The Dallas Cowboys head on the road this week to U of Phoenix Stadium to tangle with the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. ESPN will carry the game nationally with kickoff set for 8:30 p.m. (ET).
Dallas at Arizona Game Overview
The Cowboys will be looking to quickly bounce back from another road trip gone bad in last Sunday’s 42-17 beatdown at the hands of the Denver Broncos in a game they closed as slight 2.5-point favorites. The total easily went OVER the 44-point line. This followed a 19-3 victory in Week 1 over the rival New York Giants as six-point favorites at home with the total staying well UNDER that 46-point closing line. Dallas is now 1-4 ATS in its last five road games.
In their reversal of fortunes from four wins in 2015 to a 13-3 straight-up run last season, the Cowboys relied heavily on the play of rookies Dak Prescott at quarterback and Ezekiel Elliott running the ball. They might revert back to their previous form if both of these sophomores continue to play like they did against the Broncos. Prescott matched his two touchdown throws with a pair of interceptions and to make matters worse he injured his ankle. Elliott had his worst day as a pro with a total of eight yards on nine carries. Another concern is a defense that allowed 178 yards on the ground in that loss to Denver.
Arizona is another team that is trying to figure out where it is headed this season. It got pushed around by Detroit in a 35-23 loss in Week 1 as a 2.5-point road favorite before struggling to get past Indianapolis 16-13 last Sunday as a 6.5-point favorite at home. The total went OVER the 48.5-point line in the Cardinals’ season opener before staying UNDER the 44-point line against the Colts. Failing to cover in last Sunday’s win dropped their record to 4-11 ATS in their last 15 home games. The total has now stayed UNDER in nine of Arizona’s last 12 games played at home.
Veteran quarterback Carson Palmer has gotten a slow start out of the gate in his 15th season in the NFL with a completion rate of just 54.8 percent on his first 84 passing attempts. He has thrown for 600 yards and two touchdowns, but he has also been picked off four times to go with five sacks. The bright spot in the passing game has been third-year wide receiver JJ Nelson with 10 receptions for 163 yards and two touchdowns. However, with David Johnson out of the lineup with a dislocated wrist, Arizona has gained a grand total of 128 rushing yards on 43 carries.
Dallas at Arizona Game Betting Trends
- The Cowboys are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 Monday night games and they are 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven games coming off a SU loss. The total has stayed UNDER in 11 of their last 14 road games.
- The Cardinals have failed to cover in six of their last seven games played on a Monday night and they have gone 2-7 ATS in their last nine games following a SU win. The total has stayed UNDER in their last six Monday night games.
- Head-to-head in this matchup, the home team has covered ATS in eight of the last 10 meetings and the total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in three of the last five games.
