Our best bets for Week 4 of the NFL season include wins for the Cowboys, Dolphins and Seahawks.
Cowboys closer to reliving glory years than Patriots
NFL franchises with a combined total of 11 Super Bowl titles clash at AT&T Stadium where the Dallas Cowboys currently look a good deal closer to securing their sixth than the New England Patriots do their seventh.
The Cowboys are looking to rebound from a humiliating loss to the Arizona Cardinals, who were double-digit home underdogs before their upset win last week.
The Patriots are looking to build on a defense-led downing of their old foes the Jets in New York, but are unlikely to have the offensive cohesion to carry the momentum through to Week 5.
New England’s 2-4 against-the-spread (ATS) record as road underdogs over the last two seasons does not engender much confidence in the visitors staying within a touchdown.
Dallas have been a force to be reckoned with on home turf of late with a 7-3 ATS record at AT&T Stadium dating back to last season.
Miami Ground Machine can make Bills pay
The Miami Dolphins roll into Buffalo on Sunday with the NFL’s top rushing attack and that should enable them to be far more competitive than on recent visits to upstate New York.
The Dolphins have lost 11 of their last 12 games at Highmark Stadium, with their only win there since 2011 coming in overtime.
Records are there to be broken, although Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel eschewed the opportunity to kick a late field goal against the Denver Broncos to make it 73-20, which would have set a new NFL regular-season mark for the most points scored by one team.
The performance should give Miami the confidence to take the game to Buffalo, who they lost narrowly to in last season’s wild card round.
The Bills’ run defense is not as effective as last year when they were a top-6 unit and the fact that this game will be played on a relatively balmy Autumn afternoon rather than in December or January should suit the visitors.
Seahawks are still flying under the radar
The Seattle Seahawks sneaked into the playoffs last season against all the odds, but no one seems to think they will be able to repeat the trick.
Pete Carroll’s men take a two-game winning streak to MetLife Stadium on Monday night to face a New York Giants team that are 1-11 in in primetime games that Daniel Jones starts.
The matchup looks good for Seattle as the Giants have the second-worst scoring offense in the league and their offense put up 37 points in each of their wins.
RB Kenneth Walker III is always a threat while speedy wide receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett can get some separation from a Giants secondary without any genuine ball hawks.
Early indications suggest the Giants could have top rusher Saquon Barkley back in a limited capacity this week, but even a fully-fit Barkley may not be able to tip the balance in New York’s favour.
TIPS
Dallas Cowboys (-6.5) vs New England Patriots 10/11
Miami Dolphins Moneyline @ Buffalo Bills 5/4
Seattle Seahawks Moneyline @ New York Giants 20/21
