Elliott Suspended, but ‘Boys Favored
Despite losing their top offensive player to suspension, the Cowboys remain favored over the Chiefs on Sunday.
United States District Judge Katherine Failla has dissolved Ezekiel Elliott’s temporary restraining order and denied his motion, putting Elliott’s six-game suspension back in effect. Elliott still has a chance to appeal, but for now he’ll miss Sunday’s matchup with Kansas City in Dallas.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Cowboys remain favored over the Chiefs despite the Elliott suspension. Dallas opened as a 1-point favorite so the spread hasn’t moved. As for the total, the number has climbed a full three points from 48.5 up to 51.5.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that Alfred Morris will be the team’s No. 1 running back while Elliott is suspended. Morris has been active ahead of Darren McFadden to this point in the season, so the decision makes sense. Both McFadden and Rod Smith will still have roles, but Morris, a former starter in Washington, will get first crack.
Elliott might not play but that hasn’t deterred public bettors from backing the Cowboys on Sunday. As of this writing, 63% of public bettors are backing Dallas and laying the 1 point.
The home team is 3-1-1 against the spread in the last five meetings between these two teams. That said, the Cowboys have failed to cover in five of their last seven home games and are 0-4 at the betting window in their last four games versus a team with a winning record. On the other side, the Chiefs are 6-2 against the spread this season, are 7-3 against the number in their last 10 games versus a team with a winning record, and have covered in nine of their last 10 games on the road.