Betting on Cowboys in NFC East is a bet on Dak Prescott’s health

The Dallas Cowboys’ season effectively ended in Week 5 last year when quarterback Dak Prescott was carted off with a gruesome ankle injury.

The Cowboys suffered through a parade of underperforming backup quarterbacks on the way to a 6-10 finish, allowing the Washington Football Team to take the NFC East with a pedestrian record of 7-9.

Prescott is back, and Dallas is again the favorite in the division, but now a lingering shoulder injury has cast doubt on the Cowboys’ chances.

Dallas insists Prescott is good to go for Thursday’s opener at Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay. For Cowboys backers’ sake, he better be.

“If they have to put any of those backups in, it’s going to be a disaster,” Circa sportsbook manager Chris Bennett said.

The Cowboys are 22-1 to win the Super Bowl at Circa Sports and -115 to make the playoffs. Their season win total is 9 (over -120).

Dallas boasts an arsenal of offensive talent in running back Ezekiel Elliott and receivers Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb. The problem is a defense that gave up 33 points or more in eight games last season.

“That offense is going to have to win a lot of games for you,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said.

If Prescott and Dallas can’t take control, the division is wide open. Last season, every team in the NFC East was an odds-on favorite (a minus price such as -115 or higher) to win it at one point, Bennett said.

“Honestly, I could see the same thing happening again this year,” he said. “… I don’t really like any of the four teams.”

Here’s a quick glance at the rest of the division:

Washington Football Team

— Season win total: 8½ (o-130)

— Make playoffs (yes/no): +130/-150

— Super Bowl odds: 40-1

Washington rode a strong defense to the division title last season. It could do the same this year. Bettors have certainly banked on it at the Westgate SuperBook, where Washington is the second-largest Super Bowl liability, sportsbook director John Murray said.

“People are all over them for some reason,” he said. “We opened them 80-1 and have taken a lot of tickets on them. One guy has $5,000 at 60-1. We went to 50-1 and 40-1 later, and they’re still betting them at 40-1. There’s more tickets on Washington winning their division than on any other team winning any other division.”

Veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick could give the offense a boost, but that’s not a given, Bennett said.

Fitzpatrick “can look really good at times and can look really bad at times,” Bennett said. “And he’s pretty old (38).”

New York Giants

— Season win total: 7 (o-115)

— Make playoffs (yes/no): +280/-335

— Super Bowl odds: 125-1

The Giants showed some signs of life last season and were alive to win the division in the final week, but their hopes rest squarely on the continued development (or not) of third-year quarterback Daniel Jones.

“It’s a big year for Daniel Jones,” Esposito said. “Daniel Jones has to take the next step.”

Jones is 8-18 as a starter, throwing for 5,970 yards with 35 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. Bennett said Circa did not have a single ticket on Jones to win NFL MVP this season, an oddity for an unchallenged starting quarterback. His odds are now all the way to 175-1.

Philadelphia Eagles

— Season win total: 7 (u-150)

— Make playoffs (yes/no): +315/-385

— Super Bowl odds: 125-1

The Eagles are slotted fourth in the division with quarterback Jalen Hurts starting in his second season under new coach Nick Sirianni, but someone out there likes them.

Circa has taken sharp bets on the Eagles to win the NFC (+5,750) and even to have the most regular-season wins in the NFL (80-1), Bennett said.

Circa has also taken some bets on the Eagles to have the most regular-season losses (15-1).

Best bet

Cowboys to win the division (+200 at the Westgate): Prescott’s health is a concern, but every team in the NFC East has concerns. Dallas still has the most talent.

Contact Jim Barnes at jbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Todd Dewey contributed to this report.