Sunday Night Football: Cowboys vs. Redskins Picks & Predictions
By Anthony Rome
The Washington Redskins will begin a new era under Mike Shanahan on Sunday night, although they have a rough matchup when their NFC East rivals the Dallas Cowboys come into town. Let’s breakdown the matchup.
Oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com have made the Cowboys 3.5-point favorites over the Redskins on Sunday night. The over/under total for this game has been set at 40 points.
Cowboys Win If:
They don’t get in their own way. The Cowboys have one of the most talented rosters in football, but every year this team finds a way to crumble. With the weapons this team has on offense and defense, there should be no excuse for the ‘Boys not to get the job done on Sunday night. The biggest question is arguably at left tackle, where Doug Free will be continued on to protect Tony Romo’s blindside. But Free played well in preseason and shouldn’t be a concern. The Cowboys have all the tools in place to make a run to the top of the NFC East again, if not the Super Bowl and it all starts on Sunday night in Washington.
Redskins Win If:
They protect Donavan McNabb. Dallas has one of the most feared pass rushes in the NFL and the most feared pass-rusher in the game in DeMarcus Ware. The Redskins have issues along the offensive line, so if they can’t give McNabb time to throw it’s going to be a long night. Defensively, the Skins need to limit the big plays and they’re going to have to come up with a turnover or two in order to help the offense out. The Cowboys don’t come without their weaknesses on defense, but the Skins don’t have enough firepower to go toe-to-toe with Dallas on either side of the ball for four quarters. Washington needs to make things happen.
Prediction:
There’s just too much uncertainty when it comes to this Redskins team. The offensive line, running back and receiver positions are all question marks and McNabb isn’t 100% healthy. I think Washington is going to need a few weeks to gel under Shanahan, which means bettors should be able to take advantage of a low point spread. The Cowboys are by far the better team and I see them scoring 28-plus points in this one, so I like the over as well.
2010 NFL Week 1 Free Pick: DALLAS COWBOYS –3.5 & OVER 40