Cowboys seek to calm critics against Tom Brady and Bucs

[ad_1]

If you just started paying attention to this NFL season a week ago, you’d think the Dallas Cowboys had a horrible season.

Since a loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 18, which was ugly but ultimately a meaningless game for Dallas, we’ve heard about how Dak Prescott has to leave, Mike McCarthy is going to get fired and it’s all broken with the Cowboys. No team overreacts like the Cowboys, and last week was something else.

There’s one team that had a losing season and limped into the playoffs in Monday night’s playoff game, and it wasn’t the Cowboys. Dallas takes on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 8-9 Monday night, and the Cowboys are a fairly short 2.5-point favorite at BetMGM.

With all the negative energy the Cowboys have, it’s easy to forget how good they’ve been this season. Dallas went 12-5. The defense was one of the best in the NFL. The offense had some issues, particularly with Prescott’s interceptions, but was still fourth in the league in points scored despite Prescott missing five games. Prior to Week 18, Dallas had won six of seven, with the only loss coming in overtime on the road to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but you would never have guessed based on all the recent reviews.

The team that probably deserves criticism is the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay has been mediocre, at best, in all areas all season. If it hadn’t been for Tom Brady’s late-game miracles, the Buccaneers wouldn’t be in the playoffs. But because the Buccaneers have Brady and a few other stars, there’s been a prevailing idea that they’d turn him on early in the playoffs. This ignores four months of evidence that they are a bad team.

I’ll be happy to take Dallas with less than a basket. You might not know it if you watch various shows, but the Cowboys were by far the best team this season. A defeat in the final does not change anything. And if the Cowboys are eliminated Monday night, it will be a loud and long offseason.

The story continues

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) has been throwing too many interceptions lately. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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

A big MLK Day NBA program

The NBA has its usual one-day game schedule for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It starts with the Boston Celtics (-8.5) at the Charlotte Hornets at 1:00 p.m. EST and goes through a 10:30 p.m. EST spike between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers (-5.5) . There are nine games on Monday.

The most compelling game may end up being the suddenly hot Miami Heat (-1.5) at the Atlanta Hawks, a game between two teams that have been a little underwhelming this season and want to get out of the playoff bubble. The Heat are looking pretty good in this game. There’s also the New York Knicks, a 2.5-point home favorite, against the Toronto Raptors. The Knicks are in their second game in a row, but they’ve been playing well lately and they’re not scoring too many points at home.

Three top 25 teams in action

There’s a good mid-afternoon college hoops game as No. 3 Purdue plays Michigan State. Purdue is favored by 3.5. Purdue is 16-1, but it’s still tough to win on the road. Other top-25 games are No. 22 College of Charleston as a 16.5-point favorite over William and Mary, and No. 16 Miami (Florida) favored by 7.5 over Syracuse.

The NHL has 11 games

The NHL also has a big Monday, with five of the 11 games coming by mid-afternoon. The best game might be the surprising Seattle Kraken, which is 26-12-4, hosting the 27-13-1 Tampa Bay Lightning. Seattle is a +115 underdog at home.

What is the best bet?

If Dallas loses Monday night, they deserve all the scorn they will receive this offseason. The Cowboys have been a much better team this season.

[ad_2]