Outkick Bets: Betting Cowboys/Saints

Thursday night is back with a a pair of teams that were just playing last Thursday. The Cowboys and Saints are both teams that are limping into this matchup but legally one has to win, so here we go.

This is not an “on paper” game by any stretch of the imagination. When two teams like this lineup as snake-bit as they have been with injuries and COVID protocols in the coaching staff, it’s about paying attention to a lot of little details in this game. For starters, Taysom Hill looks like he will start after avoiding setbacks in practice this week. It’s no secret that the Saints need a boost at QB but is Hill the guy that can be the spark? It’s hard to tell because of what his roles have been the last couple of seasons, which have had some great moments, but sustaining that is a different animal. He’s also coming off concussion concerns a couple weeks ago and a foot injury. What we can expect really is anyone’s guess.

Dallas is getting a boost with Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb returning to an offense that is already first in total yards, third in passing and third in scoring. New Orleans has relied heavily on its defense to stay inside the playoff hunt, but in the past five games the Saints have been very leaky. New Orleans is allowing 29.6 points and 358.4 yards in that stretch and that is not a winning formula, evidenced by the 1-4 record tabulated then.

There is some concern that Mike McCarthy can’t coach in this game and former coaching disaster turned analyst Ben McAdoo is going to be in the booth to add a warm body. But let’s remember who’s going to be the guy to lead this team and offense, it’s wunderkind Kellen Moore. I was very skeptical of him a couple of seasons ago but he’s gotten so good at calling an offense. I think this game is a chance for Dallas to start fast (provided they don’t need a 4th & 2 inside the 20) and reestablish themselves. It’ll be a massive boon if they can quieten that NOLA crowd early. That’s partially why I like the Cowboys EARLY literally. I will take the Cowboys -0.5 in the 1st quarter. The Saints are allowing 8 points in the first quarter in their last three games and that’s good for 30th in the NFL. The Saints have also trailed after the first quarter in 4 straight games and 5 of their last 6. I’ll also go ahead and grab the Cowboys game spread too and nab it at -4.