News: BR: Dallas Cowboys vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: Betting Odds, Analysis and NFL Pick

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The Dallas Cowboys hope to have quarterback Tony Romo available when they travel to London for a meeting with the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday. Romo missed last week’s 28-17 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals due to a back injury, and his status will be extremely important to bettors who like backing the Cowboys. Without him, there is a huge drop-off to backup Brandon Weeden, who started last week’s game.



Point spread: Cowboys opened as 7.5-point favorites; the total was 45 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).



NFL pick, via Odds Shark computer: 25.9-9.6 Cowboys



Why the Cowboys can cover the spread

With or without Romo, Dallas is still playing a Jacksonville team that has struggled mightily yet again this season despite covering the spread here and there. The Jaguars are 1-4 against the spread in their last five games before a bye, and the Cowboys are also off next week, so this becomes a big game for them to go out and try to keep pace with the Philadelphia Eagles atop the NFC East.

Jacksonville will have no answer to Dallas running back DeMarco Murray, who had his NFL record streak of 100-yard games to start the season snapped in last week’s loss. The Jaguars just surrendered 154 yards and two touchdowns to Cincinnati Bengals rookie Jeremy Hill in a 33-23 loss last week, so Murray must be licking his chops to face this defense right now.



Why the Jaguars can cover the spread

Jacksonville has been able to hang with most opponents this season, the main problem has been how the team has finished games. After going down 26-10 against the Bengals early in the fourth quarter last week, the Jaguars actually battled back and pulled within 26-23 with 8:13 remaining, before giving up a touchdown to Hill just nine seconds later.

Jacksonville still got a push there and at some sportsbooks even a win depending on when bettors made their wagers. In their last four games, the only one the Jaguars really did not have a chance in was a 27-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins. That is also the lone game they have not covered over the past month. If Weeden starts again for the Cowboys, Jacksonville will not just have a chance to cover but also win.



Smart Pick

Smart bettors will keep tabs on Romo, who is worth a lot to the betting line in a game like this. Weeden simply makes too many mistakes to warrant backing Dallas in this spot. Even though Jacksonville has typically struggled prior to an off week, the Cowboys have been even worse with a 1-5 ATS mark in their past six games before a bye.

Dallas does not want to suffer any more injuries and needs to get healthy in order to make a run at the NFC East title after the bye. For this reason, expect a conservative approach from both teams in what should be a low-scoring game and consider a play on the under. Also, if the line is much more than a field goal sans Romo, take the Jaguars, too.



Betting Trends

  • The total has gone over in four of Dallas's last five games when playing Jacksonville
  • Jacksonville is 2-8-2 ATS in its last 12 games



Note: All spread and odds data powered by Odds Shark - follow us on Twitter for injury updates and line move updates.

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