(OddsShark.com) The New Orleans Saints will be looking to end a six-game straight up and against the spread losing streak at home when they take the field for a Sunday Night Football matchup with the hobbled Dallas Cowboys.
The Saints have stumbled to an 0-3 start to the season which has been complicated by the loss of quarterback Drew Brees, who was sidelined by a shoulder injury in the club’s 26-19 Week 2 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But after participating in practice earlier this week, Brees’ status remains uncertain, and as of Friday morning the line for Sunday’s contest at was still off the board at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Saints’ early woes continued with a 27-22 loss to Carolina last week, but they picked up their first against the spread win of the campaign, covering as 10-point underdogs and ending a four-game ATS losing streak.
Formerly a feared foe in their own building, New Orleans enters Sunday night’s Cowboys vs. Saints betting matchup at the Superdome winless SU and ATS in their last six at home, losing by an average margin of over 13 points during that stretch.
If Brees is unable to go the Saints will once again turn to Luke McCown, who performed admirably against the Panthers, completing 31 of 38 attempts, but failing to find the end zone while tossing one interception in his first major assignment since leading Jacksonville to a 16-14 win over Tennessee in Week 1 of the 2011 season.
The Cowboys also head into Week 4 with no shortage of challenges, starting with their star pivot, Tony Romo, who remains sidelined with a broken collarbone. Veteran Brandon Weeden will once again start in place of Romo. The 31-year-old completed 22 of 26 pass attempts for 232 yards against the Falcons, but failed to connect on a major score. Dallas missed Romo in last weekend’s 39-28 loss to Atlanta, which dropped them to 2-1 on the season, 1-2 ATS.
The Cowboys are also without Romo’s top target, Dez Bryant, who continues to recover from a broken foot that will keep out of action until at least Week 7. Running back Joseph Randle picked up some of the slack against Atlanta, making three touchdown runs that gave Dallas a 28-14 halftime lead.
Randle will likely see more of the ball against a Saints rush defense that ranks No. 24 in the NFL and has surrendered 126 yards per game, as the Cowboys look to improve on their 2-8 SU record in their last 10 against New Orleans, 3-7 ATS, according to the OddsShark NFL Database.