Week 2 of the NFL's 2017/18 season started on Thursday night as the Houston Texans faced the Cincinnati Bengals. But one of the more compelling matchups of the week will take place this weekend when the Dallas Cowboys travel to Denver to take on the Broncos. This is a game that features two teams that are among the Super Bowl favorites at this point, making the showdown an interesting one here in the early weeks of the season. The team entering as a favorite is Dallas, despite the fact that The Cowboys will be on the road. They are slight 2-point favorites with the Bet365 sportsbook.
Prescott up against a tough defense
The battle that could emerge between Dak Prescott and the defense of the Denver Broncos promises to be an interesting aspect of the game. Prescott is considered to be one of the best quarterbacks among the young standouts in the league. Meanwhile, the Broncos have had an amazing defense in place in recent seasons. It will be interesting to see what happens when one of the best QBs in the NFL bumps into one of the strongest teams from a defensive perspective.
If there is any stalemate between the receiving of Dallas and the secondary of Denver, then Ezekiel Elliott as a rusher could be the game breaker in this contest. Denver's secondary might be strong enough to curtail the effectiveness of Prescott's passing game to a degree.
However, the rushing game is a different component, and Dallas will have to establish it. If Elliott can dart for 4 yards per carrying then it should be enough to force some defensive sags that could then open up the long-range game involving Dez Bryant.
As for what Denver and Dallas have proven so far, both teams enter Week 2 with records of 1-0.
Denver will enter the game following just a three-point win over the Chargers at home on Monday night. That they played just a few days ago will make for a short week heading into Week 2. Meanwhile, the Cowboys posted a 16-point victory over the New York Giants on Sunday, a win that has to be considered much more convincing given the spread and given the expectations surrounding New York versus the expectations surrounding the Los Angeles Chargers.
Dallas to cover the spread?
If you look further than the Dallas-offense-versus-Denver-defense component, then there's the matter of Denver's offense and Dallas' defense. Denver is a team without a standout QB, and that could be a major factor in this Week-2 game. If the Cowboys are sharp on defense, then the offense could find themselves starting in good field position more often than not. That should sway things and, by most measures, Dallas appear to be bigger favorites heading into this game than what -2 on the spread suggests. This is a contest that will be aired on FOX television on Sunday with a start time of 4:25 pm ET.
