The Week 2 meeting between the Bengals and Cowboys was originally projected to be a close battle between two of the NFL’s top offenses.
Prior to Week 1, Cincinnati could be found as a 1.5-point underdog for its trip to Dallas. Then, Dak Prescott fractured his thumb.
Now, the Bengals, the defending AFC champs, are seven-point favorites at SI Sportsbook against the Cowboys in one of the more lopsided Week 2 spreads.
A season-opening 19-3 loss on Sunday Night Football against the Buccaneers in which Dallas struggled to move the ball did not inspire confidence in the team’s ability to weather Prescott’s absence. He left the game in the fourth quarter after his hand hit Shaquil Barrett’s helmet and is expected to miss six to eight weeks.
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Cooper Rush replaced Prescott and completed 7-of-13 passes for 64 yards in his stead. Rush was elevated from the team’s practice squad prior to the game.
It was a rough showing for Dallas’ offense all around—Prescott tossed an interception and no touchdowns, Running back Ezekiel Elliott was held to 52 yards on the ground and top receiver CeeDee Lamb caught just two passes for 29 yards.
The Bengals also dropped their season opener, a wild, 23-20, overtime loss at home to the Steelers. Joe Burrow gave the ball away five times but Cincinnati managed to force overtime. The teams traded missed field goals in the extra period before Chris Boswell nailed the game-winner from 53 yards out as time expired.
Neither Cincinnati nor Dallas covered Week 1. The Bengals were seven-point home favorites, while the Cowboys failed to cover despite getting 2.5 points at home.
The over/under for the game is set at 43.5 points, which normally would be quite low for two of the highest-scoring offenses in 2021. But after they combined for 23 points Sunday—and the Cowboys defense held Tom Brady’s Buccaneers to just 19 points—this seemingly conservative total makes more sense.
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