Cowboys just another opponent for Pats

Football Betting Lines

10/16/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The week-long buildup ended in a familiar way for the New England Patriots. In the end, the Dallas Cowboys were just another opponent.

And nobody undersold it more than their quarterback.

"It's really early in the season. The reality is that it's a win on the road and we're 6-0," Tom Brady said. "Any time we're winning, I'm doing just fine. The season really doesn't start until after Thanksgiving anyway."

Brady threw a career-high five touchdown passes and the Patriots shook off their first second-half deficit of the season to beat the previously- undefeated Cowboys, 48-27, on Sunday.

If not for a Week 9 matchup with Indianapolis, it may have been the Patriots' biggest game of the season.

Dallas is the class of the NFC -- a potential Super Bowl opponent, they say -- and one of the few teams capable of challenging a New England team that now (let's face it) has a real chance to be the first undefeated NFL team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

But the Patriots handled them like any other team.

The Cowboys were the sixth team in a row to allow New England to score at least 34 points this season. They were the sixth consecutive Patriots opponent to lose by at least 17 points.

For a few fleeting minutes, it looked like it might be a different story.

Dallas rallied from a 14-0 deficit to pull within 21-17 at halftime, then took a 24-21 lead in the third quarter when Tony Romo capped a 74-yard drive with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Crayton.

It was the first second-half deficit levied on the Patriots this season, and the first time they trailed at all in three weeks. The response was swift: a 77-yard drive ending with a one-yard TD catch by tight end Kyle Brady.

It was the beginning of a 27-3 run to end the game.

"Hopefully we'll see them down the road," Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens said, a wink at the possibility of a Super Bowl meeting between the teams.

But you gotta think nobody wants to see the Patriots right now. Not even the Super Bowl-champion Indianapolis Colts, who will host the Nov. 4 meeting between the teams in what could be another matchup of undefeateds.

Following the Colts game, the toughest remaining tests for the Patriots will be contests against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. After that, they may be their own toughest opponent.

If they wrap up homefield advantage early, their stars would likely sit out the remaining games.

"We're trying to win as many games as we can, establish some depth and continue to get better each week," said Brady.

Underselling the hell out of it again.

TAKING PEYTON'S PLACE?

Brady is the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for three touchdowns or more in six consecutive games to begin a season. He is well ahead of the pace Peyton Manning set in 2004, when the Colts quarterback set the NFL single- season record with 49 touchdown passes.

Of course, Brady underplayed the prospect of breaking Manning's record.

"The touchdowns passes are not very important. I think winning the game is most important. Getting the team in the end zone and making first downs, there's a lot that goes into playing quarterback," said Brady.

"When you win, that's the most satisfying thing, more so than throwing a touchdown pass. I haven't thought about [the single season TD pass record] at all. I don't set my goals like that. That's not what our team's about.

"I'd love to set plenty of team records. But the individual records are based on opportunities you get. What's the difference if you throw it in from one yard or run it in. It's just a touchdown for our offense, and that's what I get excited about."

What, you expected him to brag?

RUN, RUN, RUN AWAY

The Patriots hadn't scored 48 points since racking up 50 against the Colts in 1984. They have now outscored their opponents by a 230-92 margin this season.

Much has been made of the way they've put opponents away since the cheating scandal broke following their Week 1 win against the New York Jets. Sunday's game was no different, with the Patriots tacking on a touchdown with 19 seconds remaining and already leading by 14 points.

'THE OTHER 81'

Much was made before the game about the two 81s: wide receivers Terrell Owens and Randy Moss.

Both wideouts caught six passes, with Moss' going for 59 yards and Owens' for 66. They both scored a touchdown. But only one receiver's team walked away with a victory.

"It wasn't me against him," Owens said afterward. "It's a team game. We lost the game."

UP NEXT: AT MIAMI

The Patriots will have to avoid a letdown in Miami next Sunday, where the Dolphins await with an 0-6 record. New England dropped a 21-0 decision in Miami last season that ended a seven-game road winning streak.

Wwwdenverpost Football Betting News

<< Raiders Hit By Reality
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - No one can fault the Raiders or their fans for getting a little excited about the club's 2-2 start. After all, it's not often that you see a team match its win total from a year prior before the month of October. However,

<< Once again, Redskins unable to finish what they started
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If football games were only 30 minutes long, then maybe we'd all be talking up the Washington Redskins as the early front-runner to represent the NFC in this year's Super Bowl. Unfortunately for the favorite sons of the natio

<< Sinners to Saints: New Orleans earns first win of season
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Saints, chock full of offensive weapons that have sputtered through the first four games of the season, went back to the drawing board and crafted a new game plan for their Sunday night showdown in Seattle.

<< Peterson saves Vikings season
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Not much was expected of the Minnesota Vikings in 2007, and that probably hasn't changed after a thrilling 34-31 win in Chicago. That said, it's tough for a team to be out of the playoff race after Week 6, and that's exact

<< Report: Bills' Everett walking again
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett, who suffered a life-threatening spinal injury that could have left him paralyzed, is reportedly walking independently. Sources told WIVB-TV in Buffalo that Evere

Orioles claim P Novoa from Cubs >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orioles Tuesday claimed pitcher Roberto Novoa off waivers from the Chicago Cubs. Novoa, a 28 year-old righthander, spent the 2007 season on the disabled list with a right humeral head fracture suffere

Panthers use an ancient formula for success >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Consider the Carolina Panthers' 25-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals this past Sunday a win for the ages. With No. 1 quarterback Jake Delhomme out for the season with a damaged right elbow and backup David Carr dealing

Green Bay's Defense Saves the Day >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - So much focus and emphasis in regard to the Green Bay Packers this season has been placed on Brett Favre, and rightfully so. What has been lost in the shuffle though has been the outstanding defensive play of the Packers,

Breeders' Cup race order and post-times set >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The race order and post-times for the 24th Breeders' Cup World Championships, scheduled for Friday, October 26 and Saturday, October 27 at Monmouth Park, have been announced. The first ever two-da

Jones-Drew runs rampant in Jags' win >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Penn State running back Ki-Jana Carter averaged almost eight yards per carry during his final season in Happy Valley. It's no wonder why the Nittany Lions went 12-0 that year and defeated Oregon in the Rose Bowl, a gam

Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds

Will he or won't he?  Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.

Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.

"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."

Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.

Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.

But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.

Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback.  It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.

Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1


Atlanta Falcons 50-1


Baltimore Ravens 15-1


Buffalo Bills 50-1


Carolina Panthers 18-1


Chicago Bears 10-1


Cincinnati Bengals 15-1


Cleveland Browns 100-1


Dallas Cowboys 15-1


Denver Broncos 15-1


Detroit Lions 100-1


Green Bay Packers 50-1


Houston Texans 100-1


Indianapolis Colts 6-1


Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1


Kansas City Chiefs 30-1


Miami Dolphins 40-1


Minnesota Vikings 75-1


New England Patriots 10-1


New Orleans Saints 18-1


New York Giants 20-1


New York Jets 30-1


Oakland Raiders 100-1


Philadelphia Eagles 18-1


Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1


Saint Louis Rams 60-1


San Diego Chargers 6-1


San Francisco 49ers 75-1


Seattle Seahawks 20-1


Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1


Tennessee Titans 40-1


Washington Redskins 50-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook credit cards needs.