So far so good for the defending Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. Tom Brady has looked stellar as the Patriots cruised through their first three games of the season. They may be able to make it 4-0 in their first game after their Week 4 bye at Dallas.
The Dallas Cowboys have been decimated by injuries this season, which have them unable to take advantage of missteps from NFC East division rivals the New York Giants, Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles. Can the Cowboys pull off a big upset in front of their home fans?
Football rocks the sporting world with some big-time matchups in Week 5. Check out the complete previews for the Steelers vs. Chargers and Rams vs. Packers.
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New England Patriots vs. Dallas Cowboys Preview
Where: AT&T Stadium, Dallas
When: Sunday, October 11, 4:25 PM ET
Line: New England Patriots (-10) at Dallas Cowboys (+10); total: 49.5 – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are playing on a very high level to start off their title defense. The Patriots most-recently blew out the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars 51-17 in Week 3 before taking Week 4 off as their bye week.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Quarterback Tom Brady is not having anything of last season’s slow start. He’s been hot this year, completing 72 percent of his passes for 1,112 yards and nine touchdowns. His favorite receivers in tight end Rob Gronkowski and wideout Julian Edelman have put up fantastic numbers due to his play. Gronkowski has team-highs of 308 yards and four scores this season, while Edelman has 279 yards and two touchdowns.
Even the running game is off to a great start. Running back Dion Lewis has been excellent filling in for LeGarrette Blount (suspension) in the first two games of the season with146 yards and two touchdowns. Blount himself wasn’t to be outdone, rushing for 82 yards on 20 carries with three touchdowns in two games.
The Patriots’ offense should have a pretty manageable time getting past Dallas’ defense. The Cowboys defense has been pretty underwhelming this season, allowing 347.8 total yards of offense per game.
New England’s defense is allowing more total offensive yards (368.7) than Dallas’. But the defending champion faces a banged up Cowboys offense with stars Tony Romo and Dez Bryant out due to injuries. Even running back Lance Dunbar may be out after suffering an injury in a Sunday Night Football loss to New Orleans. Expect the Patriots to dominate this side of the ball.
The Patriots have won four straight on the road, going 3-1 ATS.
Betting on the Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys have to figure out a way to win without their dynamic duo of Tony Romo and Dez Bryant. Brandon Weeden, in his two starts this season, isn’t cutting it with back-to-back losses to the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints. The Cowboys’ backup quarterback has now lost 10 straight starts. The loss tied Weeden with Blaine Gabbert for the longest such streak among active quarterbacks.
Don’t count Weeden out too easily though. He was particularly solid against a 26-20 overtime loss to the Saints in Week 3. He was as clutch as he could get, throwing a 17-yard tying touchdown to Terrance Williams on fourth and seven with less than two minutes left. The score ended a 91-yard drive led by Weeden.
New England has allowed a mediocre 251.7 passing yards per game, so it’s not too far-fetched for Weeden to get going. But without a running game to lean on, the Cowboys may struggle to get New England’s defense off-balanced.
Running back Lance Dunbar had 54 yards on just two carries, though he went down to a knee injury. The Cowboys fear that Dunbar tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee which would essentially end his season. Without Dunbar, no other Cowboys running back rushed for more than 3.1 yards per carry.
The Cowboys’ defense may be able to save them if they can remain as hot as they were against New Orleans. Dallas’ pass rush had three sacks on Drew Brees on Sunday night after totalling three through the first three games of the season. Linebackers Antony Hitchens and Damien Wilson combined for a sack, while defensive linemen DeMarcus Lawrence and Jack Crawford added one each.
The Cowboys are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games at AT&T Stadium.
Writer’s Prediction
Dallas keeps it close, but can’t stop Brady and the Patriots from getting the win. Create a betting account now and win big from the best football action rocking the nation.
