1:00 PM ET, Sunday, November 17, 2019
Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
The Dallas Cowboys (5-1) are travelling to face the Detroit Lions (3-5-1) on Sunday. Detroit’s Quarterback Matthew Stafford’s status for the game is unclear. Stafford didn’t play last Sunday with fractures in his back, this was the first time since 2010 for the quarterback to watch a game from the side lines. And in general the Lions look more like a hospital emergency room than a football team lately with all the injuries.
The Lions are coming off a 2-game losing streak, losing 31-24 to the Oakland Raiders, followed by a 20-13 loss to the Chicago Bears which marked Detroit’s fifth loss this season. The Cowboys won two games in a row scoring the 37 points, winning the Philadelphia Eagles 37-10 and to follow the New York Giants 37-18. However this short steak ended last week where the Cowboys were upset by Minnesota Vikings and lost 28-24 on Sunday Night Football. This was their fourth loss this season, and it raises the question of Dallas is really a force to consider in the NFC.
Dallas are 4-1 on teams that reached Week 11 with less than 500 yards on the record, and they covered the spread in all five victories, scoring over 30 points in every game.
So despite Dallas’s troubles, and whether or not Lion’s starting QB Safford will be fit to play or not, most see the Cowboys as road favorites. The Lions are a weak football team, and with backup quarterback Jeff Driskel, they downgrade to an awful team. The Cowboys are an OKish team that beats weak opponents. And at its current state, Detroit is weak at best.
The Cowboys are first in the NFL in yards per play and in yards per game. And they are sixth in the league in points scored per game. Before losing to Chicago in Week 10, the Lions conceded an average of 31.2 points over their past five games. So it is safe to predict that Dallas will win with over 30 points scored on Sunday.
Predictions:
Final Score: Cowboys to win 34-20 and cover the spread
Spread: Cowboys -4.5 (68%) / Lions +4.5 (32%)
O/U: Line being held off the board (due to speculation over Stafford)
