Dallas at home on Monday night....I also think 9 may be high BUT I think Romo will come out and have a superior day after being called out by nearly all the Cowboy greats. He will step it up tonight I have a feeling and we may see the "Boys" win by a lot. Just a hunch.
I'm seeing the current spread at 8 or 8.5, with most of todays bets laying the points. http://www.vegasinsider.com/ This game started at 9.5, so there has been considerable movement in the line. Typically, this is considered the "smart' money, ie the fact the line changed so much indicates a lot of money thought it was rich. I see this game as basically impossible to handicap. Carolina has a decent team on paper, but has underachieved. Their QB, Jake Daulomme, has been dreadful at times, and they have one downfield weapon, Steve Smith. They had a brutal running game last year, but it hasn't exactly come to life this year. Dallas looked ok in the first week and basically gave away last week's game to the Giants. Spotty QB play has been the issue here, as in Carolina. You have to be concerned that Romo could toss a couple of picks and Carolina could control the clock with its ground attack, making it tough for the Cowboys to cover. If they can take care of the football however, the Cowboys figure to dominate on both lines and give the 102,000 drunken fans something to cheer about in their pickup trucks on the way home. The ones that can find their way out of the parking lot, that is.
Carolina is not as bad as they have played in the first 2 games, and Dallas is always overrated. Romo puts up great stats against shit teams and shits the bed against good teams. If Dallas gets the chance they would certainly love to run it up. Since 1990, only 3 NFL teams have made the playoffs after starting 0-3. Carolina was one game away from the Super Bowl last year and will definitely not give up on this season. Delhomme is the key to the game. If he plays the way he did in the first 2 games or the NFC championship game last year, Dallas wins by 3 TD's. Delhomme 0-1 turnovers = Panthers cover Delhomme more than 1 TO = Cowboys win big
That's 2 INT's for Delhomme. --------------------------- Countdown until the Panthers owners offer a blank check to Bill Cowher has begun.
Add on a fumble. Delhomme is done as the starting QB on that team. They have a bye week to get their backup some reps with the first team. On another note- Why wasn't Steve Smith on the field for that last drive? Did he quit on his team?
Not a stellar performance by Dallas, but a sadly typical performance by Carolina. What was up with the two passes to the left in the end zone from the one yard line by Dallas? Either they had no respect for Carolina, or they were afraid to run it in? Corner Chris Gamble is overrated IMO.
Cowboys doubled Smith all night and took away Carolina's one deep threat. Carolina's run game produced 76 yards. That's not going to get it done, particularly when the defense is doubling your number one receiver. Cowboys TE Whitten had a pretty good night against the Carolina Cover 2 scheme. Cowboys had three sacks and three turnovers. It turned out the "smart' money, which had taken the points all week and compressed the line from 9.5 to 8, was dead wrong. When they don't make stupid mistakes, the Cowboys can be a difficult opponent.