Patriots, Dallas have it covered

The hype surrounding today’s game between New England (5-0) and Dallas (5-0) is warranted, considering the impact both teams have had on oddsmakers this season.

The Patriots, who are 5 1/2 -point favorites, are 5-0 against the spread despite being favored by a touchdown or more in three games, including two double-digit lines.

The Cowboys are 4-1 against the spread, their dramatic 25-24 win at Buffalo on Monday night being the only game in which they failed to cover.

Both teams have a history of attracting front-running bettors, who get involved when popular teams are winning. New England opened as a four-point favorite, but the line increased by two because of the strong track record of the Patriots, who are 27-10-1 against the spread in their last 38 road games.

But even though New England has dominated opponents this season -- average winning margin, 23 points -- behind the pass combination of Tom Brady and Randy Moss, Dallas has more than held its own in betting support this week.

The Cowboys, who are 4-0 against the spread in their last four games as underdogs, are picking up nearly 40% of the action in bets against the spread according to Wagerline.com.

How does AccuScore.com, which simulates every play and coaching tendencies 10,000 times, have the game ending? The Patriots with a 57% chance of winning, but with an average score of 28-26.

On the prop bet front, sports.com has the Patriots at -155 and Cowboys +125 to score first; -220 if the first score is a touchdown and +170 if the score is other than a touchdown.

Sportsbetting.com’s latest Super Bowl odds have the Cowboys listed at 6-1, and the Patriots are the favorites at 7-5.

Baseball

Trailing Colorado, 2-0, the Arizona Diamondbacks will count on right-hander Livan Hernandez to get back into their National League Championship Series tonight.

Hernandez, 2-1 in his last three starts with a 4.50 earned-run average, will face Colorado right-hander Josh Fogg, who pitched in relief against Philadelphia in the three-game division series, in tonight’s Game 3 at Coors Field.

The Rockies, who had the second-best home record in the National League at 51-31 during the regular season, have been made -150 to -153 favorites to win tonight.

But in case you needed a good vibe for the Diamondbacks, they are 4-1 in their last five games after they lost the first two games of a series.

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