The Dallas Cowboys are ready to get back on the field and get the taste of last season’s playoff defeat out of their mouths. Dallas was a juggernaut in the regular season last year, ripping off 11 straight wins at one point to cruise to the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Aaron Rodgers cruelly bounced them from the playoffs in one of the most excited postseason games in recent memory, but the Cowboys are the favorites in the NFC once again. On Saturday, they will play their second road game of the preseason, this time against the Los Angeles Rams.
This matchup in Week 1 of the preseason will take place on Saturday, August 12, 2017,
at 9 p.m. ET at L.A. Memorial Coliseum. The game will be broadcast live on NFL Network.
Week 1 NFL Preseason Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Dallas Cowboys -2.5
Los Angeles Rams +2.5
Over/Under 37.5
Odds Analysis
The Rams needed a new face to be the coach after the Jeff Fisher debacle and decided to roll the dice by signing the youngest coach in NFL history. Sean McVay was the offensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins for the last three seasons and the Rams are hoping that he can find the same success with Jared Goff that he did with Kirk Cousins.
Dallas has already played one preseason game so far this year, defeating the Arizona Cardinals 20-18 in the Hall of Fame Game. Both teams sat their superstars in what turned out to be a lackluster affair.
Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett hasn’t been great in the preseason over the course of his career. The Cowboys were just 9-16 in the preseason under Garrett before that win over the Cardinals.
Last Meeting
The Cowboys and the Rams met in the first preseason game last year and that was where the legend of Dak Prescott started. Prescott ended up getting a significant amount of work in that game after becoming the back-up to Tony Romo following the season-ending injury of Kellen Moore the week prior. He ended up completing 10 of 12 passes for 139 yards and a score against the Rams and looked like he could handle the pressure.
Conversely, No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff gave a sign of what was to come. Goff struggled immensely despite it being preseason and averaged just over four yards an attempt. He threw an incompletion and an interception before his first completion and afterwards Fisher indicated that Goff was far from ready.
Player to Watch
Cooper Kupp is already making a name for himself with the Rams. Kupp has been earning rave reviews from McVay for his performance during training camp and is listed as one of the team’s starting wide receivers heading into the game against Dallas.
Kupp doesn’t have blazing speed or amazing athletic ability, but finds ways to get open. His route running is fantastic and he doesn’t drop passes. That makes quarterbacks look his way often and he has already begun to establish a connection with Goff in training camp.
Players from the FCS rarely make an impact during their rookie season, but Kupp is no ordinary small-school product. He was the best player in Eastern Washington history and was named an All-American all four years. Kupp won almost every accolade imaginable as an Eagle and could easily be the team’s No. 1 receiver by the end of September.
Free ATS Pick
This is a great spot to take the Rams. Los Angeles is an underdog because it is facing a public team that was great last season, but Dallas has nothing to prove. The Cowboys will play their starters, but not for long, and will only go through the motions in order to make sure everyone is healthy for the season opener.
Meanwhile, the Rams have a lot to prove and McVay is going to want to establish his presence quickly due to his age and relative lack of experience. He needs a win and will make sure to get one.
Week 1 NFL Preseason Odds: Rams 30, Cowboys 17
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