This week’s NFL odds for Week 8’s matchup are heavily backing the Cowboys against a visiting Seattle team coming off a bye week with something to prove. Can the ‘Boys make it three in a row?

NFL Week 8 – SEATTLE SEAHAWKS @ DALLAS COWBOYS

Sunday, November 1, 1:00 PM ET

Favorite: Dallas -9.5

Cowboys offense vs Seahawks defense

The Cowboys are second in the league in offense, and they’ve looked excellent as of late, especially Tony Romo, who has two 300-yard games in a row. The Romo-to-Miles Austin duo has been an unlikely killer, and Austin has pushed Roy Williams down the pecking order, even behind Patrick Crayton, who returned a punt back against Atlanta after complaining about his role in the offense. Romo threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns in last year’s 34-9 win over the Seahawks in Dallas, and Seattle is 16^th against the pass this year.

Cowboys defense vs Seahawks offense

The Seahawks are coming off a 27-3 loss to Arizona, so you know that Matt Hasselbeck will be eager to get back on track after the bye week. The Cowboys are 22^nd in the league in pass defense, but they did well against Matt Ryan and a very good Atlanta offense, holding them to 298 yards while sacking Ryan four times. The Seahawks may need to step their rushing attack up, as they had only 80 yards on the ground in last year’s loss to the Cowboys, and Dallas is 16^th in the NFL in that category.

Cowboys-Seahawks Outlook

These two have played eight times since 1992, splitting them at four apiece, but the Cowboys have won three of the meetings in Dallas. The Seahawks have had recent struggles on the road with eight losses in their last 10, which is why they’re such an underdog in your sportsbook. The Seattle offense will come out with fire, but Romo and the Cowboys are on a roll right now, and the Seahawks won’t have the defense to keep up with them in a high-scoring affair. Go with the Cowboys in your NFL picks.

NFL Week 7 – ATLANTA FALCONS @ DALLAS COWBOYS
Sunday, October 25, 4:15 p.m. ET
Favorite: Cowboys -4

Cowboys offense vs Falcons defense

As defendants, the Falcons have been pushed around like scared criminals on their first day in prison when it comes to the running game. Atlanta allows close to 120 yards per game and the Cowboys, whose offensive bread and butter has arguably been the running game in 2009, should have a big day. The Cowboys will throw a bit of everything at the Atlanta D-line: Marion Barber for power, returning Felix Jones for explosiveness and versatile Tashard Choice for a bit of everything.

No quarterback has totally torched the Atlanta pass defense but everyone has at least moved the ball decently, so Tony Romo’s NFL odds of succeeding are solid. Atlanta’s pass rush is puppy-dog-weak, so Romo should have plenty of time to hit Miles Austin downfield, as he did against the Chiefs two weeks ago.

Cowboys defense vs Falcons offense

There’s definitely reason to panic here. The Cowboys rank in the NFL’s bottom half in total defense, run defense and especially pass defense. That’s after facing Tampa Bay, Carolina and Kansas City plus the Giants and Denver. Arguably, the Giants are the only prolific offense Dallas has played; the Broncos rock but have dominated primarily through defense. If the Cowboys struggle to stop weaker offenses, it’s scary to imagine what the high-octane Falcons can do.

The Cowboys have lost their pass rushing ability after leading the league in that regard last season. If any Joe Blow Fafone can throw on the Cowboys, Matt Ryan could put on a show with favorite targets Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White. If the Cowboys’ pass defense buckles down – and it has in recent weeks – Ryan can still hand off to bruising Michael Turner. Dallas needs its best defensive performance of the season to stay competitive.

Outlook

In this disappointing season, the Cowboys need to earn back our trust. Unfortunately, the Falcons look like a better football team right now – just like the Yankees’ World Series odds over the Angels. I think they’ll edge Dallas in a hard-fought affair this Sunday with Matt Ryan making the difference.

Spread provided by BetOnline.com

Betting Odds – Week 5
DALLAS COWBOYS @ KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
Sunday, October 1, 1:00 p.m. ET
Favorite: Cowboys -8

Cowboys offense vs Chiefs defense

There’s no hiding from the fact that Tony Romo hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since Week 2. Yeah, Terrell Owens is gone and Roy Williams got hurt last week, but those excuses only take you so far. Romo remains an athletic, elusive quarterback capable of making big plays; he simply has to be better for the Cowboys to make any kind of playoff run this season. The Chiefs rank 28th in the NFL in pass defense and have just five sacks on the season, so Romo will have plenty of time to make plays. Look for him to perform more like he did in Week 1 against the weak Tampa defense, when he threw for 350-plus yards and three scores.

The Cowboys rank third in the NFL with 163.8 rushing yards per game and should pummel the Chiefs’ porous front seven according to betting software projections. Marion Barber appears set to play and Tashard Choice is a more than capable backup, so this tandem should run wild if Romo can’t get the passing game going.

Cowboys defense vs Chiefs offense

On paper, the Cowboys still look like one of the NFC’s worst defensive teams, but they’ve actually tightened up their play significantly. In consecutive weeks, the pass “D” held Jake Delhomme and Kyle Orton under 250 yards; the pass rush also seemed back on track in Week 4 as the Cowboys sacked Orton three times.

The Chiefs average just 145 passing yards per game, so Dallas doesn’t really have to respect Matt Cassel and can instead stack the box to bottle up Kansas City’s so-so running game.

Outlook

America’s Team has seen better days and aren’t super-reliable NFL picks right now, but the Cowboys are a much more talented team than the lowly Chiefs. They’ll score plenty and they won’t allow many points. I’d bet at a sportsbook on Dallas covering the eight-point spread this week. If they don’t, it may really be time to worry.