Cowboys vs. Redskins Prediction 2019: 3 Reasons Dallas Covers The Spread In Washington In Week 2

The betting line for Sunday’s game between two NFC East rivals keeps rising in favor of the Dallas Cowboys. The defending division champs are now six-point favorites on the road against the Washington Redskins, according to the latest point spread at OddsShark.

Dallas is a heavy road favorite with good reason. The Cowboys have the talent to be one of the NFC’s top contenders, while the Redskins could be headed for a high pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Cowboys blew out the New York Giants in Week 1, cruising to a 35-17 victory at home that wasn’t even as close as the score might indicate. The Redskins blew a 17-0 second-quarter lead, losing on the road to the Philadelphia Eagles 32-27 in the 2019 opener.

Here are three reasons why the Cowboys will cover the spread against the Redskins in Week 2:

A big day for the Cowboys’ offense

Sure, the Giants have a very bad defense, but it’s not an overreaction to believe Week 1 was evidence that the Cowboys will have one of the NFL’s top offenses. All the pieces are in place for Dallas: a superstar running back, a legitimate No.1 wide receiver, an efficient quarterback and an elite offensive line that’s finally healthy. Add in the fact that new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore could be a significant upgrade over Scott Linehan and you’ve got an offense that’s going to score a ton of points.

Washington is not going to have a very good defense in 2019. The Redskins let the Eagles to score 32 points in the final three quarters last week. Washington has ranked in the bottom half of the league in opponents’ yards per play in seven straight seasons.

The Redskins’ offense will regress

Washington’s offense looked pretty good in the opener, scoring 27 points against a good Philadelphia defense. The unit is likely to have a worse performance in Week 2.

Case Keenum’s 380 passing yards were an outlier, considering he didn’t reach that number once in 2018. Keenum had a 117.6 passer rating in Week 1 after failing to record a triple-digit passer rating at all last season. He was fortunate to hit an open Terry McLaurin for a 69-yard bomb, while Vernon Davis broke a tackle for a 48-yard touchdown that came out of nowhere. Running back Derrius Guice led the Redskins in rushing attempts but has since landed on injured reserve

Dallas owns Washington

This hasn’t been much of a rivalry of late. The Cowboys have beaten the Redskins in seven of their last nine meetings, going 6-3 against the spread, per OddsShark. Dallas has won five of their last six games in Washington. Dak Prescott is 5-1 as a starter against the Redskins.

Washington probably has their worst team since Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott entered the league in 2016. This might be Dallas’ best chance to win the Super Bowl since drafting the stars, considering the Pro-Bowl caliber players they have on both sides of the ball. Winning by a touchdown in a place where they've had a lot of recent success shouldn't be very difficult for Dallas.