Getty The Cowboys are a slight favorite over the Bengals in their preseason matchup
The Dallas Cowboys host the Cincinnati Bengals in preseason action on Saturday night. According to OddsShark, the Cowboys are favored by three points, and the over-under is set at 41.5.
Dallas is looking for its first preseason win after blowing a lead late to the 49ers in their opening game. Cincinnati was victorious in their opener against the Bears. A.J. Green had a solid outing with two catches for 48 yards. The Bengals are hoping to get big-time production this season from running back Joe Mixon and wide receiver John Ross, as both players look to take the next step in their NFL careers.
For the Cowboys, the offense is still a work in progress as the team looks to replace Dez Bryant. Michael Gallup had a promising start last week coming up with a couple big catches against the Niners. The rookie receiver put up monster numbers at Colorado State. His last college season he had 1,418 yards and seven touchdowns. The Cowboys are expecting a full season of Ezekiel Elliott after the running back was suspended last year for a good portion of Dallas’ stretch run.
The Cowboys also signed Tavon Austin this off-season, but the speedy wideout has been dealing with hamstring issues. His status for tonight’s game is uncertain. Jason Garrett spoke with USA Today about what he has seen from Austin in his limited reps.
“[Austin’s] done a really nice job, again he’s one of those guys who’s worked very hard to get himself right,” Garrett noted to USA Today. “And get himself to a point where he has a good understanding of what we’re doing”
Here’s a look at my prediction for tonight’s game.
Bengals vs. Cowboys Prediction
The OddsShark computer is bullish on the Cowboys chances against the Bengals. The computer projects a 31.4-11.3 Dallas victory. The OddsShark computer is taking the Cowboys to cover the spread, and the over on the point total.
NFL preseason games are admittedly difficult to predict. Often times, we do not know how much each team is going to play their starters until the game actually starts. For team’s second preseason game, fans can typically expect the starters to play anywhere from a quarter to a half of football before they turn to the reserves. Keep this in mind if you are planning to wager on the game.
Given what we saw from the Cowboys rookies in the first game, Dallas appears to be the safer pick of the two teams. Bo Scarbrough along with Gallup made plays that helped give the Cowboys the lead for the majority of their first game. With the Cowboys playing in front of their home crowd, I like Dallas to come away with the win, and cover the spread.
Heavy’s Prediction: Cowboys 27 Bengals 20. Cowboys Cover -3 Spread. Over on the Point Total.