Castoff Cassel not the answer for Cowboys

Quality quarterbacks are in short supply in the NFL these days, which is why the good ones make around $20 million a year. The Dallas Cowboys got what they paid for when they picked up Matt Cassel by the cheap at a garage sale.

A couple of the worst quarterbacks in action Sunday were the starters for Dallas and Buffalo, and ironically, Cassel was cast off by the Bills a month ago. If it's on sale in a garage, it's probably garbage.

The Cowboys' season has taken on a foul smell since Tony Romo went down with a broken collarbone in Week 2, the last time Dallas won a game.

"As soon as Romo went down, the Cowboys lost their identity," said Sunset Station sports book director Chuck Esposito, who also noted the injury to wide receiver Dez Bryant as another costly loss.

A month ago, the Cowboys were 2-0 and on top of the NFC East. In the weeks since, Dallas is 0-4 straight up and against the spread, with the latest setback coming 27-20 to the New York Giants.

Despite the efforts of Cassel to turn the game into a blowout, it was up for grabs, similar to most of Cassel's passes. He threw three interceptions, one that was returned for a touchdown. When he finally tossed a TD pass to a teammate, the Cowboys tied the score with 7:14 remaining. Thirteen seconds later, Dwayne Harris crossed the goal line on a 100-yard kickoff return as the Giants, 3-point home favorites, won and covered almost by default.

"The Cowboys were definitely in position to cover or win that game," Esposito said.

Point-spread results in NFL games often come down to one or two plays in the fourth quarter. Sharp bettors took a tough beat with the Cowboys, a few hours after the ball bounced their way in the Jets-Patriots game.

The Jets, who led 20-16 midway through the fourth quarter, were the right side. New York, bet from a 9- to 7-point underdog, was covering the entire way until Tom Brady spotted an ill-advised blitz and hit a wide-open Rob Gronkowski for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 1:13 to go. Why cover Gronkowski, the biggest target on the field?

Suddenly trailing 30-20, bettors on the Jets — myself included — were cursing their luck until Ryan Fitzpatrick worked some late magic and drove New York into field-goal range. A penalty pushed the kick attempt back 5 yards.

Nick Folk waved his arms and looked to the sideline, unsure if he should be left on the field to try a 55-yarder. It was a nervous moment for bettors on the Jets, who needed two scores and a miracle with just over 20 seconds on the clock.

"It was the right call to kick the field goal," Esposito said. "You don't see enough teams do that."

Wisely, Jets coach Todd Bowles left Folk on the field, and he split the uprights with a perfect kick that justly rewarded underdog players. The Jets recovered the onside kick, too, but Fitzpatrick never got off a Hail Mary because of another penalty, and time expired as the Patriots escaped 30-23.

The line sat at 7½ or higher almost all week, so crediting the Jets with a cover, underdogs went 7-5 ATS with outright wins by Jacksonville, Minnesota, New Orleans and Oakland.

"It was one of those Sundays when you did see some underdog play," Esposito said. "There were three 'dogs that got some good play — the Raiders, Cowboys and Jets."

Derek Carr passed for three touchdowns as the Raiders, 3½-point 'dogs, raced to a 37-6 lead and embarrassed the Chargers in the Los Angeles Relocation Bowl. San Diego scored three times in the fourth quarter to make the final (37-29) appear more respectable while Philip Rivers padded his passing stats.

The Jaguars were another 'dog to get some play, but the London game kicked off at 6:30 a.m. in Las Vegas, so the play was light. Buffalo, which closed as a 3½-point favorite, fell behind 27-3 as EJ Manuel — the backup quarterback the team kept instead of Cassel — turned over the ball on seemingly every other play. The Bills stormed back to take the lead, only to lose 34-31.

"I like having a 6:30 game," Esposito said. "We had a lot of people in the room this morning."

The schedule was relatively weak — Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver and Green Bay were on byes — and so was the action for the day.

"It was a small winner," Westgate sports book director Jay Kornegay said. "It was the slowest weekend of the season due to the poor slate of games on Saturday and Sunday. Three popular 6-0 teams were off (Sunday), along with no Seahawks or Cardinals, and the Bears were also off, so at least they didn't lose."

Houston and Indianapolis lost, both in humiliating fashion, begging the question: Which team is a bigger flop? The Texans trailed 41-0 at halftime at Miami. The Colts, popular 5-point home favorites, trailed 20-0 at halftime to the Saints.

"In my opinion, the Colts are clearly the biggest disappointment in the league through the first seven weeks," Esposito said.

The Dolphins are 2-0 for interim coach Dan Campbell, prompting Esposito to say, "Those guys look like they want to run through a wall or walk over hot coals for Campbell."

Pittsburgh, with Landry Jones in for injured quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, played dead in a 23-13 loss at Kansas City, which had lost five straight games but closed as a heavily bet 3-point favorite.

"One of the biggest takeaways for me is the trend of betting against backup quarterbacks," Esposito said. "I've seen it. It seems to be a huge trend this year."

Matt Ryan threw two interceptions as Atlanta failed to cover. Sam Bradford threw a pick and was sacked five times in Philadelphia's loss. Andrew Luck stunk for a half in the Colts' collapse.

Sometimes, even the star quarterbacks who make big money are garbage.

— Las Vegas Review-Journal sports betting columnist Matt Youmans can be reached at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts "The Las Vegas Sportsline" weekdays at 2 p.m. on ESPN Radio (1100 AM). Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.