Cowboys Cardinals Betting: Cowboys Aim To Continue Surge Against Frail Cardinals
The Dallas Cowboys have overcome a tough start and have risen to the top of the heap in the NFC East Division. The Arizona Cardinals are merely trying to stay afloat.
Dallas Cowboys @ Arizona Cardinals - Sunday, December 4
Sports betting line: Dallas -4.5
Why Dallas Will Win
The NFL betting lines experts who set the numbers each week are making Dallas a small favorite in spite of the fact that the Cowboys are not a dominating, overwhelming team. The Cowboys barely escaped Miami on Thanksgiving Day, needing a field goal on the final play to pull out a 20-19 squeaker. The reason why Dallas is a slight favorite is that Arizona is going to battle with an unproven and weak-armed quarterback, John Skelton. When the season began, hopes were high in Arizona that Kevin Kolb, fresh from the Philadelphia Eagles, would make a substantial impact in the Desert Southwest, but that simply hasn’t been the case. Skelton, a backup quarterback in terms of talent and disposition, is being forced to carry the load for coach Ken Whisenhunt’s Cardinals. Yes, Arizona has scratched out wins against Philadelphia and St. Louis (twice) in the month of November to rebound from a six-game losing streak that ravaged the team in September and October. However, this is still a very weak offense because Skelton, as the quarterback, cannot establish a rapport with superstar receiver Larry Fitzgerald in the vertical passing game. Arizona’s offense scored just 16 points this past Sunday at St. Louis, with punt returner Patrick Peterson scoring the other seven of the Cards’ 23 points on an 80-yard return. As long as Dallas quarterback Tony Romo avoids big mistakes in key situations, the Cowboys – with an entirely solid defense – should be able to win this game with a score in the area of 23-13.
Why Arizona Will Win
When you do your homework and assess your sports bet on this game, you’ll realize that the Dallas Cowboys don’t do things the easy way. The Cowboys’ brush with disaster against Miami on Thanksgiving is well documented, and what’s also worth pointing out is that the ‘Boys lost a 27-3 lead to the Detroit Lions at home earlier this year, losing a game they had no business dropping. Dallas also had the New York Jets and New England Patriots dead to rights earlier this season, only to let those two AFC East teams off the hook with alarming late-game collapses. Dallas is a flaky team, a talented team but one that does not exhibit a relentless form of weekly consistency. Romo has been up and down throughout the 2011 campaign, and he’s just one errant synapse from throwing a crippling interception that can put the Cowboys behind the eight ball. The Cowboys might be the obvious favorite on paper against Arizona, but Dallas does not play according to what the paper says or suggests.
Who Will Win
It’s very possible that Dallas could lose this game, but is Arizona really good enough to take it from the Cowboys? It’s hard to trust John Skelton in a situation like this. Expect Dallas to run its record to 8-4 on the season.
NFL Football Betting Pick: Dallas
