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The Dallas Cowboys are at home for a Week 17 clash with the Arizona Cardinals. Dallas is sporting an 11-4 record, and is now on a four-game winning streak. The Cardinals stand at 10-5 on the season and are still in a battle for the NFC West, but have dropped three straight games.
Our friends over at DraftKings Sportsbook currently have the Cowboys as 5.5-point favorites against the Cardinals. The line has grown from earlier in the week. The folks over at FiveThirtyEight have the Cowboys at a 69% chance of winning, while ESPN has them at 57.1%.
You can follow the link here for the win percentages of every game for Week 17. You can also get a list of picks for all the games of Week 17 at this location.
As for the Cowboys game, let’s see what people are thinking.
The Dallas Cowboys made one heck of a statement last Sunday night. After the prior events of Week 16 clinched the division for Jerry Jones’ club, they took the field against Washington and went nuclear. While it may be too much to expect a similar outcome in Week 17, they should be able to clear the 5.5-point spread against a reeling Arizona club. The Cardinals have lost four straight and have completely lost their once firm grip on the NFC. In last week’s loss to the Colts, they struggled mightily on special teams, gave up a safety, and couldn’t string along any positive drives together. If that continues, Dallas — who is an NFL-best 12-3 ATS this season — will leave them in the dust.
Projected score: Cowboys 33, Cardinals 27
A win and a cover.
MDS’s take: This is Sunday’s biggest game, between two teams right in the thick of the NFC playoff hunt. I think the Cowboys are playing their best football, while the Cardinals are reeling.
MDS’s pick: Cowboys 28, Cardinals 20.
Florio’s take: This game has landed at a horrible time for the Cardinals, who have lost their edge at the same time the Cowboys have rediscovered theirs.
Florio’s pick: Cowboys 31, Cardinals 23.
Win, cover. Win, cover.
Heading into Week 13, I packaged Kyler Murray and Alexander Mattison in a blockbuster eight-player trade that brought back Justin Herbert and Nick Chubb. On balance, I’ve been happy with the results. I certainly trust Herbert at home against Denver more than I do Murray in Dallas.
Arizona’s passing game hasn’t looked the same since Murray’s return and DeAndre Hopkins’ exit. Christian Kirk and Zach Ertz appear to be the only reliable receivers. If James Conner returns, I’m concerned neither he nor Chase Edmonds will exceed 12 fantasy points — not bad, but not what title contenders need.
For Dallas, start all the usual players. Dak Prescott on the road this year has 9 TDs and 8 interceptions. At home? 21 TDs and 2 interceptions. The Cardinals are beatable on the ground and through the air. I’m starting CeeDee Lamb with relative confidence. Amari Cooper and Dalton Schultz also should fare well. Michael Gallup remains a fringe WR3/4 streamer. Ezekiel Elliott should be a top-20 RB, while Tony Pollard should crack the top 34.
Cardinals vs. Cowboys Prediction: Cowboys 31, Cardinals 22
We got another win and cover.
The Cowboys are feeling it everywhere again with Dak Prescott and their passing offense going back to exploding and their defense dominating in every which way. The Cardinals have lost their big-play juice on both sides of the ball, from Kyler Murray to their once swarming defense. Dallas can handle this limited version of Arizona’s attack and this is also a chance to get its running game rolling again with Ezekiel Elliott.
Pick: Cowboys win 27-20 and cover the spread.
Everybody is feeling the Cowboys.
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