Cowboys Corner | Odds – Lines – Sports Betting Insight

COWBOY CORNER – WEEK 4

Sportsbook bettors and emotional Cowboy fans can step off the ledge now. The Cowboys did their new stadium right Monday night, scuffling at times but still grinding out a win over Carolina. Before the season started, most of us would’ve pegged Dallas’ Week 4 matchup as a gimmie; now, with Denver’s defense flourishing and Dallas’ offense hit-miss, America’s Team has a real challenge on its hands.

Week 4
DALLAS COWBOYS @ DENVER BRONCOS
Sunday, October 4, 4:15 p.m. ET
Favorite: Cowboys -3

Cowboys offense vs Broncos defense

The Cowboys won’t have the cakewalk everyone thought they’d have when the season started. Somehow, some way, the Denver Broncos lead the NFL in defense across the board, allowing an absurd 5.3 points, 78.3 rushing yards and 136.3 passing yards per game. That said, the Broncos have faced two absolutely pathetic offenses in their first three games. Who couldn’t amass prolific defensive numbers after facing the Browns and Raiders in consecutive weeks?

The better measuring stick as we study NFL Week 4 matchups is to review Denver’s game against Cincinnati, who at least has a competent offense. The Broncos allow 214 yards per game on the year but allowed 307 to Cincinnati. Cedric Benson, Carson Palmer and company didn’t set the world on fire but they moved the ball.

My prediction: expect something similar to last week for Dallas’ offense. The Cowboys should have more success on the ground than in the air. Felix Jones is out with a tweaked knee but Dallas is still set at tailback with Marion Barber, Tashard Choice or both of them getting the rock. Barber’s quad could make him a game-time decision. Since the Broncos are rushing the passer well, leading the NFL with 10 sacks, they could fluster Romo into another mediocre performance. Since Romo isn’t on the same page with Roy Williams right now, he’ll probably hand off more than he’d like.

Cowboys defense vs Broncos offense

The Broncos offense has been decent enough; Correll Buckhalter has been a nice surprise in the running game and rookie Knowshon Moreno is coming on. Kyle Orton has done good job protecting the football but target=”_blank”>betting services project a different result this week. The Cowboys’ defensive effort against Carolina was very encouraging, as they sacked Jake Delhomme three times and picked him off twice. Look for them to blitz Kyle Orton and force him to make mistakes. DaMarcus Ware should have his long overdue breakout game and pick up a couple of sacks.

It helps to have Terrence Newman back healthy. He helped hold Steve Smith to 38 receiving yards last week and took a Delhomme interception to the house. He and the rest of the Dallas secondary should contain Eddie Royal and Brandon Marshall, both of whom haven’t woken up yet this season.

Outlook

The Cowboys have no easy task playing on the road in the thin air against undefeated Denver. However, we have to take the Broncos’ success with a grain of salt due to their easy schedule. Look for the Cowboys to win on the road, cover the three-point spread as NFL picks and take Denver down a notch.