This week’s edition of Thursday Night Football takes us to Dallas, Texas, as the Seahawks take on the Cowboys. The Cowboys have been rolling the past few weeks while the Seahawks have lost 3 of their last 4 games, and oddsmakers don’t seem to have much faith in Seattle as it has been listed as a 9-point underdog. I’ve crafted a Same Game Parlay for the matchup that pays out at nearly 4/1 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Cowboys first half -5.5 (-120)
Tony Pollard to score a touchdown (-165)
Geno Smith under 230.5 passing yards (-114)
Same Game Parlay odds: +373
Dallas Cowboys first half -5.5 (-120) over Seattle Seahawks
The Cowboys in the first half have become a must-bet spot for me in the last few weeks. In fact, the Cowboys have won the first half in 6 straight games. Let’s take a look at Dallas’ first-half winning margins during the streak: 10, 14, 28, 3, 24 and 3. Only the Eagles and Chargers were able to lose by less than double-digits in the first half. The winning streak has surged the Cowboys to 1st in first half points per game at 19.5 – nearly 3 points higher than the Chiefs in 2nd place. As for Dallas’ competition on Thursday night, the Seahawks are barely averaging 10 points per game in the first half – a drastic difference.
It’s Week 13 of the NFL season, and Seattle still doesn’t have much of an identity. D.K. Metcalf has had a mediocre season, Geno Smith has been average, and the silver lining of the team was Kenneth Walker, but he’s now hurt. Seattle has had a week off since their last game as they were featured on the Thanksgiving slate of Week 12, which didn’t turn out too well. The Seahawks were dominated on their home turf by a division rival as they lost by several touchdowns. Fast forward to Thursday night, and I’m expecting the Cowboys to jump on the Seahawks fast. Dallas averages 25.4 first-half points at home this season while Seattle averages 9.4 points on the road. I’m willing to back the Cowboys to win the first half by up to a touchdown.
Check out our Seattle Seahawks vs Dallas Cowboys predictions
Tony Pollard to score a touchdown (-165)
Tony Pollard is back to finding the end zone. After scoring twice in Week 1, it took Pollard over two months to find the end zone again. A below-average Carolina defense in Week 11 finally ended his scoring drought, and immediately, Pollard started a touchdown streak. He scored again in Week 12, which is 2 games in a row with a touchdown, and I’m expecting him to make it 3 on Thursday night. Pollard is getting around 15 carries per game and has also become a bigger factor as a receiver in the last few weeks, and he’s getting a soft matchup against the Seattle defense.
The Legion of Boom is long gone. Heading into Week 13, the Seahawks defense ranks 21st in opponent rushing yards per game and 22nd in opponent passing yards per game. Just last week, the Seahawks allowed Christian McCaffrey to run for 114 yards on 19 carries for 2 touchdowns. The defensive line is severely banged up and will be heavily outmatched by the Cowboys’ offensive line. Pollard should be able to find a hole and rush for yet another touchdown.
Don’t miss our Seahawks-Cowboys touchdown picks
Geno Smith under 230.5 passing yards (-114)
This number is slightly below Geno Smith’s season average of 234.9, but it makes sense considering the matchup. The Dallas defense is allowing 167.2 passing yards per game – the 2nd lowest in football. Opposing quarterbacks have surpassed this number in just 2 of Dallas’ last 6 games, so it’s not common for quarterbacks to have success when facing Micah Parsons and the Cowboys’ defense. Plus, the Seahawks are big underdogs for this primetime matchup which indicates that the Cowboys should control the time of possession and limit Seattle’s opportunities on offense. Mix that with a lot of handoffs to Zach Charbonnet, and I don’t see Smith going over 200 passing yards.
Prop Holliday has his Thursday Night Football player props locked in
