Saints Would Love to Exploit Cowboys’ Defensive Woes
By Charles Jay
For the New Orleans Saints, it has been kind of a tough season so far, as they lost their first two games before finally putting one in the win column last week. However, there are still a lot of things to work on offensively, and maybe a defense like that of the Dallas Cowboys is exactly what they need to see. The Saints have not always been a great proposition when they travel, but they will be the favorite in the football odds as they go to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX for the Sunday night game which begins at 8:30 PM ET on NBC.
The way Dallas started out its season was disastrous. As it turns out, quarterback Tony Romo, who had back surgery late last year and was used very lightly in the pre-season schedule, was rusty, and the San Francisco 49ers took advantage of his mistakes early, building a 28-3 halftime lead which was too much for the Cowboys to overcome. To Dallas’ credit, they came back the next week and scored a solid victory over the Tennessee Titans. In last week’s game, it looked like disaster all over again, as Romo threw a pick-six and the Cowboys spotted the St. Louis Rams a 21-0 lead. But they fought back gamely, registering the largest come back in regulation time in franchise history for a 34-31 win.
In the football betting lines that have been established at BetAnySports on this Sunday night game, the Saints are favored by a field-goal as the visitor:
New Orleans Saints -3
Dallas Cowboys +3
Over 53 Points -110
Under 53 Points -110
Maybe the Saints caught a break when Minnesota quarterback Matt Cassel got knocked out of last week’s game in the second quarter. The Vikings were already playing without running back Adrian Peterson. Rookie Teddy Bridgewater came in the game and made a few things happen, but he is still on a learning curve.
The Saints got the cover against the football odds, but they didn’t look all that impressive on offense. But Drew Brees was accurate (27 of 35) and avoided mistakes, and one must admit that Minnesota’s defense, which is being handled by head coach Mike Zimmer, is more formidable than the unit they will face on Sunday night.
BetAnySports customers know that the Cowboys are short on personnel as far as their stop unit is concerned, and that has not been exploited to the extent that it could be. Opponents are converting on almost 49% of their third down chances, and that would seem made to order for New Orleans, which has been an astounding 61.5% in that respect, even with a 1-2 record.
The challenge for Sean Payton’s attack is getting into favorable third down situations. Mark Ingram got off to a nice start, and is averaging six yards an attempt, but he is out with his thumb injury. Pierre Thomas is the guy they will turn to primarily, but football bettors know that Brees is a master at the possession passing game, and there might not be anyone on hand in Dallas who can control Jimmy Graham (24 receptions, 254 yards).
This is another of those games where New Orleans defensive coordinator Rob Ryan faces his most recent former employer. Last year he had great success, with Dallas moving for just 193 yards in a titanic 49-17 blowout in the Superdome. Sure it’s revenge, but we are expecting the air to be filled with footballs, which means a definite assault in the total, which is 53 points at BetAnySports, the place where you can get more for your money with “reduced juice” options. Check it out!