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My first NFL prediction of the year goes when the Bengals and Cowboys begin their season against one another in the Hall of Fame game in Canton, OH; kick-off is slated for 8:00 ET and the game can be seen live on NBC.

This will be a truly memorable weekend for Cowboys fans as their great running back, Emmitt Smith, will be enshrined into the pro football Hall of Fame on Saturday afternoon.

Jerry Jones lobbied hard to get invited to play in this game for the first time since 1999, as he wanted to tribute the Cowboys efforts to their former great warrior.

As for Cincinnati, playing in Canton is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from where the team is holding its training camp.

Fawcett Stadium is certain to be filled with tons of orange and black, but with Smith getting inducted, there will be plenty of Cowboys fans in attendance as well.

Cincinnati Bengals (0-0, 0-0 ATS) vs. Dallas Cowboys (0-0, 0-0 ATS)
Game Date/Time: Sunday, August 8th, 8:00 ET
Game Location: Fawcett Stadium, Canton, OH
TV/Radio Broadcast: NBC, Sirius Radio

NFL Odds: Cincinnati Bengals (-3) +100 vs. Dallas Cowboys (+3) -120: Total 33 Over -110

With this being the preseason, don’t expect to see much of either team’s front line players get in a ton of work; especially with four remaining preseason games left on both teams respective dockets.

In fact, look for QB’s Tony Romo and Carson Palmer to get maybe one possession each.

Palmer will certainly get some work in to try and build a live game action repoire with his new trio of WR’s – Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, and Antonio Bryant.

As for Romo, he enters this game with soreness in his throwing arm after the coaching staff might have worked him a bit too much early on in camp.

He’s already minus one receiver; that being rookie WR Dez Bryant who went down early in camp with a knee injury and is said to be out of action for four to six weeks.

Instead, look for QB’s J.T. O’Sullivan and Jordan Palmer to get a bulk of the snaps for the Bengals, and for the Cowboys to divvy up the work between Jon Kitna, Stephen McGee, and Matt Nichols.

NFL Insider Tip: Each of the last two Hall of Fame Games have been of the higher scoring varieties with the Redskins pounding the Colts 30-16 back in 2008 and the Titans holding on to beat the Bills 21-18 last season. However, I foresee tonight’s battle being of the snoozer variety.

Both teams are coming off division championships and have a bulk of pieces in place for the upcoming season.

With this being an added game to both clubs preseason schedules, it will be used mostly to evaluate the teams overall talent. Most importantly, both sides want to avoid the injury bug and stay as injury free as possible.

If this was the regular season and both teams were going full bore, I’d expect a highly entertaining game. With that not being the case, my NFL predictions call for both teams score to combine for fewer points than the number already suggest.

My NFL Prediction: Cincinnati/Dallas Under 33 -110

Source: BetUS Locker Room Featured on: Handicapperspicks.com

The Dallas Cowboys are coming off of a division title and the first playoff win of the QB Tony Romo era in 2009. However, for owner Jerry Jones, nothing less than a Super Bowl will be considered a success. Check out how we feel the Boys are going to do in 2010-11 NFL betting action.
CLICK HERE FOR 2010 DALLAS COWBOYS ODDS

1: Is Romo really ready to become an elite NFL quarterback? It feels like we ask this question every single season. Though Romo threw for just short of 4,500 yards a year ago and could be in for more this year, we just don’t buy that he is anywhere near the level of Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and Philip Rivers. Win some playoff games, kid. The truly elite quarterbacks don’t throw for just 198 yards and a pick in a 34-3 loss to crash out of the playoffs like Romo did last year against the Minnesota Vikings.

2: Will trading up for WR Dez Bryant pay dividends? Many think that Romo’s problem in “Big D” has been a lack of big play receivers. That’s why the squad went out and traded for Roy Williams two years ago, and that’s why it was a shock to see WR Miles Austin look phenomenal last year. Dallas decided that it needed to go back to the well once again in search for that elusive elite receiver, and it did so by trading up in the draft to snare Bryant. It isn’t a numbers game for Bryant, as he was suspended for the majority of his final season at Oklahoma State. However, no receiver in the land was bigger, more imposing, and showed more ability to go get the ball than Bryant did when he was on the field. This should be a real asset for Tony Romo if Bryant can stay out of trouble.

3: Will Dallas duplicate its #2 ranked defense? Probably not. The Cowboys are a decent defensive team, but they were in over their head last year by holding teams to just 15.6 PPG. This is also a unit that allowed 225.4 YPG through the air, and that’s saying something considering the fact that LB DeMarcus Ware had 11 sacks and the team was known for crushing opposing passers.

4: Is Wade Phillips a sitting duck yet? In all likelihood, regardless of whether the team wins the Super Bowl or not, Phillips is bound to go eventually. OC Jason Garrett is waiting in the wings, and should Dallas slip just one bit, chaos in the locker room could ensue.

5: Bottom Line: How many games will the Dallas Cowboys win in 2010? This is the most important question that we will ask for all of the teams in the league. The Cowboys have an NFL betting line of 10 wins to beat at BetUS Sportsbook, and we think that they will top that number. Romo and the offense are going to be lethal this year, and a dozen wins isn’t out of the question. Bryant makes a huge difference, as Dallas could have four 1,000-yard caliber receivers at its disposal. The defense should be good enough, even if it allows closer to 20 PPG to win 12 games in the rough and tumble NFC East.

Source: BetUS Locker Room 2010 Dallas Cowboys Predictions Featured on: Handicapperspicks.com