Daily Sweat: Cowboys and Chargers facing a pretty big early season game
The Dallas Cowboys aren't going away if they lose on Monday night. But a loss would probably tell us they're not as good as we thought early in the season.
It's a telling game for the Los Angeles Chargers too. If they can't beat the Cowboys, they might not be a playoff-caliber team in a deep AFC.
It's a fascinating matchup, and the point spread indicates it should be a close one. The Cowboys are just 1.5-point favorites at BetMGM.
The Cowboys started the season very well, but they're in danger of being 3-3 after six games. They were blown out at the San Francisco 49ers last week, which put into question their viability as a Super Bowl contender. A second straight loss in California would probably confirm they're not contenders. In both of their losses their defense has given up a lot of rushing yards. Perhaps Dallas is good as a frontrunner, able to rush the quarterback very well with a lead, but not good enough to physically stand up to teams that can establish a ground game.
It's hard to know what to make of the 2-2 Chargers. All four of their games have been decided by seven or fewer points. They barely lost to the Miami Dolphins, which isn't bad, then kept it close with the Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders, three bottom-tier teams. The Chargers had a tough time putting away the Raiders when Las Vegas was starting rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell. Yet, they have the talent to get on a nice roll this season.
Week 6 was a strange one in the NFL without many great games. Maybe we'll get one on Monday night.
Here's the first look at the sports betting slate for Monday:
An ALCS and NLCS game on Monday
All four teams still alive in the MLB playoffs are in action on Monday. The Texas Rangers got a big win in Game 1 of the ALCS on Sunday night, shutting out the Houston Astros in a 2-0 victory. That makes Game 2 huge for the Astros, who don't want to drop two home games to start the series. The Astros are -120 favorites.
The NLCS gets going on Monday night, with the Philadelphia Phillies hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks have their ace Zac Gallen on the mound, making it a big spot for them. Zach Wheeler goes for the Phillies, who are fairly large -165 favorites.
NHL has 5 games
If a great Monday night NFL game and two baseball playoff games aren't enough, there are five games in the NHL. Perhaps the best of the matchups is the Calgary Flames at the Washington Capitals. The Flames are a -125 road favorite.
What's the best bet?
I don't think you can assign the Chargers even a half-point for home-field advantage on Monday night. If anything, it might feel like Jerry World West at SoFi Stadium. That's what makes the spread a little odd. The Cowboys are just 1.5-point favorites. Maybe the Cowboys' 3-1 start was a bit of a mirage, but I still buy them as one of the NFL's top seven or eight teams. The Cowboys -1.5 seems like the right side, and we'll have to reevaluate how good they are if the Chargers beat them.
