‘Monday Night Football’ predictions and open thread: Chargers vs. Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys might be one of the most confusing teams in the NFL right now. At times, they have looked like serious postseason contenders, while also suffering double-digit losses to both the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. The latter would seem forgivable if it wasn’t by a lopsided final score of 42-10. But that loss to the Cardinals? Borderline inexcusable. At 3-2, it is hard to know where this team is headed. Still, DraftKings Sportsbook lists Dallas as slight favorites on the road against a 2-2 LA Chargers squad that is coming off its Bye Week. To be honest, I’m not exactly sure why.

Keenan Allen is putting a big season together for the Chargers, and the Cowboys haven’t seemed like the same team since they lost Trevon Diggs. This could spell trouble for the ‘Boys. But potentially even more concerning is the fact that the Chargers are currently tied with the Seattle Seahawks with 16 sacks on the season; only the Buffalo Bills hold a higher per-game sack total. Dak Prescott has stayed relatively clean in the proverbial pocket, as he has only taken nine sacks this season, according to Pro Football Focus. However, six of those have happened over the last two weeks. That isn’t great for a team that just had one player post six sacks in a single game (Khalil Mack). However, things aren’t looking great for Joey Bosa at the moment, so the Dallas offense could get some reprieve if he is out.

The long and short of it is that Dallas is in a precarious situation; some are already calling this a “must-win” game. In a vacuum, it is a game that they should win. However, the Cowboys have been outscored 73-64 since losing Diggs. The Chargers, meanwhile, have yet to lose a game by more than three points. Factor in that Kellen Moore knows the ins and outs of this Dallas team and he may be looking for some revenge after parting ways with the organization. Call me mad, but I am going for the Chargers in this one. The O/U is pretty lofty, though, and I don’t expect either team to light it up the way San Francisco did last week.

The pick: Under 51 points, Chargers win straight up and cover the spread