The Dallas Cowboys won’t go away if they lose on Monday night. But a loss would probably tell us they’re not as good as we thought they were at the start of the season.
This is also a telling game for the Los Angeles Chargers. If they can’t beat the Cowboys, they may not be a playoff caliber team in a deep AFC.
It’s a fascinating matchup, and the points spread indicates it should be close. The Cowboys are just a 1.5-point favorite at BetMGM.
The Cowboys have started the season very well, but they are in danger of being 3-3 after six games. They were blown out against the San Francisco 49ers last week, which called into question their viability as a Super Bowl contender. A second straight loss in California would likely confirm that they are not contenders. In their two losses, their defense gave up a lot of rushing yards. Maybe Dallas is good as a favorite, capable of rushing the quarterback very well with a lead, but not good enough to physically hold up against teams capable of establishing a ground game.
It’s hard to know what to think of the 2-2 Chargers. Their four games were decided by seven points or less. They barely lost to the Miami Dolphins, which isn’t bad, and then stayed close with the Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings, and Las Vegas Raiders, three bottom-tier teams. The Chargers struggled to fend off the Raiders as Las Vegas signed rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell. However, they have the talent to get off to a good start this season.
Week 6 was strange in the NFL, without many big games. Maybe we’ll have one Monday night.
Here’s a first look at Monday’s sports betting list:
An ALCS and NLCS game on Monday
All four teams still alive in the MLB playoffs are in action Monday. The Texas Rangers picked up 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 lose two home games to start the series. The Astros are a -120 favorite.
The NLCS kicks off Monday night, with the Philadelphia Phillies hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks have their ace Zac Gallen on the mound, making it an important spot for them. Zach Wheeler opts for the Phillies, who are a pretty big -165 favorite.
The NHL has 5 games
If a good Monday night game in the NFL and two playoff baseball games aren’t enough, there are five games in the NHL. Perhaps the best matchup is the Calgary Flames versus the Washington Capitals. The Flames are a -125 road favorite.
What’s the best bet?
I don’t think you can give the Chargers even a half point for home field advantage on Monday night. If anything, it might look like Jerry World West at SoFi Stadium. This is what makes the distribution a bit strange. The Cowboys are only 1.5 point favorites. Maybe the Cowboys’ 3-1 start was a bit of a mirage, but I still consider them one of the seven or eight best teams in the NFL. The Cowboys -1.5 seem like the good side, and we’ll have to re-evaluate how good they are if the Chargers beat them.