Week 3 Monday Night Football Betting: Eagles vs. Cowboys

  • The Dallas Cowboys are -3.5 point home favorites against the Philadelphia Eagles.
  • The Cowboys have -185 odds to win the game outright on the moneyline.
  • RB Ezekiel Elliott will be a focus but the Eagles are 11th in rush yards allowed per attempt.

DALLAS - Monday Night Football features a divisional matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Cowboys are playing at home, which gives them a bit of a boost on the spread, although the shading is going the other way.

Philadelphia Eagles Vs. Dallas Cowboys Spread Odds

  • Philadelphia Eagles +3.5 (-115)
  • Dallas Cowboys -3.5 (-105)

Philadelphia is an intriguing team and it seems like they could have a legitimately good defense this year.

They held the San Francisco 49ers to 17 points and the Atlanta Falcons to six. The 49ers scored 41 points against Detroit and 28 against Green Bay, while the Falcons dropped 25 points on Tampa, and 17 on the New York Giants.

In other words, the Eagles have been the team that both of their opponents had their lowest scoring games against, by far, and NFL bettors should be aware of the possibility that their defense is actually a good one.

The Cowboys could easily be 2-0 or 0-2 at this point, but they’ve threaded the needle sitting with a record of 1-1.

Their point differential on the season is +1, after they defeated the hapless Los Angeles Chargers by three points, but lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the season opener by two.

A major question for the Cowboys is how they will utilize high-paid running back Ezekiel Elliott.

Elliott has been the bell cow in Dallas for most of his career, but his snaps are being eaten by RB Tony Pollard, who is excellent in the space.

In addition, QB Dak Prescott has been quick on the audible of running plays when he sees the opportunity to do so, which has benefitted wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper.

Ezekiel Elliott Prop Betting

  • Ezekiel Elliott to have 70+ rushing yards and DAL to Win +120
  • Ezekiel Elliott to have 85+ rushing yards and DAL to Win +152
  • Ezekiel Elliott to have 100+ rushing yards and DAL to Win +198

Elliott’s prop betting odds paint a picture of a player who is somewhat unlikely to have a big game.

The Cowboys are -185 to win the game outright and when pairing that with Elliott's 70+ rushing yards, the odds move fairly significantly, all the way to +120.

Elliott eclipsed 70 yards against the Los Angeles Chargers but only barely, running for 71 yards on 16 rushing attempts.

The Eagles appear to have a very solid defense so far this season, but they’ve allowed 120.5 rushing yards per game, 23rd in the NFL.

They’re an immense defense against the pass, but the combination of Cordarelle Patterson and Mike Davis putting up more than 100 yards on them for the Falcons, while a combination of players for the 49ers did as well.

However, much of this is a function of volume. The Eagles are 11th in the NFL  in terms of rush yards allowed per attempt, at only 3.8. Elliott has had limited rushing attempts so far, with his 16 against the Chargers being a season-high for him.

The defense appears to be legitimate, and it is perhaps Pollard, operating in the space, who could have an opportunity to excel in this matchup.

Online gambling fans are faced with a tough choice in the Cowboys backfield, as are fantasy football managers. Monday Night Football airs at 8:15 p.m. EST on ESPN.