The Dallas Cowboys will travel to the Caesars Superdome to take on the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night in NFL action.
The Dallas Cowboys lost their 2nd straight game and dropped to 7-4 on the season after being defeated by the Las Vegas Raiders, 36-33, this past Thursday. Dallas was able to force OT on a 45-yard FG by Greg Zuerlein with just :19 seconds left in the 4th quarter, however, the Raiders were able to secure the victory after an 8-play, 67-yard drive in OT set up a 29-yard winning FG by Daniel Carlson with just 4:28 left in OT. Dallas was outgained by Las Vegas by a 509-437 margin and didn’t force a turnover in the loss. Leading the way for the Cowboys was QB Dak Prescott who completed 32 of 47 passes for 375 yards & 2 TD.
On the season, Dallas is averaging 29.6 ppg on 430.6 total yards per game (303.2 passing yds/g; 127.5 rushing yds/g). Offensively, Dallas has been led by QB Dak Prescott who has completed 69.4% of his passes for 2932 yards (302.6 passing yds/g), 22 TD, & 7 INT. The top receiving threats for the Cowboys have been CeeDee Lamb (50 rec, 740 yards, 6 TD), Amari Cooper (44 rec, 583 yards, 5 TD), Dalton Schultz (47 rec, 537 yards, 4 TD), & Cedrick Wilson (30 rec, 420 yards, 3 TD). CeeDee Lamb should be available for this game, however, Amari Cooper is still questionable and if he doesn’t practice on Wednesday, it’s most likely he won’t suit up in this one. Leading the way for the Cowboys backfield has been the duo of Ezekiel Elliott (160 att, 720 yards, 8 TD; 38 rec, 228 yards, TD) & Tony Pollard (100 att, 531 yards, TD; 29 rec, 256 yards).
Defensively, Dallas is allowing their opponents to average 22.7 ppg on 385.8 total yards per game (278.5 passing yds/g; 107.3 rushing yds/g).
The New Orleans Saints lost their 4th straight game and dropped to 5-6 on the season after being defeated by the Buffalo Bills, 31-6, this past Thursday. New Orleans struggled on both ends of the field against Buffalo and could not fight back after Dawson Knox’s 2nd TD catch of the day gave Buffalo a 24-0 lead with 4:19 left in the 3rd quarter. New Orleans won the turnover battle by a 2-1 margin, however, was outgained by Buffalo by a 361-190 margin. Leading the way for New Orleans was QB Trevor Siemian who completed 17 of 29 passes for 163 yards, 1 TD, & 1 INT.
On the season, New Orleans is averaging 23.4 ppg on 321.1 total yards per game (209.9 passing yds/g; 111.2 rushing yds/g). New Orleans has been banged up on the offensive end, however they should have their RB duo of Alvin Kamara (146 att, 530 yards, 3 TD; 32 rec, 310 yards, 4 TD) & Mark Ingram II (45 att, 205 yards, TD) back as both have been participants at practice this week. QB Trevor Siemian has completed 57.2% of his passes for 1083 yards (220.8 passing yds/g), 9 TD, & 3 INT, however, it looks like the Saints will turn the ball over to Taysom Hill this week. The top receiving threats for the Saints was Deonte Harris (27 rec, 427 yards, 2 TD), Marquez Callaway (27 rec, 396 yards, 6 TD), & Tre’Quan Smith (20 rec, 236 yards, 2 TD).
Defensively, New Orleans is allowing their opponents to average 22.6 ppg on 358.4 total yards per game (266.5 passing yds/g; 91.9 rushing yds/g).
The Cowboys are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games vs. NFC opponents & 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games. The Saints are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS loss, however, are just 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games vs. a team with a winning record.
New Orleans has struggled as of late, however, this should be a different New Orleans team that we’ve seen, especially as I expect the Saints to have Hill, Kamara, & Ingram II all available. Dallas is the better team, however, the Cowboys roster has been hit hard with COVID-19 which includes their coaching staff as Mike McCarthy won’t be available to coach this matchup. New Orleans is in a must-win now situation after dropping 4 straight and as I think the Saints have a good shot to win this game outright, I think at worst, New Orleans will cover with the points. Good Luck!
AUTHOR: Brett Nault
