Blazing Cowboys Go For 7th Straight Win on Monday Night Football

Dallas Opened as an 8-point Favorite Against Washington.

The NFL ends Week 8 with an NFC East matchup in Dallas as the Cowboys (6-1) host the Washington Redskins (2-5) on Monday Night Football. The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook opened the game Dallas -8 with a total of 49.5. The Cowboys have since moved to -9 (click here to check latest NFL odds).

 The Redskins come into this game off a 19-17 home win over the Tennessee Titans. They had lost their previous four games and put third-string quarterback Colt McCoy in to rally the team late for the win. The Kirk Cousins experiment did not go as planned, and he has been relegated again to backup status. Washington fans can't wait for Robert Griffin III to get back on the field.

McCoy will get the start against Dallas, and he will need to play as well as he did in the Titans game if Washington is going to pull off the upset. McCoy completed 91 percent of his passes, going 11-of-12 for 128 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions against Tennessee. Bettors should not expect that level of efficiency, but no turnovers again would definitely help give the team a chance. The Redskins will certainly rely on Alfred Morris and the running game to start and see if Dallas can stop it. If not, expect a heavy dose of Morris all night long, which will set up play-action passes for McCoy downfield to his wide receivers, including Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson.

The Washington defense will have its hands full trying to stop the league's leading rusher DeMarco Murray. The Redskins are allowing 103.3 yards per game, which is 12th in the NFL even though they are currently ranked seventh in total defense. This game will be decided in the trenches between the Dallas offensive line and the Washington defensive line. If the Redskins cannot at least hold their own in that department, it is going to be a long night for them.

The Cowboys are playing some of the best football in the league right now. They have won six straight after dropping their season opener to the San Francisco 49ers, going 5-1 against the spread during that span. As historically one of the most loved teams by the betting public and with Washington going 0-4 ATS in its last four games, there is no doubt that the majority of the action will be on Dallas.

With all of the talk about the Cowboys running game led by Murray, their defense has been overlooked a bit. They are only ranked 14th in total defense, but that is a huge jump from last place, which was where they finished last season with one of the worst defenses in NFL history. If that unit can continue to play at this level or even a little bit better, Dallas is a team that could make a deep playoff run this season.

A few NFL betting trends to consider before wagering on this game: Washington is 2-7 ATS in its last nine road games but 7-1 ATS in the past eight meetings with the Cowboys; Dallas is 8-20 ATS in its last 28 games against teams with losing records.

Click here for NFL picks from the Don Best handicappers.