What a way to open the Sunday Night Football schedule! Not only do we get a pair of high-profile teams, but we also have a nice lean when it comes to Same Game Parlay picks that can help build your bankroll a bit as Week 1 nears the conclusion to start the NFL season.
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[tallysight url=”https://tallysight.com/widget/offers/pro-football-network/dynamic/sportsbooks:1,2,11,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10/promos:1?id=7f0ebb0d-3e1d-42af-a05a-b3d790d3ce69″]We haven’t had a repeat champion of the NFC East since the 2003-04 Eagles … if that trend is going to continue this season, either the Dallas Cowboys or New York Giants have to overachieve substantially. So who gets the nod in the season opener?
Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants Odds
- Spread
Cowboys -3.5 - Moneyline
Cowboys -170, Giants +142 - Total
46.5
We here at Soppe HQ like to encourage responsible gaming. And that’s exactly why I’m giving you a trivia question to ask your friends, bet against them getting it right, and then use your newfound health to bet a Same Game Parlay … the worst case, you’re even!
Trivia Question: Name the player that led either team in rushing yards the last time the Giants beat the ‘Boys.
Last season, 44.4% of scores against the Giants came on the ground, the fifth-highest rate in all the land. That’s an interesting trend entering the first game of the play-caller Mike McCarthy era, a coach who admittedly wants to “run the damn ball”.
That has me thinking that we are looking at a run early and often game plan to open the season. Enter Tony Pollard (higher in our PFN consensus rankings for fantasy football than the industry), the 26-year-old back set to be fully unleashed for the first time in his career without a true threat to take usage off of his plate on this depth chart.
#PFN365's @KyleSoppePFN previews the entire fantasy football landscape for the #Cowboys. While Tony Pollard might not be Barry Sanders 2.0, the stats are eerily similar for both No. 20's as Pollard steps up to the starting role in Dallas!
📰 https://t.co/TbPun3T494 pic.twitter.com/EY416Pdurm
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365)
He faces a Giants defense that was the worst in the conference on a per-carry basis last season. The case for a big Pollard week is rather easy, especially when you consider that has scored once every 28.7 touches for his career despite rarely seeing work inside the 10-yard line.
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Let’s build on that. Last season, the Giants ranked 25th in the first quarter scoring defense, and 24th in the third quarters. Those numbers stand out a bit when you consider that they were 10th in the second quarters and 15th in the fourth quarters.
To hit an SGP, you have to tell a story and the story I’m going with is that the Giants’ defense excels at adjusting on the fly, but one that is vulnerable when the opponent has time to fully develop an offensive attack (pre-game and halftime). Combine that weakness with the projected role of Pollard and we have ourselves a good all-time TD bet and a fine first TD option.
With the Pollard wager as a starting point, the other pieces fall into place. The Cowboys are the best ATS team over the past two seasons (67.6% cover rate) and held Daniel Jones (Fantasy Football Week 1 QB Rankings) to one TD toss on 72 attempts last season.
We like the Cowboys to have success on the ground and are unsure if Mr. Dimes can lead a comeback. As we tell that story, the rest of this bet becomes clear. With Dallas controlling tempo and New York struggling out of the gate, the Cowboys winning the first half and covering the game fill out my three-leg SGP for the Sunday Night opener.
Trivia Answer: Wayne Gallman (Giants) and Andy Dalton (Cowboys)
Same Game Parlay Pick: Cowboys win first half, Cowboys cover, Pollard first TD (or anytime TD)
Odds (with first TD): +850
Odds (with any time TD): +310