of total offense, and didn’t score a touchdown until there was under 4 minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

Ryan Fitzpatrick was held to a season-low 191 yards with that late touchdown and two interceptions. Fitzpatrick has had some troubles taking care of the football with six interceptions over his last four games.

When Buffalo has had trouble getting the passing game going they have been able to rely on the ground attack led by Fred Jackson. While Jackson rushed for 82 yards on just 18 attempts, the Bills finished with just 96 rushing yards on the game.

Getting the offense going will be the key for Buffalo in their upcoming game against the Cowboys. Dallas has allowed 401 rushing yards in their last two games combined, but are expected to get leading tackler Sean Lee back from a wrist injury. The Cowboys come in 16th against the pass (232.5 ypg) and 10th against the run (102.4 ypg).

Dallas Cowboys:

While the Cowboys had hoped to be sitting with a better record than 4-4 after the first eight games, Dallas has a great opportunity to get back on track over their next four games. If they can take care of business against Buffalo this week, their next three games are against Washington, Miami, and Arizona, who are a combined 6-18 in 2011.

The injury to starting running back Felix Jones has been a blessing in disguise for the Cowboys. Rookie DeMarco Murry has rushed for 466 yards in three starts, including a 139 yards in the win over Seattle. Jones could possibly return this week, but is listed as questionable.

Tony Romo struggled early against the Seahawks, but ended up throwing for 279 yards and two touchdowns. Romo has been the main culprit for why Dallas is at .500, but he is also a big reason why many believe they can come back and win the East. Romo will have to go to battle without starting wide out Miles Austin, who is expected to miss 3-4 weeks with a hamstring injury.

Buffalo’s pass defense comes in ranked 25th in the NFL, giving up 260.4 ypg but they lead the AFC with 15 interceptions. With Austin out and the Bills giving up 120.8 ypg on the ground, don’t be surprised if Dallas relies heavily on Murray to help them come away with a win.