Lions Cowboys Betting – Lions Continue To Roll, Stun Cowboys

Why Bet On Detroit Lions (3-0 SU, 2-0-1 ATS)

The Lions gained a few more believers by coming back from a 20-point deficit to beat Minnesota 26-23 in overtime on the road, and Matt Stafford had another huge day, going 32-of-46 for 378 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Tight end Brandon Pettigrew finally broke out, catching 11 balls for 112 yards, while Stafford also found Calvin Johnson seven times for 108 yards and a pair of scores for the Lions, who never got down on themselves for being down 20 points to a Minnesota team that, quite frankly, isn’t very good. They kept plugging away until they broke Minnesota’s will, and Jason Hanson’s fourth field goal of the game was the different in overtime. The Lions were tipped as the NFL betting darlings of the offseason, but they’re managing to live up to the hype so far and it all starts with Stafford, who is showing that he’s quite the quarterback….when he is healthy.

Still, the Lions weren’t perfect, and they’re still looking for a running game as they gained 20 yards on 19 carries. They obviously had to abandon it when they were making their comeback and they are a pass-first team, but a little balance would make them even more effective. Detroit can’t afford to get down by 20 points every week as they expend far too much energy trying to get back in the game, so a quick start would be good this week, especially on the road in Dallas.

Why Bet On Dallas Cowboys (2-1 SU, 1-1-1 ATS)

It wasn’t pretty, but the Cowboys gutted out an 18-16 win at home over rival Washington on Monday night, getting six field goals from Dan Bailey. Tony Romo fought through his rib injuries to go 22-of-36 for 255 yards and a pick, while Felix Jones was also playing hurt, but managed to rack up 115 yards on 14 carries. It was the defense that held the Cowboys in the game as they stopped the Redskins on nine of their 12 third-down opportunities, and Dallas held Washington to 65 yards on the ground in what was an ugly game to watch. While the Cowboys are known for their flash, winning a game in this fashion may actually help Dallas down the road and it was a huge game for Romo, whose toughness can’t be questioned anymore after playing through this extremely painful injury.

The Cowboys had six fumbles and were fortunate to lose only one, and center Phil Costa was at fault for three of them. Costa has to build a better rapport with Romo because the Cowboys probably won’t be so lucky next time. The Cowboys were stopped on all three of their red-zone trips and they were 3-of-13 on third down, so the offense has to pick up the pace and they probably will as Romo becomes healthier. To his credit, Romo never complained and played through it all, but the Cowboys need him to be at 100% if they’re going to win the NFC East, which is basically up for grabs right now between all four teams.

How It Will Play Out

Dallas is a 1.5-point NFL betting favorite at home, where they are 3-1 SU and ATS in their last four meetings with the Lions, and three of those games went over the posted total. This game also has the potential to be a high-scoring affair as the Cowboys’ main weapons, particularly Romo, Jones and receiver Dez Bryant, should be healthier than they were against the Redskins.

The edge goes to the Lions on the road as the Dallas secondary has long been lauded as the weak link of the defense, and unless they can get to Stafford it’s going to be a long day for the defensive backs. The Cowboys are still making too many mistakes and it’s going to come back to bite them this week. Take the Lions for the upset in your sports betting pick.