Monday Night Football betting preview: Cowboys at Giants
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The run of dreadful Monday night matchups continues this week when the Dallas Cowboys visit the rival New York Giants, who haven't won a game since September. Still, there's value nestled in this game for those who can bring themselves to watch.
The Cowboys snapped a three-game skid with a resounding Week 7 victory over the Eagles and have had a week to prepare for New York, which hasn't beaten Dallas since 2016.
Here's everything you need to know about Monday's prime-time matchup from a betting perspective:
Line movement
The Cowboys opened as clean 7-point favorites and haven't moved off that number, even with the public hitting the road favorites in side action. The total also hasn't moved since opening at 48, which would be the second-highest total for Dallas this year and tied for third-highest for New York.
Betting trends
Dallas has won five straight games straight up and against the spread in this series, covering by an average of 9.8 points. The latest meeting saw the Cowboys hand the Giants a 35-17 smackdown in the penultimate start of the Eli Manning era.
New York has since installed quarterback Daniel Jones, who won his first two games but is 1-3 ATS since; he was sacked 16 times and amassed five fumbles in those four games, all outright losses.
The Cowboys' pass rush had arguably its best day of the season against Philly, sacking Carson Wentz three times and forcing two fumbles in a 37-10 victory. On the offensive side, Ezekiel Elliott rumbled for 111 yards on 22 carries, and he could be in for another big day against a Giants defense that ranks seventh-worst in Pro Football Focus' run defense grades.
Dallas has looked suspect at times, but mostly only against elite teams. The Cowboys went 0-2 versus the Saints and Packers by a combined 12 points, but they're 4-1 ATS with an average victory margin of 15.6 points in all other games.
The X-factor
The Giants' secondary has had a roller-coaster season, performing especially poorly against elite receiving weapons. Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup both abused New York's corners in Week 1; Mike Evans did the same in Week 3, and it was Adam Thielen's turn in Week 5.
Cooper and Gallup are back for more in Week 9, a week after Kenny Golladay torched the Giants for 123 yards and two scores. Elliott might be too busy pushing 150 yards rushing for the passing game to matter, but Dak Prescott should have no issue going through the air to re-establish a sizable lead if the score gets too close.
Pick
The Cowboys are a better team than the Giants; that much is clear. But this Dallas team's ceiling may have been obfuscated by its mediocre showings as chalk against the Saints and Packers, both of whom are now 7-1 and were overqualified underdogs in retrospect.
A loss to the underwhelming Jets is a concerning blemish on Dallas' resume, but these Cowboys have otherwise clowned bad teams all year. New York, in every sense, is a bad team. Don't get too cute here in a rivalry the 'Boys have owned and should continue to own in prime time.
C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.