Cowboys vs. Falcons Prediction
With no Ezekiel Elliott, can the Dallas Cowboys go on the road this afternoon and pull off a small upset against the Atlanta Falcons? Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET.
Who Oddsmakers Like: Atlanta. According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Falcons are 3.5-point home favorites versus the Cowboys, who opened as a field-goal underdog for this contest. As for the total, the number hit the board at 53 but was bet down to 48.5 once Elliott’s appeal on his six-game suspension was upheld once again this week.
Who the Public Likes: Dallas. As of Sunday morning, 60% of tickets were on the Cowboys despite Elliott’s suspension. Nobody is buying the Falcons at the moment.
Who the Trends Like: The over and the favorite. In the last five meetings between these two teams, the over is 4-1. In the last seven meetings between these two teams, the favorite is 5-2 against the spread.
Who We Like: Dallas. Elliott or no Elliott I’m not buying the defending NFC champions. I didn’t believe in the Super Bowl hangover before the season and was thumping my chest when the Falcons started the year 3-0 because it completely debunked that narrative.
But let’s go back for a moment. The Falcons beat the Bears in Week 1 because Jordan Howard dropped a sure-fire touchdown in the closing minutes of the game. They also beat the Lions in Detroit when Golden Tate was ruled down at the half-inch line in the closing seconds. Their other wins came against the Jets in East Rutherford and versus the Packers at home in Week 2, which was their only convincing win this season (and even then Aaron Rodgers had Green Bay within two scores in the fourth quarter despite Atlanta being up all game).
Last week summed up the Falcons perfectly. They led the Panthers 10-0 after the first quarter and looked like the team that represented the NFC in the Super Bowl last year. Then the wheels came off. Carolina scored a touchdown right before halftime to take a 14-10 lead and despite Atlanta’s defense doing its best to keep the team in the game, the Falcons couldn’t generate enough points offensively in the second half. Julio Jones also dropped a sure touchdown in the end zone with no defender within 10 yards of him to help contribute to that 20-17 loss to Carolina.
Now I’m supposed to buy the Falcons as a home favorite in a new stadium in which they’ve stunk all year? No thanks.
NFL WEEK 10 PREDICTIONS: DALLAS COWBOYS +3.5
