News: BTB: Dallas Cowboys Open As Underdogs Against Pittsburgh Steelers

[NewsBot]

The Cowboys opened as 3-point underdogs against the Steelers for next Sunday's matchup.

After an uncontested win over the Cleveland Browns yesterday, the Cowboys will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers in the next matchup against an AFC North team on the road.

With the Cowboys at 7-1 and the 4-4 Steelers struggling mightily against the Ravens on Sunday, it's a bit of a surprise to see the Steelers open as 3-point favorites over the Cowboys, even if the game is in Pittsburgh.

Peter Childs, risk management supervisor for offshore site Sportsbook.ag, explains the line and how it has developed.

"I don’t like this spot at all for the Cowboys," he said. "This team is very fat and happy, winning seven straight and off their most dominating win of the year. This is their second of back-to-back road games, going into Steel Country, playing a very upset Steelers team. No question, the Steelers will bring 100 percent focus and effort against the Cowboys. I’m not that sure you can say the same about the Cowboys."

Dallas’ current run, and all the public support that surge has brought at the betting window, made this a tough line to set.

"I wanted to open the Steelers a 3.5-point home favorite, but was convinced that bettors would support the Cowboys at just 3, and boy did they ever," he said. "We hung 3 and got hammered with Cowboys money. We quickly went to 2.5, and they’re still hammering the Cowboys. At 2.5, we’re not going to be too quick to move the number. The Steelers are a very good team coming off a horrific effort, so I’m more than happy going into this game needing them for a decent decision."
​

As usual, keep in mind that the lines offered by the oddsmakers don't necessarily reflect the actual chances of either team winning the game, as the lines are usually set to encourage betting and to make sure that the money being bet is spread 50/50 over both teams (the key to remaining a profitable bookmaker).

As Childs explains above, and because the Cowboys are huge betting draws, these lines could easily be set to lure the millions of Cowboys fans in the betting public to get in on the action. While the current -2.5 odds reflect the bookmakers' best guess as to where the action will remain even on both sides of the bet, the bookmakers could easily adjust the line to reflect the betting public's betting pattern, especially if they continue getting "hammered with Cowboys money."

The over/under for the game is currently set at 50, so expectations are for a fairly high-scoring game. The two teams last met in 2012, when the Cowboys fought back from a 24-17 fourth-quarter deficit to win 27-24 in overtime.

The Cowboys enter the game with the fourth-ranked scoring offense and defense, while the Steelers currently sport the 16th-ranked scoring offense and the 13th-ranked scoring defense.

What are your early thoughts on next Sunday's game?

Continue reading...

 

[jobberone]

So an even game less the home field advantage. Ok. I'd say we were a 3 pt favorite but I like the underdog role.

 

[pugilist]

as an oddsmaker it's very foolish to overlook the rookie factor for Dallas

Dak and Zeke don't get caught up in "trap games" (Cleveland) and lack of effort games or any of that.. they don't know any better

 

[reddyuta]

as an oddsmaker it's very foolish to overlook the rookie factor for Dallas

Dak and Zeke don't get caught up in "trap games" (Cleveland) and lack of effort games or any of that.. they don't know any better

Agree completely.both guys are hungry and Dak is well prepared.Steelers D is not all that.we can hang with them easily but I am worried about our secondary.

 

[Fizziksman]

oddsmaker about to lose a lot of money. Gimpy Ben and porous defense.

 

[Aven8]

Nice and fat on a 7 game win streak playing the Steelers?? Yeah, ok. If anything this is like a mini SB. We shouldn't be coming in flat playing Big Ben and one of the most revered teams in football.

 

[ksadler1]

Good. I wish we were 10 point underdogs.....

 

[ElGatoGrande]

Tonight's Bills Seahawks game was a prime example of why you want home field advantage,,, some stadiums are not only extremely loud, they induce horrific officiating towards the visitors. Seattle and Pittsburgh are two of the worst. It's not just the Steelers that the Cowboys will have to beat on Sunday.

 

[theebs]

i don't care about gambling lines but the line fat and happy is interesting.

That is what the cleveland people were saying last week. its some sort of ritual when Dallas has a good team, exhaust every known cliche to discount they are good.

Nothing about this team from sunday says fat and happy...It actually showed the opposite.

The bigger fact about this game is the Steelers are just another team at this point. This is a lot like the cincy game with the exception being pittsburgh is home. The unique thing is from reading their papers and fan comments you get the sense they are ready to boo and let tomlin have it.

