Cowboys Preferred Over Eagles Across Board In Prop Betting

NFL News - January 6th, 2010 - Written by John

When the Dallas Cowboys pounded the Philadelphia Eagles in the season finale last week, which paved the way to a division crown, it cemented two firm assertions for the first round of the 2009 NFL Playoffs.

A) The Cowboys would get to host the rematch.

B) Therefore, Dallas would be heavily favored.

Winning the season series and having a home crowd it their backs has made the Cowboys a trendy pick this weekend after being left for dead three weeks ago. The team that couldn't win when it mattered is the preferred choice this weekend on BetUS' prop bets page, and is favored to score first in the game, and score with a touchdown.

Dallas is receiving a -135 return in the NFL Betting Lines if it scores first Saturday night, while betting on the Eagles pays out at +105.

What's most interesting about this game is that, while it is one of three rematches from Week 17, it is the only rematch between division rivals who have already played twice. Moreover, bettors get a clearer window into how this game might play out than in other rematches.

In the two regular season match-ups, both Dallas wins, the Cowboys scored first with touchdowns. In fact, the NFC East champs have scored five touchdowns in the previous two games, while the Eagles have managed just one.

But Philadelphia in no way boasts an inept offense, and the lines could be somewhat skewed because recent memory usually trumps history. Before losing the finale, the Eagles won six-straight, and scored an average of 33 points in the last four. In each of those four games, they were the team that scored first, and it was via touchdown. A Philadelphia TD to start the game this week pays out at +240.

There is also the opportunity to bet on whether either team will score a point with less than two minutes left in the first half. If yes, it's a -240 return. If no, it's +190.

In both meetings this year, Dallas scored against the Eagles after the two-minute warning. Philadelphia did it once.

The Cowboys scored four unanswered times last week, and another dominant performance like that could prove to be lucrative. If either team scores three times unanswered, BetUS will dish out a return of -180. If that doesn't happen, like in the teams' first meeting, bettors will be paid at +150.