COWBOYS NEED OVERTIME TO PREVAIL OVER CHIEFS

The Dallas Cowboys entered Sunday’s game with the Kansas City Chiefs with a 2-2 record, and may have expected an easy afternoon.  The winless Chiefs, however, hung around throughout the contest and forced overtime before a Tony Romo touchdown pass to Miles Austin secured the victory for Dallas by a final score of 26-20.  Austin was the Cowboys’ offensive star, catching two touchdown passes as part of a 250 yard receiving day.  Tony Romo played better than he has all year, finishing with two touchdown passes and 351 yards with no interceptions.  The Cowboys improved to 3-2 with the victory, while the Chiefs remain winless at 0-5.

NFL betting enthusiasts who took Kansas City as +7 home underdogs enjoyed a profitable day as the Chiefs got the money for the first time in the 2009 season.  Kansas City is now 1-4 against the spread, while Dallas dropped to 2-3 against the number.  The 46 points went OVER the posted total of 43’.  The Cowboys have gone OVER in 3 of 5 games this season, while Kansas City now has 3 OVER verdicts in five games with 1 UNDER and a push.  3 of the last 5 meetings between the two teams have gone UNDER the total.

Austin started in place of Dallas superstar receiver Roy Williams, and definitely made the best of the opportunity.  His 250 yards on 10 catches broke the franchise record held by Cowboys’ legend Bob Hayes, who had 246 yards receiving against the Washington Redskins in 1966.  Austin could have had an even bigger day, had Tony Romo not overthrown him several times on wide open plays.  

Kansas City quarterback Matt Cassel had decent numbers in a losing cause, finishing with 253 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.  Still, the setback just added to the growing sense of futility in the Chiefs’ camp.  Kansas City hasn’t won a game in nearly a year (315 days) and is a horrible 2-28 in their past 30 games.  There are signs of improvement under first year coach Todd Haley, but they’ve yet to translate into victories.

Dallas will be off next weekend and will return to action on October 25th at home against the Atlanta Falcons.  They’ll host the Seattle Seahawks at Cowboys’ Stadium the following weekend.  The Chiefs will travel to Washington, DC next Sunday to take on the Redskins before returning home for a game the following week against the San Diego Chargers.