In the final iteration of the NFL regular season, the Giants (-7) are gearing up to welcome the Dallas Cowboys to New York. Kickoff for this NFC East matchup is set for 1:00 p.m. ET and FOX is scheduled to broadcast the action.
Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants Betting Preview
Dallas is playing the role of underdog and is currently getting 7 points in this NFC game. The Cowboys are also receiving +220 moneyline odds while the Giants are -260. Should one team can create a bunch of points early it will create a solid betting opportunity in-game. Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 42.5 points.
The game’s total was originally placed at 43.5, but sharp bettors are siding with the under.
The Cowboys have gained 5.5 units so far in 2018 and are 7-6-2 against the spread (ATS). They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an Over-Under record of 6-9. The Giants have lost 3.3 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 8-6-1 ATS and have an O/U record of 8-7.
The Cowboys have gone 9-6 straight up (SU), including 4-1 SU against NFC East opponents. The Giants are 5-10 SU overall and 1-4 SU versus divisional foes.
The Cowboys are coming off a 27-20 victory over Tampa Bay in Week 16 where their secondary allowed the Buccaneers to air it out for 336 yards. Mike Evans had a good day for the Buccaneers in that one with 90 yards and a score on six catches. On the offense, Dak Prescott completed 20-of-25 passes for only 161 yards and one touchdown. Ezekiel Elliott (85 yards on 18 rush attempts) mounted the ground attack. Elliott (five receptions, 24 yards) and Cole Beasley (five catches, 50 yards) shared the receiving duties in the win.
New York narrowly lost a 28-27 game to Indianapolis last week. The defensive secondary allowed the Colts to air it out for 357 yards and two touchdowns. T.Y. Hilton put up a solid outing for Indianapolis, accounting for 138 yards on seven catches. For New York, Eli Manning completed 25-of-33 passes for 309 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Saquon Barkley (43 yards on 21 rush attempts, one TD) spearheaded the running attack while Sterling Shepard (six receptions, 113 yards) and Evan Engram (six catches, 87 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Dallas has run the ball on 46.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while New York has an overall rush percentage of 37.8 percent. The Cowboys have produced 127 rush yards per game (including 134 per game against East opponents) and have 12 scores on the ground this year. The G-Men are logging 100 rush yards per game (114 in conference) and have 11 total rushing TDs.
The Cowboys offensive scheme has averaged 233 yards through the air overall (289 per game against conference opposition) and has 18 passing TDs so far. The G-Men have put up 274 pass yards per game (274.0 against NFC foes) and have 21 total pass scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, Dallas has allowed 91 rush yards and 246 pass yards per game. The New York D has given up 256.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 123.1 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Cowboys have given up an ANY/A of 6.49 to opposing QBs, while the G-Men are yielding an ANY/A of 6.19.
Passing-wise, Prescott is up to 3,292 yards this season, and has connected on 69 percent of his 443 attempts with 18 passing scores and seven interceptions. He’s got a 6.17 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 4.51 over the past two outings.
As a group, Ezekiel Elliott, Cole Beasley and Amari Cooper have combined to account for 392 yards from scrimmage over the last two outings.
In the host locker room, Eli Manning has connected on 335-of-491 passes for 3,769 yards, 19 TDs and nine INTs. Manning’s ANY/A sits at 6.38 for the season and 5.65 across his last two games.
Similar to the Cowboys, expect a balanced attack offensively from New York this Sunday. Evan Engram (421 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns this season), Sterling Shepard (768 receiving yards, four receiving TDs) and Saquon Barkley (1,167 rush yards, 10 rush TDs, 663 receiving yards, four receiving TDs) have combined to account for 468 total yards over the last couple of games.
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Over/Under for Dallas’ previous game going into it was 48. The under cashed in the team’s 27-20 victory over Tampa Bay.
Dallas has produced 4.1 yards per carry over its last three games and 4.2 over its last two.
New York has averaged 4.5 yards per carry over its last three outings and only 2.9 over its past two.
New York has lost six fumbles this season while Dallas has lost eight.
Over its last three games, Dallas is 1-1-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Dallas has won seven of its last eight games SU, with a 23-point defeat to Indianapolis on December 16th accounting for the only loss over that stretch.
The O/U for New York’s previous matchup was 48.5. The over cashed in the team’s 28-27 defeat to Indianapolis.
In its last three matchups, New York is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The Cowboys offense has tallied eight pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Giants have accounted for 11 such plays.
The Dallas defense has allowed six pass plays of 40 yards or more, while New York has given up seven such plays.
The Dallas offense has created 10 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while New York has created 15 such runs.
The Cowboys defense has allowed seven rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Giants have given up 10 such runs.
The Dallas defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks 38 times this year. New York has registered just 26 sacks.
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