It would be so much fun beating pittsburgh in pittsburgh while they're overrated fans boo their overrated head coach.

 

[GoJacks]

OMG this game has a big fat doyle written all over it. Take the Cowboys and the over OR under.

Cha-ching

 

[LocimusPrime]

Cowboys gonna win 31-21. Easy payday

 

[Idgit]

Everything but the fact that we're coming off a road win last week and going on the road again suggests Dallas in this one. The streak will snap eventually, but on paper, I have a hard time looking at that PIT team from last week and thinking they've got an advantage here.

 

[drawandstrike]

Pittsburgh's D isn't even in the top 20 rankings right now at nfl.com. They rank 24th in yardage, while 2 teams we already beat, the Eagles and the Packers, are in the top 10, at #6 and #7 respectively.

Against the pass the Pitt D ranks 20th in the league while Dallas is at 14. Against the run Dallas is 4th in the league and the Steelers sit at 11th.

The Steelers haven't faced a rushing attack like Dallas' thus far this season. Against Miami [6th ranked rushing attack] and the Patriots [8th], the Steeler defense was dominated on the ground. The only win the Steelers have against a team with a good rushing attack is against the Bengals [currently ranked 7th] in week 2, and it was close, 24 to 16.

Another telling sign is that we held our own with the Eagles and got a win, whereas that same Eagles team humiliated the Steelers 34-3.

Offensively Ben Rothlisberger looks hobbled. He was ineffective most of the Ravens game and the Steelers didn't score until late in garbage time after the issue had already been decided.

Dallas' gameplan will be to run the ball, control the clock, get early scores and then strangle the Steelers with the ground game, forcing Pittsburgh into desperate chances late and likely causing a bunch of turnovers.

Dallas should win this going away, 35-17.

 

[Bullflop]

Good luck with that home field advantage that so many expect to be he case with respect to Pittsburgh. Dallas actually plays just as good or even better on the road than they do at home. Pittsburgh fans and the media still don't factor in the fact that they're not the old Steelers of days gone by. Their offense is average now and their defense is even less than that.

If the Cowboys maintain their normal intensity and focus, this game should surprise many of those who still view the Steelers as elite. They're no more than average pretenders now, whereas the Cowboys are the real deal. Expect this game to be a wake up call for those who are unwilling to see the Steelers for what they've become. The 'Boys are about to prove themselves to the world.

 

[toto1939]

I like the Cowboys being made underdogs here - gives them even more incentive to go out and prove themselves. I'm not even sure the underdog status would be justified with a healthy Big Ben - I'm hoping that the one who played this past weekend is the QB that shows up again against the Cowboys.

 

[Bullflop]

I like the Cowboys being made underdogs here - gives them even more incentive to go out and prove themselves. I'm not even sure the underdog status would be justified with a healthy Big Ben - I'm hoping that the one who played this past weekend is the QB that shows up again against the Cowboys.

I fully expect a better Ben than the one that failed so miserably last week but he'll still likely be unable to overcome a better team. We're at least the equal, both offensively and defensively, as Pittsburgh and very likely a tad better on both sides of the ball. This game will surprise many of those who would like to consider Dallas the underdog. The new and much-improved Cowboys will prevail -- just another in a long line of "real tests." Dallas ranks better on both sides of the ball and they're about to demonstrate why. This team won't let up. They're already come too far.

 

[VACowboy]

Nice and fat on a 7 game win streak playing the Steelers?? Yeah, ok. If anything this is like a mini SB. We shouldn't be coming in flat playing Big Ben and one of the most revered teams in football.

Yeah. Last week was a trap game. Since that line didn't work out, the Cowboys have become too fat and happy to hang with the team they were overlooking Cleveland for. I think oddsmakers are just having issues believing Dallas is actually good.

 

[rwalters31]

Cowboys gonna win 31-21. Easy payday

More like 28 -23

 

[knightrider94]

Fat and happy?!?! Time for David Irving to be really mad about last week's lack of playing time and make acquaintances with Big Ben.

 

[Sydla]

as an oddsmaker it's very foolish to overlook the rookie factor for Dallas

Dak and Zeke don't get caught up in "trap games" (Cleveland) and lack of effort games or any of that.. they don't know any better

LOL.

So let me get this straight. Professional oddsmakers who make tons of money doing this stuff might forget that the Cowboys have two "rookies" who might not get caught up in trap games?

The fact people are pointing out things like how the Steelers are trash defensively and Big Ben clearly isn't healthy and the linesmakers still have them as a 3 point favorite? That's telling.

This will be a tough game IMO.