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NFL betting: No surprise, the betting public loves Dallas

Pete Truszkowski
·3 min read
2

First place in the NFC East is up for grabs on Monday night when the Dallas Cowboys host the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys currently sit as 3-point favorites at BetMGM in the final game of Week 3. Which side is the betting public backing? And what other action have we seen across the market?

No surprise, the public loves the Cowboys

You don't get the nickname "America's Team" for no reason. The Dallas Cowboys are the most popular team in the NFL, and that is on full display prior to Monday night.

As of Monday morning, 74% of the tickets and 79% of the betting handle is on Dallas to cover as a 3-point favorite. Despite the public heavily backing Dallas, the line has moved in the opposite direction. The Cowboys opened as 3.5-point favorites, but the hook is now gone.

Dallas is 2-0 against the spread this season, but they were an underdog in both of those affairs. They nearly pulled off an upset win as a 9-point underdog against Tampa Bay in Week 1, losing by two points. Last week, the Cowboys did pull off the outright upset when they beat the Los Angeles Chargers as 3.5-point underdogs.

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 19: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys looks to pass during a 20-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on September 19, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys looks to pass against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2. (Harry How/Getty Images)

The Eagles are an underdog for a third straight week. They dominated the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 despite being 3.5-point underdogs. In Week 2, they played a close game but failed to cover the spread in a loss against the San Francisco 49ers.

Total on the move

After a late barrage of points in Green Bay's win over San Francisco on Sunday night, overs have basically been free money in prime-time slots to open the NFL season. When combining games played on Thursday, Sunday and Monday nights, overs are 7-1. The only loss came this past Thursday, but who expected anything different from Davis Mills?

The total for Monday night's game opened at 49.5 points, but it currently sits at the key number of 51. Tickets are evenly split on the total, with 51% of them on the over. However, 65% of the money wagered is on this game to go over the point total. It seems larger and more respected wagers expect points again in a primetime slot.

Dallas is 1-1 on the total this season while both Eagles games have gone comfortably under the total.

CeeDee Lamb a popular prop bet

CeeDee Lamb is becoming a household name across the NFL. The second year receiver out of Oklahoma had a solid rookie season and he appears to have taken another step forward in his sophomore season. Through two games, Lamb has been targeted 24 times, catching 15 balls for 185 yards and a score.

With Michael Gallup injured and Amari Cooper banged up, it's no surprise to see Lamb as a popular bet on Monday night in the prop market. Currently at BetMGM, Lamb is featured in two of the most popular prob bets.

Lamb is currently listed at +800 to score the first touchdown in the game. Ezekiel Elliott is the favorite to kick off the scoring at +550 while teammate Amari Cooper's odds sit at +750. Miles Sanders has the best odds of any Eagles' player to score the first touchdown at 10-to-1.

First touchdown scorer isn't the only bet getting a lot of action for Lamb. Lamb is +500 to record a reception of longer than 50 yards.

Through two games, Lamb's longest reception is 34 yards. Last year, he had just one reception of over 50 yards, but remember that he played a lot of that season without a real starting quarterback. If you think Lamb can break a big play against the Eagles, +500 offers a juicy potential payday.