Dallas Cowboys vs Carolina Panthers: betting odds, trends, preview, pick

Let us tell you what the Dallas Cowboys do when they are favored - they lose.

And this business of losing when they should win goes back many years and it particularly awkward for Cowboys bettors when their team is on the road. It's cause for concern as they visit Carolina as 2.5-point favorites on the Week 7 NFL odds menu.

In their past 17 games as chalk, the Cowboys have covered the spread three times (3-13-1 ATS according to the NFL trends report at OddsShark.com).

hope to extend their winning streak over the Carolina Panthers to five this Sunday when they visit the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Dallas is a 2-point road favorite at

Dallas came out of their bye week with a strong effort in a 31-29 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, but while the Cowboys were able to cover the spread they couldn't pull off the outright upset. The loss brought Dallas to 2-3 SU and ATS, but there is some hope in Dallas that the Cowboys may not be as bad as their record indicates.

All five of their games have come against teams with strong defenses, and their three losses came to quality teams in Seattle, Chicago and Baltimore. Can the Cowboys put it all together on both sides of the ball in a winnable game this week?

Carolina has alternated great offensive performances with terrible ones through its first five games this season. The Panthers managed over 400 yards and 28+ points in games against Atlanta and New Orleans (going 1-1 SU and 2-0 ATS in that pair of games), but were held to 12 points or less in SU and ATS losses to Tampa Bay, New York, and Seattle.

Coming off of a bye week, the Panthers hope to have Cam Newton back on track and ready for a big second half of the season.

Neither of these teams has fared well against the spread recently. Dallas is 3-9 ATS in its last 12 games while Carolina is 2-5 both SU and ATS in its last seven home games. The Cowboys have enjoyed success against Carolina with an 8-1 SU and 5-3-1 ATS record over the Panthers in the last nine meetings between these two teams.

As the spread would indicate, this one is too close to call. Both teams (and quarterbacks) badly need this win. Considering Dallas's past success against Carolina and the fact that the Cowboys look a bit more well-rounded, we lean slightly towards them getting the job done on the road this week, in spite of their history as chalk chokers.

PICK: Dallas -2.5