Much like the 2019 Dallas Cowboys, this weekly gambling article began with a bang. The picks against the spread jumped out to an 8-5 record last season before losing the final three, ending with a truly Jason Garrett inspired 8-8 record. The over/under picks fared only slightly better, hitting on nine of the 16 games.
This year will be better and it starts Sunday night when new head coach Mike McCarthy kicks off the second act of his career in the Los Angeles Rams’ brand new digs, SoFi Stadium. Even in a normal year it would be hard to predict this contest’s home field advantage given the popularity of the Cowboys in the area, but now it may be none at all. Due to the Covid pandemic, there will be no fans in attendance making home field advantage a true crap shoot perhaps the entirety of the 2020 season.
Historically, both coaches have been safe bets against the spread in the first game of the season. During his time with the Green Bay Packers, McCarthy went 8-5 on opening day and Rams head coach Sean McVay is 3-0 so far in his young career.
Per BetMGM, Dallas enters the game as 2.5 point favorites on the road, a situation not unfamiliar in the Dak Prescott era. Since 2016, the Cowboys are 12-7 straight up and 10-8-1 against the spread in these scenarios, while the Los Angeles have lost their last seven contests, including all three with McVay and quarterback Jared Goff. They have yet to cover.
The Verdict: The Cowboys offensive weapons prove too much for Aaron Donald and the Rams to handle. Dallas covers the three-point spread and the OVER (52) comes through in a shootout.
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