Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys, Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX
Sunday, November 21, 2010, 1:00 pm EST, TV: FOX
Opening Line: Cowboys -7
Current Line: Cowboys -6.5
Opening Total: 45.5
Current Total: 46.5
Money Line: Cowboys -260 / Lions +220
The Detroit Lions (2-7) have been one of the best teams in the NFL this season in terms of covering the spread at 7-2 despite their poor straight-up record. The Dallas Cowboys have been neither with a 2-7 mark both straight-up and against the spread, although they hope to build on a huge road win against the Giants when they host the Lions on Sunday.
Dallas stunned New York with a 33-20 victory last week in the first game under new head coach Jason Garrett, who replaced Wade Phillips. Garrett saw the Cowboys play much harder after a tough week of practice, jumping out to a 26-6 lead early in the third quarter on a 71-yard catch-and-run from running back Felix Jones off a pass from quarterback Jon Kitna. They were able to stretch their lead again to 20 points at 33-13 when Kitna connected with wide receiver Miles Austin on a 24-yard touchdown pass after the Giants scored their first touchdown of the game.
Kitna has also formed a nice bond with rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant, who has scored four touchdowns in the last three games and caught three passes for 104 yards vs. New York. In addition, the veteran signal-caller – who replaced Tony Romo in Week 6 due to a season-ending shoulder injury – enjoyed his first three-touchdown game since he played for Detroit more than three years ago and finished with 327 passing yards.
The Lions have had a difficult time keeping their quarterbacks healthy since Kitna’s departure and will be starting backup Shaun Hill yet again in hopes of ending the NFL’s record for most consecutive road losses at 25. They broke their own mark last week with a 14-12 loss at Buffalo, giving the Bills their first win of the season following eight straight losses to start the year.
Hill did almost everything he could to help Detroit beat the Bills but failed to tie the game with 14 seconds remaining when a two-point conversion pass sailed out of bounds. He had hit wide receiver Calvin Johnson with a 20-yard touchdown pass prior to that play and passed for 323 yards.
Despite the 25-game road losing streak, the Lions are 3-2 ATS on the road this year and 10-13-2 ATS during the skid overall. They have also covered the last two meetings with Dallas after failing to beat the number in the previous four games in the series. The OVER is 4-1 in the last five games between the teams and has cashed in the last six games for the Cowboys overall.
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