The New Orleans Saints (-7.5) are heading west to face the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. The Thursday Night Football showdown starts at 8:20 p.m. ET and fans can tune in to the action on FOX.
New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys Betting Preview
In what could be a NFC postseason preview, New Orleans is projected as the favorite and is currently giving up 7.5 points. The Saints are also receiving -310 moneyline odds while the Cowboys are +250. Should one squad can create a bunch of points early it’ll result in a nice live betting opportunity. Oddsmakers have determined the over/under (O/U) to be 53 points.
The game’s O/U has moved down after initially being set at 54.5. The opening line hasn’t changed.
Each of these teams has been profitable this year as the Saints have gained 5.8 units while the Cowboys are up 2.3 units.
The Saints are 10-1 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Cowboys are 6-5 SU.
The Saints are coming off a resounding 31-17 win over Atlanta last week where their secondary allowed the Falcons to air it out for 377 yards and two touchdowns. Julio Jones had a productive day for the Falcons in that one with 147 yards on 11 catches. On the offensive side of the ball, Drew Brees completed 15 passes for just 171 yards, four scores and one interception. Alvin Kamara (89 rushing yards on 14 attempts) and Mark Ingram (52 yards on 11 carries) led the running attack in the win while Dan Arnold (four receptions, 45 yards, one TD) and Michael Thomas (four catches, 38 yards) handled the receiving duties.
Dallas just put together a 31-23 win over Washington in Week 12. The defensive secondary allowed the Redskins to air it out for 268 yards and two touchdowns. Jordan Reed was a bright spot in the loss for Washington, recording 75 yards on six catches. For Dallas, Dak Prescott completed 22-of-31 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns. Ezekiel Elliott (121 rushing yards on 26 attempts, one TD) led the ground game in the win as Amari Cooper (eight receptions, 180 yards, two TDs) led the pass-catching corps.
Each of these teams has a similar run-pass ratio on the season. New Orleans has run the ball on 48.7 percent of its offensive possessions while Dallas has a rush percentage of 47.4. The Saints have produced 133 rush yards/game and have 19 touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Cowboys are logging 134 rush yards per game and have 11 total rushing TDs.
It seems like the Saints could own an advantage when it comes to quarterback protection. Their offensive line has yielded just 20 sacks while the D-line registered 42 sacks. The Cowboys, on the other hand, have given up 32 sacks and their defense has forced only 38 sacks.
The Saints offense has averaged 291 yards through the air overall and has 29 passing TDs so far. The Cowboys have put up 221 pass yards per outing and have 13 total pass scores.
New Orleans has allowed opponents to run for an average of 73 yards and pass for 303 yards per game. The Dallas defense has given up 254.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 93.6 yards per game on the ground. The Cowboys are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 6.54 to opponents, while the Saints have given up a 7.29 ANY/A.
Offensively, Brees is up to 2,772 passing yards this year, and has completed 250-of-326 attempts with 25 passing scores and only two interceptions. He has a pristine 9.24 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 12.13 over the past two outings.
The Saints have tried to control the pace by feeding their running backs early and often. Alvin Kamara (635 rush yards, 11 rush TDs, 482 receiving yards, three receiving TDs) and Mark Ingram (337 rush yards, two rush TDs, one receiving TD) have really been focal points in the offensive game scripts for New Orleans.
In the home locker room, Dak Prescott has connected on 197-of-304 passes for 2,219 yards, 13 TDs and five INTs. Prescott’s ANY/A sits at 6.00 for the season and 7.09 over his past two outings.
The Cowboys also like to rely on their backfield. In addition to Ezekiel Elliott (284 receiving yards, two receiving TDs), Amari Cooper (nine rush yards, 593 receiving yards, four receiving TDs) and Cole Beasley (408 receiving yards and two TDs) have seen a lot of touches recently.
RELATED: Week 13 NFL Betting Odds and Predictions
Free Betting Pick: New Orleans Saints vs. Dallas Cowboys
SU Winner – Saints, ATS Winner – Cowboys, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Notes
The Dallas D has sacked opposing quarterbacks 31 times this year. New Orleans has registered 30 sacks.
Dallas has lost five fumbles in 2018 while New Orleans has lost seven.
The Saints offense has tallied four pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Cowboys have accounted for six such plays.
The New Orleans defense has allowed 10 pass plays of 40+ yards, while Dallas has given up five such plays.
The New Orleans offense has created five rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Dallas has created seven such runs.
Both defenses have allowed five rushing plays of 20 or more yards. The Saints have given up 19 running plays of 10+ yards while the Cowboys have given up 29 such plays.
As a team, New Orleans has produced 4.9 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.8 over its last two.
Dallas has averaged 4.9 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.4 over its last two.
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