Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Experts' early stance on Cowboys vs. Browns has us thinking it'll be the best NFL game of Week 1

Originally posted on A to Z Sports
By Mauricio Rodriguez | Last updated 5/14/24

The Dallas Cowboys will be traveling in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL regular season to face the Cleveland Browns while Tom Brady debuts as a color analyst for FOX on national TV.

While the rest of the schedule remains a mystery ahead of Wednesday's league-wide release, at least we know they'll get a big-time test to kick things off as they'll be lining up against one of the best defenses in the league, spearheaded by none other than Myles Garrett.

The Cowboys should be up for the test and in fact oddsmakers expect this to be such a close game that they've set the opening line at +1.

In other words, the Browns are currently one-point home favorites, which makes this almost a "pick 'em" game. It should be noted the "standard" home-field advantage is usually valued at around 2.5-3 points, which means the Cowboys would likely be favorites by over a field goal if this game was being played at AT&T Stadium.

This will be one of the closest spreads of Week 1 and it has us thinking it'll be one of the best matchups in the NFL's opening weekend.

The game poses a significant challenge for the Cowboys as they'll be playing rookie Tyler Guyton at left tackle, which could be a mismatch against Garrett this early in his career considering he's perceived as a project more than a plug-and-play rookie.

On the other hand, Deshaun Watson hasn't found himself as a member of the Browns since joining the team. Even if we ignore the off-the-field question marks surrounding Watson, his on-field production has been disappointing.

What is clear is that this will be a big matchup in the trenches, not only because of Garrett's favorable game against the Cowboys' tackles but on the flipside, it'll be strength vs strength. The Browns should be healthier in 2024 and return their OL to elite form but they'll have to deal with Micah Parsons and Co., which is always a dangerous proposition.

I'm sure once September comes around, we'll break down the matchup in much more detail but even four months removed from the game, I can't help getting excited about a football game. The same can surely be said for Cowboys fans trying to get that sour taste of another disappointing playoff loss in January.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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