Early Sunday morning, it would’ve been easy to paint the Dallas Cowboys as a franchise in disarray.
The team prepared to begin the regular season with January’s playoff disappointment fresh in some fans’ minds and star quarterback Dak Prescott seemingly entering the final year of his contract. Then came an eventful few hours.
Prescott agreed to a record-breaking deal Sunday before noon. The Cowboys hit the field to play the Cleveland Browns a few hours later. And in a game between playoff contenders, Dallas rocketed out to a 20-point lead early in the third quarter and stomped to a resounding 33-17 victory that wasn’t as closely contested as the final score indicates.
Oddsmakers took notice.
The website Sports Betting Dime calculated the Cowboys major sportsbooks on average have the Cowboys +1850 odds — or 18.5 to 1 — to win the Super Bowl this season as of last Wednesday. This week, those odds jumped to +1350, or 13.5 to 1.
The Cowboys are now tied with the Bills for the seventh-best odds to win the Super Bowl, according to Sports Betting Dime, which takes the average of numbers from prominent gambling platforms MGM, FanDuel and DraftKings.
Dallas was tied at No. 9 on the list with the Jets last week but moved past New York and leap-frogged the Bengals after Week 1.
The Cowboys’ defense led the way in the emphatic win over the Browns, but wide receiver KaVontae Turpin’s punt return touchdown and Brandon Aubrey’s four field goals helped special teams units shine, too. On offense, Prescott looked sharp even if Dallas failed to find the end zone in the second half.
Next up is another team that enjoyed an impressive start to the season. On the heels of a 47-10 blowout win over the Panthers, the New Orleans Saints will face the Cowboys on Sunday in Dallas’ home opener at AT&T Stadium.