Read and React: Cowboys and Patriots are historical favorites

[This is an excerpt from the Yahoo Sports’ Read and React Newsletter. Subscribe here]

Good morning!

Week 3 of the NFL is already fast approaching, but if you're looking for some marquee games between evenly matched teams, this probably isn't your weekend. Only five of the 16 games currently feature a line of three points or less and only one — Rams at Browns on Sunday night — can be considered appointment viewing.

Two lopsided games set to make history

However, if you're a fan of mismatches that are over after the first drive, you're in luck! Both the Dolphins-Cowboys (-21.5) and the Jets-Patriots (-22.5) opened with Jerry World-sized lines that are also making a little bit of history.

According to Nick Veronica of the Buffalo News, the last time that two teams were favored by 20 or more points in the same week was 1987's Week 5. And that was only because Joe Montana had crossed the picket line to play a Falcons team loaded with replacement players while Randy White and the Cowboys faced the same situation with the Eagles.

Interestingly, neither team covered the spread.

Will the Cowboys and Patriots cover?

When it comes to gambling on the NFL, he general inclination is to take the underdog and all those points. Not only is it easy to talk yourself into the "hey, they get paid too!" argument, the numbers back it up. Evan Abrams of The Action Network notes that favorites are just 1-6 against the spread in the seven games since 1993 that have closed with a spread of 20 or more points. Tom Brady and the Patriots are 0-4 in such games.

But when it comes to this weekend's games, let's just say that I'm not going to tell anyone what to do with their money. The Dolphins look historically bad and could've received 42.5 points against the Patriots last week and still lost. The Jets, meanwhile, are one Luke Falk (yes, he's now a starting QB in the NFL) injury away from having to call Joe Namath out of retirement.

So ... go with your gut. Or save your money for when the Cowboys head to Foxboro on Nov. 24 for a big matchup against the Pats. That spread might be just a few points tighter.

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