This Cowboys-Chargers NFL Week 6 Spread Is Disrespectful: Bet LA On MNF
The Los Angeles Chargers (2-2) host the Dallas Cowboys (3-2) for Monday Night Football in NFL Week 6 at SoFi Stadium. As a Southern California resident, take my word for it, there will be more Cowboys fans at SoFi Monday.
But, the Chargers are aware of this and it could work in their best interest. The Cowboys are coming off a 42-10 beatdown on Sunday Night Football last week by the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of the 2022 NFC divisional round.
Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott throws a pass out of his own end zone vs. the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
It served as a reminder to Dallas that there is a tier of teams above it: The Philadelphia Eagles and the Niners. My theory is that loss combined with the chillness of LA leads to a flat spot for the Cowboys. If the Chargers had a rowdier crowd then perhaps that awakens Dallas.
DAK PRESCOTT SAYS COWBOYS ‘PUT EVERYTHING’ INTO 42-10 LOSS TO 49ERS WHICH SHOULD HAVE DALLAS FANS CONCERNED
LAC is coming off a Week 5 bye. In Week 4, the Chargers beat the Las Vegas Raiders 27-20. Their only two losses this season came vs. the dynamic Miami Dolphins 36-34 in the season opener and the feisty Tennessee Titans 27-24 in overtime in Week 2.
If LA won those two games then Justin Herbert would be the favorite to win 2023 NFL MVP. More importantly, Herbert is 6-1 against the spread as an underdog in primetime games.
Cowboys at Chargers Week 6 odds
Betting odds for the Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football in NFL Week 6.
I'm a sucker for a good "revenge game", which this is for Chargers' 1st-year offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. He made a lateral move this offseason taking the same job in LA as he had in Dallas from 2019-22.
Over that span, the Cowboys ranked 6th or better in points scored. In 2020, Dallas was 25th in points scored but Cowboys QB Dak Prescott missed 11 games with a broken ankle. This season, Moore has improved LA's offense and Dallas has taken a step back.
Prescott celebrates a TD with former Dallas offensive coordinator Kellen Moore vs. Washington at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. (Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Entering Week 6, the Chargers are 6th in both offensive EPA/play and yards per play. Whereas the Cowboys are 21st in offensive yards per play and 13th in EPA/play.
Plus, Prescott is playing like an average QB this year. Dak is 22nd in adjusted yards per pass, 17th in QB Rating, 21st in interception rate and doesn't have a 4th-quarter comeback or game-winning drive.
That said, Herbert is clearly the better QB. Herbert is 3rd in QB Rating and leads the NFL in completion rate over expectation (among QBs with at least two starts), per NFL's Next Gen Stats.
Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert scrambles away from the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Furthermore, the Cowboys have an overrated defense. They looked like world beaters against the terrible New York Giants, Zach Wilson and the New York Jets and awful New England Patriots.
However, Dallas gave up 42 to the 49ers and 28 in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Herbert should pick apart this Cowboys defense. Dallas will be without its defensive QB, LB Leighton Vander Esch.
Lastly, LA is getting healthier ahead of this primetime game. Chargers Pro Bowl pass rusher Joey Bosa, RB Austin Ekeler and S Derwin James all return from injuries Monday.