In mid-August, the Dallas Cowboys had strong odds to win the Super Bowl.
Of course, there isn’t legal Texas sports betting, as the legislature did not pass it in 2021 and does not meet again until next year.
But there are many Texans looking forward to that day and BetTexas.com will keep you informed.
No Dak Devastating for Dallas
The story in August was that the Cowboys were rated as the NFL’s fifth-best team.
That changed dramatically Sunday night with a lackluster 19-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a serious injury suffered by franchise quarterback Dak Prescott.
Prescott was expected to undergo surgery Monday morning and he could miss six-to-eight weeks of action. The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported earlier Monday that Prescott’s surgery was to repair a fracture in his thumb and that a timeline for his definitive return would be released after the procedure.
The Cowboys need to move on without their leader and get ready to host the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) Sunday (FOX, 4:25 p.m.).
Familiar Tough Territory
This is a familiar place for the Cowboys and its on-the-field leader as Dallas went without Prescott for 11 games at the end of the 2020 season.
Here are some daunting figures:
- Dallas were 4-7 without Prescott in 2020.
- The combined record of the four teams the Cowboys defeated during that run was 15-35-1.
- Dallas has not started a season 0-2 since 2010.
- All three other NFC East teams won in the opening week.
- Dallas is defending NFC East champion. No team has repeated as division champs since the Philadelphia Eagles from 2001-04.
Looking at the Odds Moving Ahead
Backup Cooper Rush will assume the starting role in Prescott’s absence with Will Grier now the backup.
Rush finished Sunday’s game completing seven of 13 passes for 64 yards.
Texas sports apps are not available in the state, but we can take a look at the line from national sportsbooks.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Cowboys are a 6.5-point and +245 moneyline underdog Sunday against the Bengals, who are also coming off a heart-breaking 23-20 overtime home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Before Sunday, both the Eagles and Cowboys were listed at +2000 in FanDuel’s outright markets to win the Super Bowl.
As of Monday afternoon, the Eagles have moved up to +1300, tied for fourth among favorites with the Los Angeles Chargers (1-0) and Green Bay Packers. The Cowboys dropped to +4500 to win the title.
To win the NFC Conference, the Eagles are third at +600, tied with the Packers, and Dallas is at +2600.
Updated Super Bowl Odds
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Eagles Favored in NFC East
For the NFC East Division title, Philadelphia is the favorite as of Monday afternoon at -150, while the Cowboys are last on FanDuel at +600 behind the Washington Commanders (+460) and New York Giants (+500).
“It’s not like he got hurt in the first quarter and you can make an excuse for how the Cowboys offense looked the entire game,” said Adam Pullen, assistant director of trading at Caesars Sportsbook. “They did not look good, period. The Cowboys have a tough schedule coming up with the Bengals this weekend, then some division games and the Rams. The Dak injury puts them in a really tough position. We’ll see where they stand once he comes back and whether they’re in a hole that they can’t get out of.”
Caesars also gives the Cowboys the highest odds to win the NFC East. They are at +550, behind the Eagles (-145), Commanders (+475) and the Giants (+500).
Heading into the season, Dallas (+140) was only behind the Eagles (+130) but still well ahead of the Commanders (+675) and Giants (+850).
It couldn’t be more obvious how much Dak Prescott means to the Cowboys.
