The Line

Cowboys +1. O/U 55 points.

Dallas Cowboys

The rest of the Cowboys season now sits on the shoulders of Andy Dalton, a sentence most fans dreaded reading when he was signed back in the Spring. With Dak Prescott out for the season most expect a more conservative offensive approach from Dallas, but they still boast one of the most electric wide receiver corps in the league.

The Cowboys need to continue to open up the offense, though I do think letting Ezekiel Elliott ease their new quarterback into the game is a good idea. Go try to win games with Dalton, not just keep them close.

And who knows, this could still be a division winner at the end of the year.

Arizona Cardinals

The 3-2 Arizona Cardinals are the darlings of this young season in many ways. Behind a dynamic young quarterback in Kyler Murray and an innovative offense which is must-watch All 22 each week, Arizona is off to a good start.

Still, though, they are far from perfect. The Cardinals rank 11th in EPA per play this season, but are just 20th in offensive DVOA. They are also 20th in defensive DVOA this year, and can be exploited if Andy Dalton gets time on Monday night.

In a tough NFC West, this Cardinals team needs every non-divisional win they can get.

Trends (via Covers)

• The score total has gone over each of the Cowboys’ last four games.
• The Cardinals are 8-2-2 against the spread their last 12 games on the road.
• The Cardinals are 1-7 against the spread their last 8 Monday Night games.
• The Cowboys are 4-0 their last 4 games as a home underdog.

Prediction

Yeah, I don’t have a good read on this. The Cowboys have been putrid against the spread this year, but this still feels sort of winnable, even without Dak Prescott.

Offensively they should be able to score, but can this defense stop the Cardinals rushing attack? Or cover DeAndre Hopkins? Probably not.

I’m going to take over 55 points on this one, as I’ve been riding Cowboys overs all year.