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Dallas vs New England Opening Odds – Prescott’s Cowboys Listed as 3.5-Point Favorites

Chris Amberley

by Chris Amberley in NFL Football

Updated Oct 10, 2021 · 6:13 PM PDT

Dak Prescott looks towards the sideline
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) looks on from the sidelines during an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021, in Arlington, Texas. Dallas won 44-20. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade)
  • The Dallas Cowboys (4-1) opened as 3.5-point favorites over the New England Patriots (2-3) in Week 6 (Oct. 17th, 4:25 pm ET) 
  • Dallas picked up its fourth straight win by routing the New York Giants in Week 5, while New England snapped a three-game losing streak by squeaking past Houston
  • Read below for analysis on which way the line will move ahead of kickoff

How ’bout them Cowboys. Dallas is now 4-1 after a convincing 44-20 win over the New York Giants in Week 5, and will look to extend its winning streak to five in Week 6 when they travel to Foxborough (Oct. 17th, 4:25 pm ET) to face the Patriots.

New England is fresh off a victory of its own, albeit of the much less impressive variety. The Pats trailed for most of their Week 5 contest in Houston, but prevailed 25-22 over the Texans in the end.

Cowboys vs Patriots Opening Odds

Team Moneyline Spread Total
Dallas Cowboys -188 -3.5 (-115) O 48.5 (-110)
New England Patriots +158 +3.5 (-115) U 48.5 (-110)

Odds as of  Oct. 10th at FanDuel.

The Cowboys opened up as a 3.5-point favorite, in a game that features a total of 48.5. Dallas improved to 5-0 ATS with its blowout win on Sunday, while New England failed to cover and is 2-3 ATS through five weeks.

Cowboys on Cruise Control

Since dropping the season opener against the defending champs, Dallas has looked like one of the best teams in football. That was the case again in Week 5, as they marched up and down the field at will against the Giants defense.

The Cowboys racked up 515 total yards, while averaging 7.0 yards per play. Dak Prescott threw for 302 yards and three scores, while Ezekiel Elliott found the end zone on the ground and through the air, racking up 112 total yards. Zeke has now eclipsed 100 yards in three straight games for the first time since 2019.

Both CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper hauled in touchdown catches as well, but the most impressive part about Dallas’ 2021 success has been the play of its defense. The Cowboys forced two turnovers for the ninth straight game and held an opponent below 22 points for the third time in five outings. Sure, the Giants lost a handful of key offensive starters during this game, but Dallas has seen major improvement on all three levels of its defense so far, which makes them a worthy top NFC contender.

Dallas didn’t report any major injuries after the game and will head to New England in very good health.

Patriots Survive Texans

Bill Belichick owns rookie quarterbacks which is why it was so surprising to see Davis Mills dunking all over the Patriots for most of the game. New England coughed up 312 passing yards and 3 TD to Mills, a week after he managed just 87 passing yards in Buffalo.

Mills helped Houston jump out to a 22-9 lead, but three unanswered field goals and a Hunter Henry touchdown down the stretch helped save the Pats from an embarrassing defeat.

Mac Jones threw for 231 yards with a touchdown and a pick, but New England was outgained by Houston and also lost the turnover battle. The Pats will enter their Week 6 showdown with the Cowboys ranked 26th in total yards, and boasting the league’s 25th ranked scoring offense.

On the injury front, Damien Harris left with a rib injury in the second half but was able to return to the game. The team lost James White for the year earlier in the season, and any potential missed time by Harris would leave them extremely short on running back talent.

Line Likely to Move Towards Dallas

Even when they’re not playing well the Cowboys are one of the most heavily backed teams, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone if the line moves in their favor. Bettors will gladly lay 3.5 points with Dallas after seeing four straight wins and a perfect ATS record, combined with the fact that the Pats almost lost to the bottom-feeding Texans..

It also won’t be lost on the betting public that Tampa Bay was giving 7 points at New England last week, and the Cowboys look like a stronger team than the Bucs at the moment.

This line is likely going to settle somewhere between Dallas -4 to -5.

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