ARLINGTON
Kerry Hyder Jersey , Texas (AP) — The vibes are vastly different for a pair of 1-2 teams trying to put rough starts behind them.The Detroit Lions just secured
their first win under new coach Matt Patricia, against longtime boss Bill
Belichick and New England, in prime time no less.The Dallas Cowboys can’t fix a
dysfunctional passing game even with the first 100-yard rushing performance of
the season for star running back Ezekiel Elliott in a loss to Seattle.The vibes
won’t matter to Patricia on Sunday when he goes after his first road win, just
three weeks removed from a jolting 48-17 loss to the New York Jets at home in
his debut.“They’re all one-week seasons,” the former Patriots defensive
coordinator said. “I would say the good thing about where we’re at right now is
we’re starting to get into a little bit more season mode coming out of training
camp, getting kind of into a little bit of a schedule rhythm.”The Cowboys can’t
find anything remotely resembling a rhythm with quarterback Dak Prescott and a
new group of receivers trying to replace Jason Witten and Dez Bryant. Three
Detroit receivers — Golden Tate, Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones — have nearly
200 more yards receiving (690) than the entire Dallas offense (498).Prescott is
averaging 166 yards passing with a QB rating (74.9) exactly 30 points lower than
his NFL rookie record when he was the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in
2016.“This is about everything we’re doing offensively,” coach Jason Garrett
said. “We have to coach better. We got to play better. We got to run it better.
We got to throw it better. We got to protect better. We have to do all the
things that good offenses do.”Actually, the Cowboys figured out the running part
with Elliott’s 127 yards on 16 carries in a 24-13 loss to the Seahawks. But he
had two crucial errors, stepping out of bounds before catching what would have
been a tying touchdown pass in the first half, and fumbling when the offense was
finally on track in the fourth quarter.“We can’t have our defense on the field
the majority of those first halves,” said Elliott, who is tied with San
Francisco’s Matt Breida for the NFL rushing lead at 274 yards. “We’ve got to
come out there, get a fast start, execute, get some momentum and carry that
through the game.”Things to consider in the first meeting between the teams
since a 42-21 Dallas victory late in the 2016 season when Prescott and Elliott
were the dazzling rookie duo leading the Cowboys to an NFC-best 13 wins:ANOTHER
STAFFORD HOMECOMINGLions quarterback Matthew Stafford is set for his fourth
appearance at the home of the Cowboys, just a few miles from his Dallas high
school. Stafford won his hometown debut in 2011, rallying the Lions from 13
points down in the fourth quarter for a 34-30 win. He’s lost two straight since,
including one of the blemishes on his 0-3 playoff record. The Cowboys won a
wild-card game during the 2014 season on Tony Romo’s late touchdown pass.ROOKIE
MILESTONELeighton Vander Esch
Zach Zenner Jersey , the Cowboys’ first-round pick in April, is set for his first career start with Sean Lee sidelined by another hamstring injury. Lee was
injured in Seattle, and Vander Esch tied for the team lead with a career-high 10
tackles. “There’s a reason they drafted me in the first round, and I gotta live
up to that,” Vander Esch said.KERRYON WAYWARD SONRookie Kerryon Johnson had the
Lions’ first 100-yard rushing game in nearly five years in the 26-10 win over
the Patriots. While the Cowboys have the NFL’s No. 3 overall defense, they’ve
been more vulnerable against the run. Detroit’s previous 100-yard game was by
Reggie Bush (117) in a 40-10 win over Green Bay on Thanksgiving in 2013. “It’s
been a while,” said Johnson, who had 101 yards on 16 carries. “But I feel like
as a group, as an offense, as a team, that’s what’s expected of us. That’s doing
our job.”RECEIVER CAROUSELThe Cowboys carried seven receivers last week, with
six active against Seattle. Brice Butler could play after being inactive last
week, days after rejoining his team from the previous three seasons. Butler
signed with Arizona in free agency but was cut at the end of the preseason. If
Butler is active, there’s a chance Terrance Williams will be a healthy scratch
for the first time in his six-year career. Williams has played just 22 percent
of the snaps so far.ANSAH WATCHDetroit defensive end Ziggy Ansah, playing on the
franchise tag this season, was ruled out on Friday. Ansah has not played since
injuring a shoulder in the season-opening loss against the Jets. “He’s working
extremely hard and he’s doing everything we’re asking him to do,” Patricia said
before Ansah was ruled out. “I have the utmost respect for his work ethic and
what he’s trying to do to help us.” Sometimes it’s about the games you don’t
want to play.I know that sounds like some bizarre “Talladega Nights” fortune
cookie shenanigans but it’s a proper right in sports gambling. There are some
games that warrant too many disasters, too many unknowns, too many very dumb
Football Men who think they know everything ready to muck the whole train up.
