Dallas Cowboys vs Los Angeles Chargers Prediction, Pick and Preview, September 19 (9/19/2021): NFL Week 2

Credit: photo by Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports

Odds

2020 season stats

Preview

The Dallas Cowboys will travel to Sofi Stadium to take on the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday afternoon. After nearly blessing bettors with an Thursday night upset, the Cowboys will be looking to bounce back from a tough two-point loss. The Chargers opened their season up by doing both Dallas and bettors favors by defeating the Washington Football Team as underdogs last weekend.

Offensive matchup

Dak Prescott looked really strong in his return from a season-ending ankle injury. He took the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the brink last Thursday, and nearly pulled off the upset in what could have been a NFC Championship preview. Prescott went 42-58 for 403 passing yards with three touchdowns and an interception against the Super Bowl winning defense.

Dallas trailed during most of the last week's game so they may be able to lean a bit more on the ground game this Sunday. Ezekiel Elliott only mustered 33 rushing yards on eleven carries. Wideouts Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb had great season openers. Coop caught 13 passes for 139 yards and two scores, while CeeDee caught seven passes for 104 yards and a score.

Justin Herbert kicked off his sophomore campaign with a good performance against a talented WFT defense. The former Oregon quarterback went 31-47 for 337 passing yards with one touchdown and one interception. Austin Ekeler scored in his season debut, but he wasn't as involved as normal. Ekeler gained 57 yards on 17 carries, and he didn't catch any passes. Keenan Allen got off to another strong start in his ninth season. The former Cal product grabbed nine passes for 100 yards, while big Mike Williams caught eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown.

Defensive matchup

The Cowboys were dealt a blow this week when leading pass rusher Demarcus Lawrence broke his foot in practice. Dallas' defense put up a solid effort against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers last week, and things won't get much easier with an emerging Justin Herbert. The Cowboys forced four turnovers in the opener, but failed to get to Brady once.

The Chargers rough up the WFT in opener. They forced postseason hero Taylor Heinicke into the game, held Antonio Gibson below 100 yards, and held Terry McLaurin to just four catches.

Prediction

Both teams opened their season's with great performance, making this one tough to call. The Chargers starred against Taylor Heinicke, but Dak Prescott is a different animal. Dallas has the catalyst and the offense to score with anyone, but their defense has to come to play. We like them as profitable underdogs in a capable spot here. Take Dallas' moneyline, and eye the over for what could be a shootout.

PICK: Dallas Cowboys ML (+150)

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