Sunday’s NFL schedule concludes with a battle between the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings. The Cowboys traveled to Minneapolis last November and came away with a 31-28. This time around, the Vikings are three-point favorites at home, with the over/under set at 52 points.
This year, Minnesota got off to a rough start, but the Vikings have started to turn things around with three wins in their last four games before last week’s bye. The problem is that the 7-1 Packers have already started to run away with the NFC North. That puts plenty of pressure on the 3-3 Vikings to get a win this week and keep pace.
Speaking of running away with a division, that’s exactly what the Cowboys appear to be doing in the NFC East. Dallas lost a close game in Week 1 to the Buccaneers, only to rattle off five straight wins before last week’s bye. At 5-1, the Cowboys have a comfortable lead at the top of the division, with the other three teams in the NFC East entering the week 2-5.
On the Bubble
Dak Prescott has had a great start to the season, although his status for Sunday is a little up in the air because of a calf injury. Of course, with Prescott at the helm, the Cowboys lead the league in scoring at 34.2 points per game thanks to a balanced offensive approach. Both Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard are having productive years, while CeeDee Lamb and tight end Dalton Schultz have emerged alongside Amari Cooper, giving Dallas a formidable receiving trio.
The defense has not been a strength for the Cowboys early in the season on the other side of the ball. Dallas has allowed at least 28 points in half of its games, which doesn’t bode well for them given Prescott’s injury. Trevon Diggs has saved them with seven interceptions, although the Cowboys only have 11 sacks in six games, which is disappointing for a team that has spent most of the season playing with a lead.
Puzzling
While the Vikings rank among the top-10 in the NFL in both passing yards and rushing yards, they are somehow just 14th in points scored. That means the Vikings have had no trouble moving the ball, and they just aren’t finishing enough drives in the end zone despite Kirk Cousins only throwing two interceptions in six games. Cousins has three touchdown passes in three of Minnesota’s six games, so he’s been better than most people realize thus far.
It’s on the defensive side of the ball where the Vikings have been a disappointment. Despite holding three of their opponents to 17 points or less, the Vikings have been hit hard by some more explosive offensive teams on their schedule. Although the Minnesota defense has only forced seven takeaways in six games, Danielle Hunter is leading a dangerous pass rush.
Road Dogs
Assuming Prescott can play, the Cowboys hold a ton of value as road underdogs. The Minnesota defense has been too inconsistent this season, and the Vikings haven’t finished enough drives to keep pace if the Dallas offense gets rolling. Bet on the Cowboys to win as three-point underdogs Sunday night.
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