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The Daily Sweat: Is anyone ready to trust the Cowboys as favorites vs. Eagles?

The Dallas Cowboys were favorites in eight games last season, Mike McCarthy's first as head coach. They failed to cover seven times.

The Cowboys get more attention than any other NFL team, and that spills over into the betting world too. Cowboys lines generally skew a little higher. Oddsmakers know how many Cowboys fans there are, and sometimes there's a tax included in betting them. That's one reason they typically aren't a great bet as favorites.

The Cowboys are favored for the first time in 2021 on Monday night. They're -3 against the Philadelphia Eagles at BetMGM. There has already been some skepticism about the Cowboys' ability to cover that line.

Dallas has gone from a 4-point favorite to 3.5 and then 3. That means there is enough action on the Eagles to shift the line, moving it to the key number of 3. Bettors have apparently been burned by the Cowboys too often when they're giving points.

The Eagles are 1-1 and have been inconsistent on offense ever since Jalen Hurts took over as their starter. That makes it scary to back the Eagles. If Hurts is off, the Eagles aren't going to win many games. But what has been pretty good so far is the Eagles defense. The Philadelphia defense played well in a loss to the San Francisco 49ers last week. Maybe that unit can keep the Eagles in the game against a Cowboys offense that, despite a nice win at the Los Angeles Chargers last week, still is dealing with some key injuries.

The Eagles getting 3.5 points seems like the right side. Home-field advantage doesn't mean much anymore. The Cowboys aren't good as favorites and they have some injury issues. The Eagles are capable of winning. Bettors already have moved the line that way, and it might keep moving unless Cowboys fans decide to change it back.

Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys host the Eagles on Monday night. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys host the Eagles on Monday night. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Here's a first look at the sports betting slate for Monday:

Any other Cowboys-Eagles bets stand out?

Most of my other bets will revolve around the idea that the Philadelphia defense might be a bit underrated and can keep the team in the game. I'll take the under on 51 points. Ezekiel Elliott's rushing yardage total is 62.5 and I'll go under, considering how much work Tony Pollard is getting (over 29.5 rushing yards for him is enticing). Also unders on Dak Prescott 300.5 passing yards and CeeDee Lamb 80.5 receiving yards.

Also, to keep the negative vibe going, under on Jalen Reagor 36.5 receiving yards. He's coming off a 5-yard game.

Anything else to bet on?

The final Monday of the regular season is a light one. There are five games and only Oakland at Seattle kind of matters. Those two teams are on the fringes of the AL wild-card race and need to win to stay alive in the final week. Both teams are -110 odds at BetMGM. Nobody really cares because we'll all be watching football.

There is a Monday afternoon English Premier League match, with surprising Brighton & Hove facing Crystal Palace. Brighton is +145, with Crystal Palace at +200 and the draw at +220. Yahoo Sportsbook's Nick Bromberg likes Brighton.

Who cashed tickets this weekend?

The most notable result of the college football weekend might have been when Clemson, usually a national title contender, lost straight up to N.C. State as 10.5-point favorites. For bettors, the best result of the weekend was Notre Dame's win. The Irish at +6.5 was the most-bet side of the college football weekend, and they beat Wisconsin straight up.

Many of the most popular bets in the NFL lost. The most-bet sides, in terms of tickets, were Buccaneers -1, Chiefs -7 and Browns -7.5. Only the Browns cashed. In terms of money bet, the most popular bets were Steelers -2.5, Broncos -10 and Patriots -2.5. Those were also 1-2, with Denver covering easily.

What's the best bet?

Ah, let's go for it: Eagles moneyline, +150.