Monday Night Football Wagering Preview

Heading into the football season Tom Coughlin and Wade Phillips were destined for different things. Coughlin's New York Giants were supposed to be slugging it out with the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles for scraps in the NFC East while Phillips' Dallas Cowboys ruled the division with ease. Regardless of those preseason predictions, both coaches seemed to be sitting on the hot seat.

Fast forward to Week 7 and those assumptions, made in early September, couldn't be any farther off. Dallas is a wretched 1-4 (1-4 ATS) and at the bottom of the conference while New York has picked up steam after three wins in a row and has even garnered some Super Bowl sleeper votes at 4-2 (3-3 ATS).

Despite their opposite directions, Coughlin and Phillips have this Monday night's meeting penciled in as a must-win and their jobs may just depend on it. Oddsmakers have set the Cowboys as 3-point home favorites in Week 7, with the total posted at 44.5. Get these lines at Bodog, click here.

For Phillips, “must-win” is the understatement of the year. With each loss comes a laundry list of terrible plays, careless penalties, and missed assignments – which are usually followed by a quote from Dallas owner Jerry Jones, assuring the media that his coach's job is safe. Jones is not a patient man, and another embarrassing defeat may be all that's needed to push the Texas tycoon over the edge.

Coughlin has cooled his chair with his team's recent winning streak. But his slow start to the season - and the fact that New York has beaten Chicago, Houston, and Detroit, all of which have been horrible at times this season – could have the coach scrambling for fire retardant pants if they drop this important primetime matchup. This contest in Dallas is the first of three road tilts for the Giants in the next four games. A loss Monday could set New York on a slippery slope.

Coughlin has a solid record versus his divisional foe. Since taking over the reigns in the Big Apple, he's 8-5 against the Cowboys, with an 8-3-2 mark against the spread in that span. Last season he won and covered as an underdog in both games with Dallas.

Phillips, on the other hand, is 3-4 SU and ATS against the G-Men in his time as head coach in Big D, which could be coming to an end if things don't go right on Monday night.

Pick: New York Giants +3 at Bodog.