Jacksonville Jaguars at Dallas Cowboys, Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX
Sunday, October 31, 2010, 1:00 pm EST, TV: CBS
Opening Line: Cowboys -11
Current Line: Cowboys -6.5
Opening Total: 45
Current Total: 42.5
Money Line: Cowboys -270 / Jaguars +230
Only one team has ever started the NFL season at 1-5 and still made it to the playoffs, but that challenge will be even more difficult for the Dallas Cowboys (-6.5 on the current NFL odds) without starting quarterback Tony Romo under center when they host the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4) on Sunday. Romo suffered a broken collarbone on Monday night in a 41-35 loss to the New York Giants and will miss the next six to eight weeks, giving backup Jon Kitna the opportunity to play hero and salvage the team’s season.
Kitna has not started a game since he did so in each of the first four games for the Detroit Lions during their 0-16 campaign in 2008. The 13-year veteran played fairly well in relief of Romo against the Giants, completing 16 of 33 passes for 187 yards and throwing two touchdown passes to rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant. With the possibility of Romo not even returning this year, Kitna and head coach Wade Phillips will try to help the Cowboys earn their first home win and overcome their worst start since going 1-15 in 1989.
Dallas could not capitalize enough on five New York turnovers last week to earn the team’s second victory, as an early 10-0 lead following a pair of Eli Manning interceptions was erased when the Giants went ahead 21-20 with 1:15 left in the first half. The Cowboys failed to re-take the lead with Kitna in the second half and will look to establish more of a running game here against Jacksonville to take some pressure off him moving forward.
The Jaguars have surrendered 129 yards per game on the ground and allowed 10 rushing touchdowns, which ranks as the second-most in the league. They are coming off a 42-20 loss at Kansas City last week and have given up an average of more than 35 points in three road games this season. The OVER has cashed in three of Jacksonville’s last four games.
The team has committed seven turnovers in the last two games and hopes to get starting quarterback David Garrard back after he missed the loss to the Chiefs with a concussion. Third-stringer Todd Bouman completed 18 of 34 passes for 222 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions while running back Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for 47 yards on 16 carries.
The Cowboys are 4-1 straight-up and against the spread in the last five meetings with the Jaguars, although two of those games took place during the preseason. The OVER is also 5-0 during that stretch, but the highest posted total in those games was 37.
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