The 2020 Dallas Cowboys season was one that Jerry Jones and the rest of the team staff would rather forget. Dak Prescott suffered a serious injury early in the season, Andy Dalton wasn’t very effective as his replacement, and Ezekiel Elliott’s performance did not justify the massive contract he holds. The team’s porous defense didn’t make things any easier.
This NFL betting report on the 2020 Dallas Cowboys shows how tough it was for the team to contend. The Cowboys couldn’t even meet the spread in most cases.
Poor Spread Performance
The Dallas Cowboys had the worst spread performance in the NFL in 2020. The team went 5-11 against the spread, a record slightly worse than their overall 6-10 result.
The Cowboys’ lines were better at the start when Dak Prescott was healthy. The team was a +1 underdog against the Los Angeles Rams to start the season. The Cowboys lost that game 20-17.
Even in five games, Dak still brought the 🔥
Top 🔟 Plays from 2020 🔗 https://t.co/SYwqiCOWRD pic.twitter.com/Ntt3aoFsKU
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) February 12, 2021
The Cowboys were -7.5 favorites against the New York Giants in the home game where Prescott was injured. The team won that game 37-34 as the Giants attempted a comeback.
It became clear after Prescott’s injury and Elliott’s ongoing struggles that the Cowboys were going to be underdogs. The Cowboys wouldn’t beat the spread until early November, when they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-19 in a game where they had a +14 line.
The Cowboys won three games in a row late in the season, but they were against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the San Francisco 49ers. The Cowboys still beat the spread on all three occasions. Their match with Cincinnati was the only one where they were favored. The Cowboys were -3 favorites as they defeated the Bengals 30-7.
Over/Under Reports
The over/under values for Cowboys games with Prescott were higher than those for the games with Andy Dalton or someone else at quarterback. The team’s early match with the Atlanta Falcons had an over/under of 53, while their game with the Seattle Seahawks had a total of 58.
But the sportsbooks saw that Dalton, Garrett Gilbert, and Ben DiNucci couldn’t perform as well as Prescott late in the season. The Cowboys had one total with a value of 50 or more in the second half of the season.
Even with that, the Cowboys still went 9-7 on the over/unders. Much of this came from a defense that surrendered nearly thirty points a game. The Washington Football Team almost singlehandedly went over the 46 total when the Cowboys hosted them late in the season. The WFT won that game 41-16.
Other surprises included a 31-28 win over the Minnesota Vikings that went over the 49.5 total. The Cowboys’ second game with Philadelphia ended with the Boys winning 37-17, going over the 50 total.
What to See in 2021
The Dallas Cowboys have high hopes that they will return to playoff form in 2021. Prescott will be healthy, and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is still developing.
But with linebacker Sean Lee and defensive linebacker Tyrone Crawford hitting the free agency market, there’s a chance the defense might need extra help. But no one should ignore Jerry Jones’ will to win, as the Boys might be active in free agency.
The Cowboys have a +2800 mark for winning Super Bowl LVI. The team is also favored to win the NFC East at -125. The other teams in the division will have significant questions at the quarterback position, giving the Cowboys a slight advantage over them all.
The Dallas Cowboys will do what they can to reach the playoffs in 2021. Mike McCarthy will especially want to get there, as his seat might be hotter than people assume.
Even though the NFL season is over, we will still be keeping our eye on what’s going on! Make sure you check all the latest information on our NFL hub page.
*Odds correct at time of writing.
Image by: pixy.org
