Cowboys news: Monday night odds, playoff odds and defensive reclamation projects

For two consecutive weeks now the Dallas Cowboys enter with feelings of optimism. After winning the last two games against the Washington Commanders and New York Giants, the Cowboys managed to save their season for the time being. Their next test comes one week from today when they host the Cincinnati Bengals.

Both franchises have struggled this year but seem headed in different directions recently. So, you might be shocked to see who the early favorite is in this must-win matchup. We’ve got news on a Cowboys high draft pick shaking the “bust” label…

Cowboys early dogs in prime time game against Bengals

Believe it or not, the Cowboys are huge underdogs entering into next Monday night’s showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals. The game is a week away but early odds have Dallas as +6.5 dogs at home. Cincinnati enters this game with a worse record than Dallas at 4-8.

Yet, the oddsmakers have the Bengals favored by a touchdown early in the week. Much of that has to do with the Cowboys playing their backup quarterback and the Bengals having Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals are on a three-game losing streak while the Cowboys have won back-to-back games, but they still don’t believe in Jerry Jones’ guys at home.

This spread will likely change as we get closer to game time, especially with the news of Burrow seen limping around after Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh. Even if he plays, you’d expect that line to come down at least a point or two before these teams kick off next Monday night.

Things are looking up for former first-round pick

Defensive tackle Mazi Smith’s career had been off to a bit of a slow start and some already view him as on the path to being labeled a bust. While it’s tough to call a player a bust after less than two seasons in the league, that’s where plenty of critics have placed Smith thus far.

However, Pro Football Focus thinks Smith has been improving on a weekly basis recently according to their expert analysis. Smith’s weekly grade has improved drastically in each of Dallas’ last three games. In the Week 11 loss to Houston, Smith scored a 55.9 PFF grade. In week 12 against Washington, it improved to 69.6 and in Week 13 (Thanksgiving), 79.9.

Sometimes it takes players a little longer to get acclimated to the speed and physicality of the pro game amongst other things. Anytime a team drafts a player with their No. 1 pick in any draft, they’ve got big plans for that guy. Dallas plans on Smith being an anchor along that defensive line for the next decade if not longer.

Mike McCarthy drops facts on Cowboys playoff hopes

Two weeks ago, Dallas looked like they were done and many were calling for them to tank the rest of the season in favor of draft position. After winning their last two games the Cowboys are 5-7 and technically still alive in the NFC Wild Card race. It’s a long shot but not all hope is lost.

The Cowboys will also need help from other teams but ultimately,  were they to win out and wind up 10-7, a postseason berth would be highly probable. That’ll be a tall task with Dallas having a four percent chance of making the playoffs with five games remaining. Stranger things have happened but with Philadelphia and Washington left on the schedule, McCarthy and his men are fighting an uphill battle.

“I’ve done this a long time,” McCarthy said. “You’re really wasting your time. You’re talking about narratives that are really hypotheticals. You never talk about that until you get to 10 wins, but, if that’s the path to it (win out), then that’s the reality of where we are. We’ve done a really good job of staying focused on what’s up next. It’s one game at a time. It was important to get the win on a lot of fronts, but it was really important to get a home one. The division games are important.