NFL Preseason, 32 in 32: Dallas Cowboys & UFC 330

Scott Seidenberg and AJ Hoffman preview tonight's NFL Preseason games, continue our 32 in 32 previews with the Dallas Cowboys and AJ previews UFC 330 with Best Bets!

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🏈 PRESEASON WEEK 1 KICKS OFF TONIGHT

Tonight's Slate

Lions at Bengals · Packers at Steelers · Colts at Patriots · Cardinals at Raiders · Chargers at Texans · Titans at 49ers

AJ'S PLAY: COLTS -2.5

The storyline: Indianapolis says Anthony Richardson starts — while still trying to shop him.

AJ: "Maybe the most unintentionally hilarious trade request ever is Anthony Richardson acting like there's some reason a team would want to trade for him. He's really got a lot to prove if he thinks he's getting another chance.

But I think the Colts are a lot more interested in seeing what they have in Riley Leonard — and quite frankly, I think Leonard is a better player than Richardson at this point. I expect him to get the lion's share.

Richardson will play hard and try to showcase what makes him good, which is running. And the fewer times he throws it, the less it's in danger — which is probably a good thing."

The Mendoza Watch

The line: Raiders -1.5 vs Arizona.

Klint Kubiak on Mendoza: he'll get "plenty of experience in the game" and "plenty of reps."

AJ: "I wouldn't be surprised. Aidan O'Connell is the other option, and one thing we know about Aidan O'Connell is he sucks at football. So they want as much of a look at Mendoza as they can get now — because I think they're hoping his reps are limited in the regular season."

On the timeline: "Cousins isn't just a bridge — they're hoping he's the starter AND a mentor. For every CJ Stroud and Jayden Daniels rookie year there's a Bryce Young, a Will Levis, quite frankly a Cam Ward. The Titans wanted to take it slow with Ward and injury didn't allow it.

🏈 32 IN 32: DALLAS COWBOYS

The Market

Props: Dak Prescott 27.5 passing TDs | CeeDee Lamb 7.5 receiving TDs | George Pickens 6.5 receiving TDs

The Defense: Different ≠ Better

AJ: "One thing we talk about a lot: just because it's different doesn't mean it's better. Christian Parker has done a good job with some secondaries and pushed young players along. They've got Caleb Downs, their first-round pick, a guy named Devin Moore they took later, some free agent pickups in the back end. Are they going to turn into Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean? That's hard to say — but that's why they brought Parker in."

THE PROBLEM: "Problem A last year was that when they got rid of Micah Parsons, there wasn't anything to fill that void — and there still isn't. The pass rush may even be WEAKER than a year ago without Jadeveon Clowney, who did a really good job for them, and without Dante Fowler. They're hoping Rashan Gary still has something in the tank. I'm not so sure. Then it's young guys like Malachi Lawrence.

They're solid in the middle — Quinnen Williams is going to be happy, he's a very well paid man — so they'll be tough to run on. But if you don't have a pass rush, everything gets harder on the back end."

The Offense: Everything Rides on the Tackles

AJ: "The skill guys are just so good. Take your quarterback, running back, top two receivers, and tight end — there are very few teams better at those five spots than Dallas."

But: "I still think the Cowboys have a probably below-average offensive line."

The Trench Report Verdict

Scott: "That's exactly why I lean under 9.5 — how poorly they grade out versus their opponents across the entire schedule. But it could change. If the tackles protect Dak, that pass block grade improves and we know how good the interior is."

AJ on the tackles: "Tyler Guyton has been a bust of a first-round pick so far; the thought is he takes a step this year. They said they'd play their five best linemen anywhere, but they've since announced Guyton gets the first crack, with Nate Thomas waiting.

On the other side, Terence Steele is what he is, and he's not very good. A surprise breakout they found on the pile four or five years ago, a San Antonio guy — they thought they found a diamond in the rough and paid him accordingly. Since then he's given them either no production or bad production."

The Schedule Traps

AJ: "They didn't get a lot of favors. Outside of Arizona, every team in the NFC West is probably better than Dallas.And the AFC South is a bad matchup — you're playing teams better on defense than offense. You're not putting up 35 points against the Texans very often.

And the runs are brutal: early on it's Baltimore, at Houston, Tampa, at Green Bay, at Philly — all in a row. The Baltimore game is a home game they lose because it's played in Rio. Then they're at Houston on regular rest, then playing Thursday night against Tampa."

The Verdict + The Division Read

Both: UNDER 9.5 — "I hate paying juice for it, but that's the way I'd look right now."

AJ: "I don't see this as a playoff team unless Philly is just awful — though there IS a path, because I wouldn't even consider the Giants or Commanders for playoff bids. If Dallas becomes even a slightly below-average defense, they have a real chance. But it feels like a little over or a little under .500 team."

The NFC East Projection

Scott: "It feels like this reverts to the old NFC East where everyone eats each other up."

AJ: "I don't think there's a potential 12-13-win team in this division. It's very, very mediocre top to bottom."

On Philly's vulnerability: "I think we saw the start of a decline. An aging running back — every back hits the wall. You take away their best passing game weapon in AJ Brown. And the deterioration of that offensive line, which mattered for Jalen Hurts — look at the end of last year, they hardly used the Tush Push."

🥊 UFC 330 — SATURDAY IN PHILLY

Main Event: Islam Makhachev vs Ian Machado Garry

AJ on Garry: "He catches a lot of grief for things he doesn't control — everyone hoped he'd be the next Conor McGregor because everyone wants an Irish guy to be the next Conor, and he's the complete opposite. Not a loudmouth, not great on the mic, and they give him grief for taking his wife's last name.

But what the guy IS, is an elite, elite top-tier defensive fighter. His offense is still a work in progress. He's very difficult to take down and very difficult to hold down — which is exactly what Islam does to everybody."

The read: "Makhachev is good enough to get the job done, but it won't be easy. And moving up to 170 against much bigger guys — he spent a lot of time fighting Volkanovski, a 145er — he's going to be very protective of himself late. That's a wise strategy, and Islam is never worried about whether it's a crowd-pleasing style. He doesn't care if fans boo. That dude wants to win fights."

The Card

On Fernando: "Light heavyweights. Tobias is 23, tall, knockout power. But Fernando is 6'3", lost on the Contender Series, tried middleweight and seems a lot better and more willing to get into the fray at light heavyweight. I'm seeing progress I'm digging. At 205 you see a higher knockout rate — I think we see one here."

📅 Coming Up

TODAY

• 🎬 Bettor Day Football Show, Episode 1 — 2 PM ET LIVE STREAM on the Bettor Day YouTube Page and Twitter/X
• Preseason Week 1 kicks off

Tomorrow

• 32 in 32: Philadelphia Eagles

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