The 2022 season was a Win-Win for Dallas Cowboys fans and bettors.
Cowboy backers saw the team compile a solid 12-5 regular-season record, score the third-most points in the NFL with 467 and reach the division playoff round. Only the two Super Bowl participants, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, tallied more.
The ‘Boys were among the final eight Super Bowl hopefuls and did not miss by much in their season-ending 19-12 setback to the San Francisco 49ers.
Bettors who doubled down on Cowboys fever also enjoyed some ride.
Dallas finished 11-8 against the spread and nearly won two others. Two covers were denied them in the final seconds against the New York Giants and the Eagles.
Gamblers who wagered on Dallas’ dominant defense often cashed tickets in the +450 to +500 range for a Cowboys defensive score, even more when it was the game’s first tally.
Gamblers who backed the Cowboys, in general, did well for the year.
Here’s a journey through the season bettors saw.
Highlight No. 1: Rush to the Rescue
This occurred in Week 2. A hand injury to Dak Prescott summoned Cooper Rush to the helm. Cowboys bettors knew he had engineered a game-winning drive the previous year against the Minnesota Vikings.
But bookmakers thought the ‘Boys were vulnerable at home and made them a whopping at +8.5 underdog against the Cincinnati Bengals. With this defense?
Cowboys bettors ran to the bank with Dallas’ 20-17 triumph, accomplished on Brett Maher’s last-second field goal.
Highlight No 2: Ramming the Champs
Remember this gem?
The ‘Boys invaded the defending Super Bowl-winning Los Angeles Rams at +4.5. They left with a 22-10 victory earmarking a special air about the team.
On the Rams’ third offensive play, Dorance Armstrong bashed through and hit Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who fumbled. DeMarcus Lawrence performed a scoop and score and the Cowboys set a tone.
One series later, Armstrong blocked a punt, leading to a Dallas field goal.
The game was also noteworthy for Tony Pollard’s 57-yard touchdown scamper.
Something else happened too. Rush became the first Cowboys quarterback ever to start 4-0.
Rush only needed to throw for 102 yards in this game. But it became a blueprint, as he managed the game, avoided mistakes and let the Cowboy D put them in position to win.
The Cowboys allowed only 53 points in weeks 2-5.
Other big moments would come after Prescott returned in Week 6.
Highlight No. 3: Home Blowouts
Two games, in particular, fit this category.
One was a 49-29 triumph over the Chicago Bears. The ‘Boys had too much firepower and they put the final emphasis on that with a Micah Parsons touchdown return. That broke the game open and the ‘Boys covered -10,5.
The other was a historic outburst.
The Cowboys led the Indianapolis Colts 21-19 entering the fourth quarter. They were -10.5.
They then unloaded a historic barrage with 33 fourth-quarter points. They became one of only three teams in history to do that.
The defense produced four fourth-quarter takeaways. All led to touchdowns.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Cowboys needed more than a touchdown to cover the spread.
When the game ended, they could have covered it three times. This was one of the most amazing quarters in NFL history.
Bettors who foresaw a Dallas explosion were rewarded. FanDuel paid +1000 for the Cowboys to have the highest point total in the league that week.
Highlight No. 4: Routing the Minnesota Vikings 40-3
Sharp bettors knew something all week. The Vikings had just beaten the Super Bowl-favorite Buffalo Bills and were the hottest team in the NFL with seven straight wins.
But the books, and bettors, never flinched. The ‘Boys were established as one-point favorites and took the majority of money, even as the line went to -1.5.
Dallas had never lost to Minnesota at U.S. Bank Stadium and left that distinction intact.
Bettors rejoiced as the Cowboys enjoyed their most significant beatdown of the season, Everything went right. Pollard caught two touchdown passes out of the backfield, one for 68 yards.
How often does an 8-1 team lose, at home, by 37 points?
That was a special moment in the season for the Cowboys.
Highlight No 5: Houston, We Have A Problem
Actually, Dallas moneyline and parlay bettors did.
Dallas was a whopping -17 against the Houston Texans and had been outplayed most of the way at home.
The Cowboys were in danger of losing, trailing 23-20 late in the fourth quarter with Houston on the Dallas 1, third and goal. But a defensive surge led to Dallas stopping Houston.
Prescott followed with a length-of-the-field drive and the ‘Boys escaped, 27-23.
Bettors were grateful because many linked a Cowboys win to multi-legged parlays. A loss by Dallas would have blown up the entire ticket. Many gamblers had used Dallas as the anchor to the parlay.
Houston’s effort as a one-win team was no fluke. One week later, the Texans took the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs into overtime, Many bettors piggybacked off this game and took Houston on its 4-1 season-ending run of covers.
