NFL Football Betting: Dallas Cowboys at Pittsburgh Steelers
First of all, it’s good to be back handicapping sports. I’ve spent the last week or so doing betting odds and analysis on the 2016 Presidential Election. It’s a lot of fun doing odds on ‘non sport’ propositions but otherwise politics is a sleazy business. So let’s get things started with a very entertaining Sunday NFL matchup. The Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers have been rivals since monsters named ‘Staubach’ and ‘Bradshaw’ roamed the plains. At one point this was the prototypical ‘contrast in styles’ with the clean cut Cowboys a full contrast to the gritty Steelers. That dynamic isn’t really the case any more and there’s been a lot of water under the bridge for both teams. The Steelers are having something of a disappointing season at 4-4 and coming in off a 3 game losing streak. The good news for Pittsburgh is that they’ve got a chance to rebound and reach the playoffs. With only one team in the AFC North boasting a winning record at this point (assuming that the Baltimore Ravens can ‘boast’ about a 5-4 record) they control their own destiny.
The Dallas Cowboys are definitely a surprise. Actually, the surprise is what has happened since Tony Romo injured his back in the preseason. Maybe it shouldn’t come as a shock since a similar narrative has been written countless times in sports and certainly the NFL (see Drew Bledsoe/Tom Brady). That being said, few expected rookie Dak Prescott to become so good so quickly. Ditto running back Ezekiel Elliott. Instead of struggling through a season without their veteran starting quarterback the Cowboys are a couple of points shy of an undefeated record. After losing their first game of the season by a single point they’ve won 7 straight both SU and ATS.
No disrespect to the Cowboys who are an excellent team. But this is a scenario we’ve seen over and over again in every sport. One team has everything going their way. The other team is almost desperate for a win. This dynamic can work even with a mediocre team. Pittsburgh has plenty of talent, a core group of veterans, and the motivation of getting back in the playoff race. We’ll take the Steelers laying less than a FG at home (where they’re on a 12-7 ATS run).
BET PITTSBURGH STEELERS -2.5 OVER DALLAS COWBOYS
