The Dallas Cowboys hit the road and travel to the M&T Bank Stadium for a Tuesday showdown with the Baltimore Ravens.
The game was supposed to be played last Thursday but with Baltimore dealing with COVID-19 infections, it was moved to Tuesday. Because of that, the Cowboys will head to this game having rested for nearly two weeks with their last game being their 41-16 home loss to Washington on Thanksgiving Day. Meanwhile, the Ravens are coming off a short break as they played the Steelers just last Wednesday. Baltimore is still expected to miss some players due to COVID-19 but the good news is Lamar Jackson has been cleared.
The Dallas Cowboys’ disappointing season hit an all-time low when they suffered a 41-16 home loss to the Washington Football Team on Thanksgiving Day. The loss dropped Dallas to 3-8 on the year and in fourth place in the AFC North. Luckily for them, the co-leaders Giants and Washington are just 5-7 so they are not yet out of the playoff race.
Andy Dalton completed 25 of 35 passes for 215 yards with one touchdown and one interception during their loss to Washington. Dalton is completing 65.1% of his passes and he has thrown for 870 yards with five scores and five picks. Ezekiel Elliott leads the team with 707 rushing yards on 181 carries with five touchdowns while Amari Cooper has caught 71 passes for 848 yards with three touchdowns.
The Cowboys are ranked 9th in passing at 268 yards per game and are 18th in rushing at 111.8 per contest. They are just 23rd in the league in scoring at 22.8 points per game and have the NFL’s worst scoring defense at 32.6 points per game allowed.
The Baltimore Ravens have been ravaged by the COVID-19 virus. The Ravens were supposed to play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thanksgiving Day but it was postponed several times and was played only last Wednesday. Baltimore lost the game 19-14 but was able to cover the spread despite playing minus Lamar Jackson who was among the player who tested positive for COVID-19. With the loss, they dropped their third consecutive games and are just 6-5 on the year, third in the AFC North.
Jackson has passed for a total of 1,948 yards with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 63.4% of his passes. He is also the team’s leading rusher with 575 yards on 103 carries with three scores on the ground. Marquise Brown is their leading receiver with 516 yards on 36 catches with three touchdown grabs.
The Ravens have one of the worst passing offenses in the league at just 174.9 yards per game but have the second-best rushing offense in the NFL at 157.6 yards per game. They also have the third-best scoring defense overall at 19.5 points per game allowed while also scoring 25.6 points per game, 14th among all NFL teams.
Dallas is 1-5 SU in their last six games played. The Cowboys are 1-7 SU in their last eight games played on the road, and 0-5 SU in their last five games against the AFC. Baltimore is 1-4 SU in their last five games played. The Ravens are 13-6 SU in their last 19 games played at home.
Head to head Baltimore has won four out of the last five meetings between these two teams.
The Cowboys are just 1-5 SU since Dak Prescott’s injury and their offense has scored 19 or fewer points in each of their losses during that period. Wide receiver Amari Cooper has been one of the bright spots during this slump as he has caught at least 67 yards in five of those six games. Dallas has not played since their Thanksgiving loss to Washington and the long rest will help Ezekiel Elliott and the other players who are dealing with injuries.
Despite not having Lamar Jackson and eight other starters, the Ravens fought hard against the Pittsburgh Steelers the last time out. They lost the game outright but managed to cover the spread despite being undermanned.
Jackson will likely suit up for this game although he hardly had enough time to practice. Baltimore’s three-game losing skid has dropped them to 9th in the AFC but their playoff hopes are still very much alive.
The trends don’t look well on either side and the return of Lamar Jackson should be the difference for the Ravens. The Cowboys are the worst in the league when it comes to stopping the run and with the news of Lamar’s return, I will have to go with the Ravens here to end their three-game losing streak.
Prediction: Baltimore Ravens
The Cowboys are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games played. Dallas is 1-4 ATS in five road games played this season, and 7-1 ATS in their last eight games against the AFC North division. The Ravens are 2-4 ATS in their last six games played. Baltimore is 2-3 ATS in five home games played this season, 5-13-1 ATS in their last 19 games played against the NFC, and 0-5-1 ATS in their last six games against the NFC East. Head to head, the Ravens are 3-2 ATS in their last five games played against the Cowboys.
The Ravens are still dealing with COVID-19 issues and head to this game having just five days off since their Wednesday loss to the Steelers. Dallas had more time to prepare for this but with their offense scoring less than 20 points per game in five out of their last six you have to be worried. The Cowboys are also 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games as underdogs. The extra time to prepare and Baltimore’s COVID woes should help keep this game tight.
Prediction: Cowboys +8
The total has gone under in four out of the last six games played by Dallas. The under is also 3-2 in their five road games played this season. The total has gone under in eight out of the last 12 games played by Baltimore. The Ravens have seen the total go under in three out of their five home games played this season. The under is also 6-3 in their last nine November games. Head to head, the total has gone over in three out of the last five meetings between these two teams. The over is also 4-1 in their last five meetings in Baltimore.
Since Dak Prescott’s injury, the Dallas offense has struggled mightily and they have not scored more than 19 points five times in their last six games while averaging just 14.7 points per game during that period. Baltimore’s defense is still undermanned but they still did a decent job against the Steelers. The Ravens are the league’s best running team and they eat up a lot of the clock. The under is 8-2 in Dallas’ last 10 games against an opponent with a winning home record. The under is also 7-2 in the Ravens’ last nine games after giving up more than 350 yards in their previous game.
Prediction: Under 45.5
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