What appeared in the preseason to be a good matchup between playoff-caliber teams instead Sunday is the biggest mismatch on the board.
The decimated, winless St. Louis Rams travel to Dallas to face the high-flying, unbeaten Cowboys, with Dallas -13 on WagerWeb.com.
The Cowboys have the second-best offense in the NFL and have scored 116 points, tops in the league, as they look to go 4-0 for the first time since 1995. That year's club, led by Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman, etc., won Super Bowl XXX. In addition, every Dallas team to start 3-0 has made the playoffs.
The Cowboys enter off a 34-10 rout of the Bears at Soldier Field, which was preceded by decisive victories over the Dolphins (37-20) and Giants (45-35).
The Rams, meanwhile, have had more than their share of injuries, including a season-ender to tackle Orlando Pace (shoulder) in Week 1 and nagging ones to quarterback Marc Bulger (broken ribs) and running back Steven Jackson (groin). Jackson won't play this week, or likely for a few more, and will be replaced by rookie Brian Leonard. Because of injuries, the Rams' center is the only offensive lineman who was in their Game 1 alignment.
St. Louis is now 0-3 for the first time since losing its first five games of the 2002 season, and has scored just two touchdowns so far this year, tied for worst in the league with Kansas City.
Quarterback Marc Bulger is just one of the many guys on St. Louis' roster that can't figure out why the Rams aren't scoring."I don't know. It's not from a lack of trying," said Bulger, who has thrown for 651 yards with two TDs and three interceptions. "We're trying as hard as we can, but something needs (to be) corrected. Trying only gets you so far, and maybe in high school and grade school it works, but in the NFL no one wants to hear about that. It's about productivity and no one is getting it done."
Despite all the team's issues, receiver Isaac Bruce, during his weekly radio show, "guaranteed" a Rams victory over Dallas.
"I applaud him for putting in efforts to motivate our team," Rams coach Scott Linehan said. "Certainly, that's bulletin-board material for probably the best team in the NFC right now. It probably doesn't sound like the thing you should be doing. But it's important that we change what we're doing, how we do things, how we think, to enable us to get started."
Dallas has been rolling behind quarterback Tony Romo, who has 860 passing yards, eight TDs, and two interceptions to go along with a 111.9 passer rating. Terrell Owens has become his favorite target, with 16 catches and three touchdowns; T.O. had eight catches for 145 yards in the big win against Chicago. The Dallas running game, featuring Marion Barber III (256 rushing yards) and Julius Jones (124 rushing yards), has also been good.
St. Louis is No. 1 in the NFC against the pass, but it hasn't faced an attack as good as the Cowboys. Meanwhile, Dallas even ranks No. 1 in the NFL in turnover margin at +7, with a league-leading eight interceptions.Publish Post
Hard to argue with all these obvious numbers staring you in the face. Even coming off an emotional high with the big win over the Bears, expect the Cowboys to roll along. Check out NFL Football Betting Odds at WagerWeb Sportsbook.
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