Monday Night Football Odds: Chicago Bears at Dallas Cowboys betting preview and pick
Chicago bombed in their only road game of 2012 so far, but they have been explosive in a good way on the road on Monday Night Football. Dallas meanwhile has been a money loser on MNF and as a favorite.
The Chicago Bears have been one of the NFL’s best Monday Night Football road teams, while the Dallas Cowboys have been one of the worst.
At least from a betting standpoint.
So with the Cowboys favored by 3.5 points at home and with roughly 56 percent of the betting public on Dallas, it’s time to analyze the past performances of each team in the Monday night spotlight.
Dallas is 1-6 ATS in its last seven MNF battles. Contrast that with Chicago’s 8-3 ATS in 11 games on the road on MNF and you have compatible Week 4 betting trends.
Both are looking for their third win of the season when they meet this Monday night at Cowboys Stadium. The past two meetings of these ancient rivals has seen the road team win outright, both times as an underdog.
In home games against St. Louis and Indianapolis, Chicago has looked outstanding in relatively easy wins. But in the Bears’ one road game against Green Bay, Jay Cutler threw four interceptions and the offense managed only 168 yards of total offense.
Was the problem in that game being on the road or facing a higher quality opponent? The Bears get another tough team on the road this week to show that they are a legitimate contender.
The Dallas Cowboys are usually synonymous with great offense, but so far this season it is the defense that has led Dallas to a 2-1 SU record (1-2 ATS). Dallas is allowing just 18 points per game. But the offense is averaging just 15.7 points per game and has scored just 23 points over the last two weeks combined.
With Dallas’s defense playing well, the Cowboys could contend for the NFC East Title if they could get their offense going.
The total has gone UNDER in each of Dallas’s last five games and in seven of Chicago’s last 10 games on the road. The total has also gone UNDER in seven of the last 10 games between these two teams, and this week’s matchup projects out to be another low-scorer.
Home field advantage could play a big role in this game as Dallas is 5-2 SU over its last seven home games and Chicago is 1-4 SU in its last five games on the road. But Dallas is also just 1-5 ATS in its last six games at home, and with the Cowboys’ offense struggling and going up against a very talented Bears defense, it is hard to pass up points.
But a field goal could be all the difference between these two seemingly evenly-matched teams.
PICK: Chicago +3.5 (courtesy of PickShark.com)
