NFL Week 7 Betting – Dallas Cowboys at St. Louis Rams
The Dallas Cowboys (4-2 SU, 2-4 ATS), coming off a highly disappointing loss, and the St. Louis Rams (1-4 SU & ATS), fresh off an uplifting first win of the season, will do battle on Sunday in NFL action that will take place at 1 PM ET at the Edward Jones Dome (artificial turf) in St. Louis.
Sunday, October 19
BetUS NFL betting odds: DALLAS -6.5, Total 44
NOTABLE STAT: Dallas – 8.1 yards per pass attempt; St. Louis gives up 8.4 yards per pass attempt
KEY NFL FOOTBALL BETTING TREND: Rams are 1-7 ATS in last eight; Dallas is 2-9 ATS in last 11
In the BetUS NFL football betting odds, the Cowboys are listed as a six-point favorite, with a posted total of 44 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* DALL has covered two of its last 11 games
* DALL has won 17 of its last 23 games SU
* DALL has played four of its last five games OVER the total
* DALL has covered two of its last six road games
* DALL has won nine of its last 11 road games SU
* DALL has played 15 of its last 22 road games OVER the total
* DALL has played four of its last five road games UNDER the total
* STL has covered one of its last eight games
* STL has lost eight of its last nine games SU
* STL has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* STL has covered one of its last seven home games
* STL has lost nine of its last ten home games SU
* STL has played four of its last five home games OVER the total
Also…
* DALL has covered five of the last seven meetings
* DALL has won and covered four of the last six meetings as the road team
A series of injuries have changed the dynamic involving this game, for sure. And those injuries have happened to the Cowboys’ side. Quarterback Tony Romo is out of action for at least four weeks (three games), having suffered a broken pinky on his right hand, something you could see as regulation time in the game against Arizona wound down, and Romo was misfiring badly on passes. Also, Felix Jones, who has provided some real explosiveness in the Dallas running game (nine yards a carry, in fact) is out two to four weeks with a hamstring pull. And punter Matt McBriar, who went to the Pro Bowl last year, was lost to the Cowboys for the foreseeable future (at least six weeks) with a broken right foot, which was suffered on the last unfortunate play of Dallas’ loss to the Cardinals.
Plus, linebacker Anthony Spencer, who can get after quarterbacks, is going to sit out with a hamstring injury, and Sam Hurd, the fourth wide receiver, is going to have surgery to correct a high ankle sprain.
As if all this wasn’t enough, Pacman Jones, involved in an altercation with one of his team-appointed bodyguards last week, is reportedly being suspended a minimum of four games by the NFL.
And Terrell Owens is copping an attitude again.
Is this any way to go into a game with a St. Louis Rams team that finally got its first win of the year on the road for its new “interim” coach, Jim Haslett, and should have at least a little more confidence?
Don’t know.
But the news is not all bad for the Cowboys. On Tuesday they pulled the trigger on addressing their receiving problem, acquiring Roy Williams from the Detroit Lions. Now, having TWO Roy Williamses on the Dallas roster might cause confusion, and maybe even give T.O. something else to gripe about, but THIS Williams joins Owens in a duo that should be very problematic for opposing defenses.
Brad Johnson takes over at QB for Romo, and even though the 40-year-old former Super Bowl champ isn’t what he used to be, he doesn’t need to be taught the offense and should be able to make use of both T.O. and Williams, not to mention the key guy, tight end Jason Witten. I would expect Dallas to move forward in much more straight-ahead fashion in the running game with Marion Barber, who’s been conspicuously inconspicuous lately (155 yards in last three), but may not be against a St. Louis front that has given up 4.9 yards a rushing attempt.
And will it take much defensive potency for the Cowboys to contend with a Rams offense that had only 200 yards and EIGHT first downs against the Redskins, even in victory? Not really. Until we see some better offensive output from Marc Bulger (15-26 for 136 yards vs. Washington) and the Rams, we’re sticking with Dallas, the 6.5-point favorite in the BetUS NFL football betting odds.
