NFL forecast: Ride Cowboys even if Dak Prescott misses game
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is questionable for Sunday’s game at Minnesota because of a calf strain.
Kirk Cousins is perfectly healthy. But it’s always questionable to back the Vikings QB in prime time, let alone on Halloween night.
Cousins is 8-17 in prime-time games and was 0-9 straight up and ATS on “Monday Night Football” before snapping his winless streak last season against the Bears.
The Cowboys opened as 2½-point favorites, but the line has swung to Minnesota -3 after Prescott was limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday.
Dallas coach Mike McCarthy struck a cautious tone after practice Friday, saying the decision on whether Prescott plays will be based on “more than just one game.” But owner Jerry Jones sounded optimistic, saying “things are looking good right now about Dak.”
If Prescott plays, getting three points will be a good value. If he’s replaced by Cooper Rush, I’ll still take my chances with the Cowboys against Cousins and most likely will get more than a field goal.
The underdog has covered the past four meetings, with Dallas winning at Minnesota last season as a 7-point ’dog behind veteran QB Andy Dalton.
The Cowboys (5-1) have won five straight since their 31-29 loss at Tampa Bay in the season opener. Dallas is the only NFL team with a perfect record ATS (6-0). I jumped on the bandwagon for the past two covers and vowed to ride the Cowboys until they bucked me off.
Here are four more plays (home team in CAPS):
SEAHAWKS (-3) over Jaguars: Desperate for a win after losing three straight, Seattle hosts a team in Jacksonville that snapped a 20-game losing streak last time out in a 23-20 win over Miami in London. Throw out an 84-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf, and Seahawks QB Geno Smith had 83 passing yards in Monday’s 13-10 home loss to the Saints. But Smith covered the spread for the second straight week and is 7-0 ATS in his past seven starts. The Jaguars are on a 2-13 spread slide vs. the NFC West.
Patriots (+4½) over CHARGERS: New England has won and covered the past six meetings, including a 45-0 rout last season at Los Angeles with Cam Newton at quarterback. The Patriots exploded for a season high in points in Sunday’s 54-13 win over the Jets and kept things close in losses to Tampa Bay and Dallas. New England has the NFL’s No. 6 scoring defense (20 ppg allowed) and is 19-9-1 ATS as an underdog.
Buccaneers (-4) over SAINTS: Tampa Bay has won 14 of its past 15 games overall, including last season’s 30-20 playoff victory at New Orleans. The Bucs, whose loss in the run was at the Rams this season, are clicking on all cylinders. Tampa is third in scoring (33.3 ppg) and 10th in scoring defense (21 ppga), and QB Tom Brady has thrown for 21 TDs and three interceptions. The Saints are working on a short week.
Giants (+10) over CHIEFS: Kansas City is on a 2-8 ATS slide at home and 4-14 spread slump overall. New York is coming off a 25-3 win over Carolina. The Giants are riding an 11-2 cover streak as road underdogs and should score enough on the Chiefs’ porous defense (29 ppga) to cover the double-digit spread.
Last week: 4-1
Season: 18-17
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.
