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There was a festive atmosphere surrounding the Dallas Cowboys after the first two weeks of the NFL season. Even our survey on this site showed the fanbase was feeling the positive vibes. The team was paying so well and the game against the Arizona Cardinals seemed like a mere formality.
All that stopped after the Thursday practice. The Trevon Diggs news cast a pall over the Cowboys, one that we’re not likely to escape for a bit. But this is the NFL. And the games go on.
As such, Dallas will travel to Arizona to play the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. Even with the Diggs’ news, the Cowboys are still 12.5-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Some of that speaks to just how good of a team Dallas has been, and the fact that they do have some depth at corner. The other part is the Cardinals lack of serious talent in what has been described as a somewhat tanking year.
The Cowboys defense still has plenty of firepower without Diggs, and will still be a force. The Cowboys offense is moving along nicely and should play complementary football to the defense. The Cardinals, on the other hand, are just not a well-constructed football team at the moment.
Let’s see what some other sites say about the game.
Dallas handled a slightly smaller number at home against the Jets and has started by outscoring its opponents 70-10. The Cardinals found some offensive sparks last week against the Giants, facilitated by some turnovers. The Cowboys are playing more conservative around Dak Prescott and can contain plenty around Josh Dobbs after slowing James Conner on the ground. Expect a massive pro-Cowboys crowd to see these former NFC East rivals.
Pick: Cowboys win 27-10 and cover the spread.
Almost everywhere you go, the Cowboys are being picked to cover the large spread. Some of these predictions were made before the Diggs’ news broke, but the line at DraftKings Sportsbook hasn’t really moved since the news. Against a different opponent it might have, but not the Cardinals it seems.
As you’ll see below, the Cowboys are still overwhelming favorites to win and cover.
Why Brooke is taking the Cowboys: Through two weeks, the Cowboys boast the No. 1 scoring offense (35 points per game) and the No. 1 scoring defense (5.0 points per game!), while the Cardinals just blew a three-touchdown lead to the team Dallas shut out in Week 1. The beauty of the NFL is any team can win on any given Sunday ... just not this time.
The Cardinals have played two close games in their two losses, but this is a big ask against a good Dallas team with a defense that is the best in the NFL right now. Josh Dobbs will have a tough time against that defense, and the Dallas offense will get it going against the Cardinals defense. Blowout.
Pick: Cowboys 33, Cardinals 16
Victoria Hernandez: Cowboys 35, Cardinals 12
The Cowboys are the most dominant team in the NFL so far and that will not stop in Week 3 on the road. The Cardinals have been surprisingly productive without quarterback Kyler Murray, but they’re no threat to this top-notch defense. Dallas covers the spread easily.
The group of BTB writers that are predicting games this season also have the Cowboys as winners this week. Below we used Tally sight to predict each game for Week 3 of the NFL.
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