NFL Week 2 Odds – Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Chargers
Their Week 1 loss looked all too familiar for Dallas Cowboys fans. With Dak Prescott back running the show the offense clicked. However, the defense had a bad night against the defending Super Bowl champs. The schedule lightens up for the Boys, who don’t face a 2020 playoff team until Week 11. But that doesn’t mean things will be easy. The Los Angeles Chargers started the season with a win at Washington and could be a playoff contender in the AFC with Justin Herbert at the helm. Oddsmakers expect offense in this one with the total wagered up to 55, the second-highest on the Week 2 betting board.
Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Chargers
Date and Time: Sunday, September 19, 2021, 4:25 p.m. ET
Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Opening NFL Odds: Los Angeles -3, O/U 55
Cowboys at Chargers TV Coverage: CBS
Odds Analysis
If a loss can be encouraging I think the Cowboys experienced that last week. Playing as a 10-point road dog against the defending champs, the Boys lost 31-29 on a last second field goal. They get some extra time to prepare for the Chargers this week and also have a few days to lament what could have been. The Cowboys are now 6-11 SU and ATS under Mike McCarthy and they’re catching 3-points for Sunday’s tilt. The win in Washington has inspired bettors with the Bolts being wagered from -2 on the opening line to a field goal favorite. The OVER also got pounded with the total spiking to 55 after hitting the board at 52.
Dallas Cowboys
You could say it was a wasted opportunity for the Cowboys. Prescott threw for 403 yards and the defense came away with four takeaways, but in the end it was another defeat. Clinging to a 1-point lead with less than two minutes to play, the Cowboys gave Tom Brady the ball. A few plays later a field goal cemented their fate. That game-ending kick didn’t cost them the game, though. There were far too many mistakes, and they are correctable.
Scoring only one touchdown in four red zone drives proved costly. That was an area the team struggled in last year converting just 50 percent of their chances to rank 29th. And it should be better with Prescott back and his assortment of weapons. Just having Dak back was a boost and he looked good after his ankle injury last season. I guess he was well rested because he threw 58 passes completing 42 with three touchdowns. He even ran the ball four times.
Converting chances inside the opponents 20 might be more challenging this week with Michael Gallup out with a calf injury. Starting right tackle La’el Collins will miss the next five games due to suspension. The defense also thinned out with Demarcus Lawrence sustaining a foot injury in practice this week and Randy Gregory still on the COVID list. The Cowboys could be without their two best pass rushers further hanging a questionable secondary out to dry.
Los Angeles Chargers
After so many blown leads and close losses the last few seasons, the Chargers looked like a different team in their season-opening win over the team formerly known as the Redskins. It’s only one game and the Bolts have plenty of chances to cough up leads, but for one week at least there was some positive juju. With Justin Herbert leading the offense, the Bolts converted four third-down chances on their last drive, extinguishing the final six minutes, 43 seconds off the clock to avoid any late-game theatrics.
And they looked comfortable on third down against one of last season’s top defenses. The Chargers converted a whopping 73.7 percent of their chances (14 of 19) and amassed 424 total yards. They probably should’ve had more points the way they dominated, but scoring two touchdowns on five red zone chances hurt that number. They settled for two field goals and had a turnover on three non-TD opportunities.
Still, the offense looked good with Herbert spreading the ball around. Eight different players had a catch with Keenan Allen the top dog with nine receptions for 100 yards. Mike Williams had eight catches for 82 yards and the game-winning score early in the final quarter. The defense will have to tighten up against Prescott after allowing Washington backup Taylor Heinicke to complete 11 of 15 passes for 122 yards.
Bet Cowboys at Chargers at BookMaker.eu
There isn’t much history between the teams with only 11 meetings since the 1970 merger. The Chargers won the most recent outing in 2017 long before Prescott and Herbert were around. This game has the potential for a lot of points with two star quarterbacks and a suspect Dallas defense. The Boys pounded away at a good Tampa D last week and they will do the same, though I expect more Ezekiel Elliott. Keeping the ball out of Herbert’s hands will allow the Boys to escape with a big road victory.
NFL Score Prediction: Cowboys 34, Chargers 27
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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com
