Dallas Cowboys open as three-point favorites over Minnesota Vikings

The Dallas Cowboys have won two games in a row, both of which were contests on primetime television. America’s Team (remember that name) will once again be playing on national television this week as they’ll host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football. With big wins over the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants behind them, the Cowboys will try to win three in a row with the whole world watching.

Early lines have the Cowboys favored and for what it’s worth these dropped before the Cowboys beat the Giants on Monday night. Dallas is favored by three points by both BetOnline and the DraftKings Sportsbook, and that line has some people liking the Vikings as a potential play. The folks over at DK Nation justified it in a way that does make some sense.

The Sunday Night Football game is also appealing for an underdog shout. The line opens with the visiting Vikings as three-point dogs in Dallas. Kick Cousins and his team were dealt a defeat by the foot of Harrison Butker, who kicked four field goals, one of which gave the Chiefs a 26-23 lead as time expired. People, including myself, expected Minnesota to be able to handle a Mahomes-less Kansas City. Now, the Vikings take on the Cowboys for a potentially Wild Card defining game. Following losses this season, the Vikings have bounced back with victories by at least 18 points. We also know that Kirk Cousins is significantly better on turf vs. grass, with a 77.6% completion percentage (56.6% on grass) and 134 passer rating (80.8 on grass). I’ll go with another underdog this week, taking the Vikings’ moneyline (+130).

The Kirk Cousins factor is a very real one that merits legitimate consideration. If you buy into this, he’s 6-13 in primetime games and obviously this contest is on primetime. For whatever reason, Cousins thrives in the early games slot when nobody is able to pay him too much attention, but with the spotlight on him he tends to fold.

The Cowboys have a lot of history with Kirk Cousins from when he was in the division as the quarterback of the Washington Redskins. Cousins went 1-6 against the Cowboys in that time, and only picked up a win during the Week 17 game back in 2015 when the Cowboys were finishing one of their worst seasons in recent memory. It was hardly legitimate.

Dallas and Minnesota both sit with three losses on the season so somebody will earn their fourth barring a tie. The Cowboys may have played slow early on against the Giants but it stands to reason that they’re playing better right now which is why they’re favored. Although it must be said that home field is generally worth three points, so there’s that.