The Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams will both be looking to rebound from their respective Week 1 preseason losses when they square off in their Week 2 scrimmage showdown on Saturday, live from Aloha Stadium in beautiful Hawaii. With both teams looking to challenge for a berth in Super Bowl LIV this coming season, let’s find out where the best betting value lies in this intriguing affair.
Cowboys vs Rams 2019 NFL Preseason Week 2 Odds, Preview & Pick
- When: Saturday August 17, 2019, 10:00 PM ET
- Where: Aloha Stadium, Halawa, Hawaii
- TV: NFL Network
- NFL Preseason Week 2 Odds: Rams PK / Total: 43
Weather Forecast
- Mostly Sunny: 32°C/89°F
- Humidity: 57%
- Precipitation: 10%
- Wind: 15 mph ENE
- Cloud Cover: 26%
- Type of Stadium: N/A
Why Bet On Dallas As A Pick ‘Em?
While Dak Prescott went an efficient 4 for 4 for 23 yards in his only series of action, the Cowboys never came close to beating the San Francisco 49ers in what would turn out to be a humbling 17-9 loss to their conference counterparts in Week 1. Backup quarterbacks Cooper Rush and Mike White combined to complete just 25 of 46 passes for 229 passing yards with no touchdowns while looking mostly inept.
The Cowboys played all of their starters their first series, but are still without star running back Ezekiel Elliott who is sitting out in the hopes of landing a new contract. Rookie Tony Pollard got the start and rushed for16 yards on four carries in his only drive.
“He looks confident out there,” owner Jerry Jones said. “We’ve seen him do it. We know he’s capable if he really needs to, to carry the whole load.”
Defensively, George Iloka led the Cowboys with five tackles while Jalen Jelks added one sack. Unfortunately, the Dallas’ backups fell completely apart after the NFC East division winners last season went into the half up 9-7 on the Niners.
Why Bet On The LA Rams As A Pick ‘Em?
The Rams were limited to a second quarter field goal in their 14-3 loss to Oakland last weekend, but Los Angeles sat most of their starters, including quarterback Jared Goff and running back Todd Gurley. Despite the fact that veteran backup quarterback Blake Bortles and third-stringer John Wolford both looked mostly inept in combining for 104 passing yards with touchdowns, head coach Sean McVay expressed his belief in the experienced Bortles afterward.
“He’s shown that he can be a big-time quarterback and he’s really picked up things nicely,” McVay said. “He is really unfazed by anything that doesn’t go our way. It’s very similar to what we love about Jared. Blake has been a great addition for us.”
Defensively, Troy Reeder led the Rams with eight tackles while Steven Parker and Kevin Peterson both added an interception off of veteran backup Mike Glennon in the loss.
Cowboys vs Rams NFL Preseason Week 2 Betting Trends
- Cowboys are 1-4-1 ATS in the last 6 games
- Cowboys are 8-3 SU in the last 11 games
- The total went UNDER in 12 of the Cowboys’ last 16 games on the road
- Rams are 4-2 ATS in the last 6 games
- Rams are 15-5 SU in the last 20 games
- The total went UNDER in 6 of LA Rams’ last 9 games
Expert Analysis and Prediction for Cowboys vs Rams
While the Rams looked pretty uninspired in their preseason opener last weekend, I’m expecting the reigning NFC champs to dial up a better effort in this contest to get the win and ATS cover at home. Dallas looked mostly clueless in their humbling loss to San Francisco last week and I can’t believe that backup quarterbacks Cooper Rush and Mike White are even playing in the NFL.
While I’m not real fond of the Rams’ backup quarterback situation with the awful Blake Bortles sitting in front of deeper backups Brandon Allen and John Wolford, I am expecting one of the three to have at least a decent performance as Sean McVay almost certainly tries to get in the end zone a lot harder than he did a week ago.
The Cowboys are 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 Saturday games and 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall while the Rams have gone 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games against their NFC counterparts and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. Still, the trends are not the reasons I like the Rams in Week 2. No, the combination of the Rams being at home and wanting to put on a better performance, along with the fact that Dallas has one of the most unenviable backup quarterback situations n the league, lead me to believe LA will win and cover the chalk with room to spare!
Pick: LA Rams 24 Dallas 17
