Can the Cowboys Break Their Losing Streak in Monday Night’s Unexpected Showdown?

Primetime football used to be a circus of predictable snoozers and one-trick ponies — remember when it felt like the Steelers were haunting every Monday night? Well, despite some fresh air brought in by Amazon’s Thursday Night Football, this week’s lineup still leaves me scratching my head. Take tonight’s Cowboys-Raiders showdown at 8:15 ET: two teams barely holding it together, but both stubborn enough to keep you guessing. The Cowboys, strangely bifurcated between home dominance and road woes, see their star Dak Prescott’s MVP buzz fizzle the minute they leave Dallas. Meanwhile, the Raiders? Well, they’re trudging through a bridge year with Geno Smith under center, desperately hoping their young talent can emerge before the season’s out. If defense truly wins championships, this game might just be an exhibition in why that old adage feels like folklore. Will the Cowboys assert control with a fresh, well-rested squad, or do the Raiders have enough spark to stun their critics? Betting here feels like navigating a fog—should you lean in or step back? The only certainty: this clash won’t be your typical primetime gem. LEARN MORE

Cowboys vs. Raiders, 8:15 ET

A few years ago I complained about virtually every week of primetime games. It seemed like the Steelers were on one of the games every week, and the majority of matchups, especially Monday Night Football were absolute disasters. The past two years, especially with Amazon getting Thursday Night Football have definitely improved, but this week has been a rough one as we had the Jets and Patriots on Thursday, and now the Cowboys and Raiders on Monday Night.

The Cowboys are one of the more odd teams in football. If they were 5-3-1 for the season, Dak Prescott probably would be getting MVP buzz or potentially even Offensive Player of the Year talk. The reality is the team is 3-5-1 and they are 1-4 away from Dallas. This team has struggled mightily on both sides of the ball after leaving their homes. Their defense is terrible overall allowing 30.2 points per game on the road and even more at home. Their offense does see a big drop on the road. In home games they are averaging 35.3 points per game, but on the road, they are averaging 24.4 points per game. That’s an insane reduction in production. Prescott has played okay on the road, but four of his six interceptions have come in road games. As you can guess the defense is terrible at stopping the run and the pass. They are allowing 143 rushing yards per game and 254 passing yards. That’s probably the bigger issue. On the road it is tough to keep fighting back, but at home, they have the crowd behind them. It’s a guess, but it at least makes some sense. The Raiders have been pretty good against the run, and decent against the pass, but I’m not sure they are good enough to shut down the Dallas offense.

The Raiders are one of the worst teams in football, but if you squint really hard, it seems like they are building something good. They don’t have their quarterback of the future, instead opting this year to have a bridge year with Geno Smith. Kenny Pickett and Aiden O’Connell (on the IR) are likely not the answer either. They need someone to be drafted. Tre Tucker and Tyler Lockett are decent receivers, and Brock Bowers has the potential (and might already be) to be the best Tight End in football. Ashon Jeanty hasn’t had a great rookie season, but he shouldn’t be completely to blame as the passing game has shown no real threat, meaning that Jeanty is a bigger focus than he could be if they had better production under center. For reference, Smith has 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He only has 204.9 yards per game, and has been sacked 27 times. Maybe I should give some blame to the line and not just Smith. If Smith can’t get the air game going against Dallas, it just won’t happen.

In games where you have two teams that can’t stop a cold, you would think it makes sense to take the over. I’m not sure that they both run up and down the field, though. I don’t trust the Raiders at all, and the Cowboys have been bad on the road. The Cowboys do have more time to prepare for this game, though. They had a bye week and come into this game fresh. The Raiders do have extra time to prepare, and have been competitive in their past two games. The offensive talent does make me think the Cowboys win this game, but honestly a teaser with a game for next week probably makes even more sense. Give me the Cowboys -3.5, but I wouldn’t hesitate to take the Raiders +10.5 or 9.5 with another team. I also am not sure the franchise actually wants the Raiders to win.

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024