This Week 3 preseason matchup will be held on Thursday, August 25th, 2016, at 10 p.m. ET on NFL Network at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Washington.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
This will be a good matchup of strength against strength. The Cowboys struggled offensively in 2015, but that was because star quarterback Tony Romo missed the majority of the season due to injury. He is back healthy and hopes to get in tune with star receiver Dez Bryant, who was also marred by an injury last year. Dallas boasts the best offensive line in the NFL and a promising rookie running back, Ezekiel Elliott, but the Cowboys are going up arguably the NFL’s best defense. The Seahawks defenders will aim to prove that the ‘under’ on the point total is the way to go.
Quarterback Rotation
Tony Romo has been used sparingly in the preseason, sitting out the first game before attempting five passes in last week’s 41-14 thrashing of the Dolphins. Romo completed four of his attempts against Miami for 49 yards, and should see significantly more action in this showdown. He won’t play in the preseason finale, so this is Romo’s final time to get sharp during the exhibition slate, and he will have to do it against the vaunted Legion of Boom secondary, which features Seattle star cornerback Richard Sherman and star safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor.
Dallas rookie quarterback Dak Prescott has been a revelation in the preseason. He followed up a strong debut with a great second game, finishing 12-of-15 for 199 yards and two touchdowns as the Cowboys ran away from the Dolphins. He has eased any fears about the backup quarterback situation in Dallas and while he likely won’t get quite as much playing time in this one, the snaps Prescott sees should further help his development.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson didn’t have a great game last time out in an 18-11 loss to the Vikings, completing only 5-of-11 passes for 77 yards. He will now face a Dallas defense that isn’t as good and should see plenty of time, so expect for things to click a bit better. The Seattle running game will bring back Thomas Rawls to pair with Christine Michael, as an offense which sputtered last time out should score some points.
Seattle’s backup quarterbacks aren’t too exciting. Trevone Boykin was 10-of-20 for 127 yards and an interception against Minnesota, while Jake Heaps was 1-of-4 for four yards. Once Wilson leaves the game, Seattle hopes to be ahead because the offense could come to a halt.
Coaching History
Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett has a 9-14 career record in the preseason. He went 0-4 in 2014 and then 1-3 last year, so this year’s .500 record has been an improvement. With a proven quarterback under center who is prone to injuries, Garrett is much more interested in escaping the preseason without major injuries than winning games.
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has a career preseason record of 16-10. He played his first-team offense the entire first half against the Vikings, and even though they didn’t gave success, that playing time will result in wins more often than not. Carroll has gone undefeated in two previous preseasons.
Free ATS Pick
The Seahawks are at home and struggled offensively last time out, which means they will want to get things rolling in this important third preseason game. Russell Wilson should be much better than he was last time, while Rawls’ expected debut would give some added ammunition to the running game.
The Cowboys are expected to see Ezekiel Elliott in this one, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Romo took it easy even though this is the big preseason game. He is ready for the regular season and doesn’t need to take an unnecessary risks. It all adds up to a likely win for the Seahawks on their home turf in NFL wagering.
NFL Odds: Seahawks 23, Cowboys 17
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