There’s no divining these
Quandre Diggs Jersey , no matter what the man on the voicemail tells you. He’s just there gibbering about units when he ain’t got a unit to spare.However, by
obligation to this betting column I have to pick every game. I could just write
a bunch of these off, but I can’t. It brings the record down, Sam. But rest
assured, this week is full of traps, dangers and hurricanes that shouldn’t
invite anyone. Short lines, long spreads, teams imploding under their own
ambitions, benching quarterback for whatever reason, trade deadlines and the
abominable Oakland Raiders, Week 8 of the NFL season has become a minefield.
Tread carefully.Last week’s record: 8-6-0Jacksonville vs. Philadelphia UNDER
42The right and proper thing to do right now is just keep selling on the
Jaguars. There’s no reason to out-think yourself right now and believe there’s a
turnabout. It might happen. It might not! The worst thing is, I have to pick
every game, and I’d rather just stay away until this fire blows over. You know
what that means, right? Time to take a total. But really you shouldn’t bet on
this game and its two very sad teams.Cleveland +8 @ PittsburghAnother wretched,
abominable line! Eight is no good for anyone. The space between a 10 point
spread and a touchdown is no-man’s land, and should be avoided proper. But as we
determined at the start of the column, we’re interested in setting off whatever
mines and exploding corpses we can find.Detroit -2.5 vs. SeattleI generally have
distaste showing off my reasoning for Lions games picks in these columns, for
various reasons. One should never bet where there might be any heart matter. But
in this case, you should know the Lions are 5-1 against the spread so far this
season
Theo Riddick Jersey , and while I will doubt their success in the present there’s no reason to fade them against a Seahawks squad who haven’t covered on
the road all year. In a week of miserable lines, this one is tolerable to
pick.Kansas City -10 vs. DenverYep. This is what value looks like. Never mind
that the Broncos nearly knocked the Chiefs off their pedestal early, I just have
to ride high on Patrick Mahomes for the time being. This is the part of the
season where betting on the NFL becomes decidedly un-fun. Lines get set
excessively high or decidedly low, and the books have woken up to all your fun
little secrets and edges and stomped them out ruthlessly, and everything looks
like a trap.New York +7.5 @ ChicagoOh my god already just stop.Oakland +3 vs.
IndianapolisWe’re doing that thing with the Colts again, I guess. We’re just
pretending they’re good because they’ve got Andrew Luck and not bothering to
watch a second of this team play anyone, right? The Colts suck.They are the
worst secret of the NFL, a black hole where former players in suits at
roundtable desks throw platitudes into and nothing comes back out of. They are
the most lauded 2-5 team you could imagine. Rest assured, the Raiders are a
despicable, evil mess and a lousy excuse of a Hooters franchise, but they’re
playing in their own home, a west coast cry from the nap-ridden fields of
Indianapolis. Ignore the Amari Cooper trade; it won’t have an immediate impact
on what the Raiders do.Baltimore -2 @ CarolinaIs it me or have the Ravens played
a NFC opponent nearly every week in October? I know that’s not right because I
have the internet right in front of me and I could very well easily look up
their schedule, but it just feels like it, okay? Sometimes your feelings are
better than any facts. Go eat turpentine, Ben Shapiro.All the restMiami +7.5 @
HoustonCincinnati -4 vs. Tampa BayArizona vs. San Francisco OVER 42Los Angeles
-9.5 vs. Green BayMinnesota vs. New Orleans UNDER 56.5Washington +1 @ New
YorkBuffalo vs. New England OVER 44.5
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