BTC SPORT
Slow Start in Dallas
Game: (497) Philadelphia Eagles at (498) Dallas Cowboys
Date/Time: Sep 27 2021 8:15 PM EDT
Betting Line Provider: Consensus Line
Play Rating: C units
Play: 1H Total Under 24.5 (+100)
This is a spot that I've had circled all week, but I've been waiting to play it because I assumed that the line/juice would get better closer to game time (and it has). There are some good numbers out there, including a 26.5 (-120) at FanDuel. Both teams are missing key pieces on the offensive line. Eagles' left tackle Jordan Mailata was just placed on IR and Cowboys' La'el Collins is suspended.
The formula for Dallas is simple: Our defense looks to be improved a little bit, but it's still a weakness. Let's keep our offense on the field for as long as possible so that our defense isn't on the field. Last week against the Chargers, the Cowboys opened the game with a 15-play drive that took seven minutes off the clock. Against Tampa Bay in Week 1 they opened with a nine-play, 54-yard drive that resulted in zero points.
Both Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott are in the bottom-third of air yards per attempt through the first two games of the season. That means that neither offense is taking home run shots, and they're generating offense through short passes. We all praised Dallas for how good their offense looked against Tampa Bay in the opener, but now that Atlanta has scored 25 and the Rams have scored 34 on the Bucs, perhaps that Tampa Bay defense has a few more flaws than we thought.