Cowboys Redskins Odds

Written by Jack Jones

The Dallas Cowboys head to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Redskins Sunday in NFC East action. This has been a heated rivalry over the last few years, though the Cowboys certainly have had bragging rights. Dallas has won five of the last six meetings, but five of those games were decided by six points or less. The Cowboys beat the Redskins 18-16 at home in their first meeting of the season. Dan Bailey kicked a game-winning 40-yard field goal with 1:47 remaining, and the Dallas defense held.

NFL odds for the rematch show us a line of Dallas -7.5 over Washington and a total set of 41.5 points.

Dallas

The Cowboys have picked up back-to-back home wins to put themselves in position to make the playoffs. Dallas (5-4, 1-3 away) has had most of their success at home this season, with their lone road victory coming in overtime against the San Francisco 49ers. After beating Seattle 23-13 on November 6th, the Cowboys came back last week and knocked off Buffalo 44-7 for their most dominant performance of the season.

Dallas outgained Buffalo 433-271 while forcing four turnovers. Tony Romo was absolutely flawless, completing 23 of 26 passes for 270 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. His 88.5 percent completion rate was the third-highest since 1933 from quarterbacks who had at least 25 attempts and three or more touchdowns in a game. Running back DeMarco Murray continued his recent surge, rushing for 135 yards and a score on 20 carries.

This team ranks 5th in the NFL in total offense (403.8 yards/game) and 9th in total defense (327.8 yards/game). Murray has an NFL-best 601 rushing yards and two touchdowns over the last four weeks, and tops all running backs with his 6.7/carry average. Last year’s leading rusher Felix Jones is set to return from an ankle injury, but he will serve as backup to Murray. Romo is completing 64.7 percent of his passes for 2,508 yards with 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has the Cowboys sitting just one game behind the NFC-East leading New York Giants.

Washington

The Redskins have plummeted to the bottom of the NFC East division. Washington (3-6, 2-2 home) opened the season 3-1, but has since dropped five straight. They have lost all five games by seven points or more, and have failed to top 20 points in all five. The Redskins are averaging a woeful 8.6 points/game during this stretch. They are coming off a 20-9 loss at Miami against a Dolphins team that was just 1-7 coming into that game.

Rex Grossman took over for John Beck at quarterback, but he wasn’t any better. Grossman went 21 of 32 passing for 215 yards with two interceptions against the Dolphins. They were outgained 303-246 by Miami, and they were held to just 61 rushing yards on 17 attempts. Trailing 13-9 in the second half, they drove down inside the Miami 10-yard line and were looking to take the lead. But Grossman was picked off by Karlos Dansby, and the Dolphins marched 81 yards and scored on an 18-yard touchdown run from Reggie Bush to put the game away.

Washington ranks 26th in the league in total offense (310.1 yards/game), including 31st in rushing (86.7 yards/game). Ryan Torain has averaged just 1.5 yards/carry in his last four games, but somehow got the start over Roy Helu against Miami last week. Helu had 146 yards from scrimmage in a 19-11 loss to the 49ers the previous week. Torain was held to 20 yards on 10 attempts against the Dolphins, while Helu had 41 yards on six carries. Head coach Mike Shanahan has stated that he is going to stick with Grossman at quarterback. Grossman has thrown four touchdowns to 11 interceptions while compiling a 55.8 passer rating in his last five games.

Betting Trends

The Cowboys are 20-8 ATS in their last 28 November games, but just 3-10-1 ATS in their last 14 games as a favorite, including 1-6-1 ATS in their last 8 games as a road favorite.

The Redskins are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 vs. NFC East foes, but 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games overall.

Washington is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 meetings with Dallas, and the underdog is 22-6 ATS in the last 28 meetings.

Looking to build your bankroll on the pro gridiron? Turn to expert handicapper Jack Jones for your NFL wagering advice this season.

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