The Dallas Cowboys enter this one a loser of two out of its last three games. Fortunately, Dallas has built a large cushion atop the subpar NFC East. The Cowboys lost to Denver earlier this month which marks their lone home defeat of the season. They were labeled 2.5 point dogs in a 19-9 road loss to the Chiefs last week. Dallas has covered the spread in all but two games this year. Dak Prescott wasn’t at his best last week, squandering two interceptions. Overall the 28-year old QB is having a tremendous season, registering 2557 passing yards along with a 20:7 TD to INT ratio. Prescott has surpassed the 300 yards mark on three occasions this season.
The Cowboys’ defense has been stellar recently and has allowed a total of just 53 points in their last three home games. The defensive play definitely wasn’t to blame last week. The pass defense can be solved, ranking 21st in the NFL while the rush defense is terrific, landing 10th overall. Dallas is third in the NFL with an average of 29.3 points on the season. They are limiting foes to only 21.4 points, good for eighth in the league.
The Raiders should keep this one close. The Cowboys are playing without Amari Cooper and receiving leader CeeDee Lamb. That’s their top two receivers which leaves quite a void in the receiving core. The Raiders pass defense is the squad’s top strength defensively. They are limiting foes to only 220 passing yards per game, good for 10th in the NFL. Also, keep in mind Ezekiel Elliot is playing through a knee injury.
Furthermore, overall the Cowboys have cooled down a bit recently, losing two out of their last three games including a defeat against the Broncos in their latest home game. Las Vegas has been struggling recently, and the distractions off the field have played a factor, but I expect them to regroup and be ready for this one. The Cowboys will give up yards in the air as the pass defense is tabbed 21st, and Las Vegas is just behind Dallas with an average of 289 passing yards per game.
Thanksgiving Pick: Raiders +7
The NFL has decided that this season will make no sense at all, follow no patterns, create no obvious front-runners, and as a result, leave us, bettors, entirely bewildered. However, the under in this game speaks to me. The Cowboys haven’t managed to score 21 points in three of their last four games, I don’t know why they’d suddenly be more capable of doing so without Amari Cooper or CeeDee Lamb (assuming the latter is ruled out). Without their offensive talent on the wide receiver position I favor Raiders @+7
