When: Thursday, 8:20 PM ET
Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington
TV: Fox/NFL Network
Radio: SiriusXM/NFL
Live Stream: NFL League Pass
NFL Week 13 Odds: New Orleans Saints -7.5 (Total 53)
Clear: 15°C/59°F
Humidity: 72%
Precipitation: 4%
Cloud Cover: 3%
Wind: 5 mph SW
Stadium Type: Retractable

The Cowboys are looking to become 4-0 for the first time since 2007, but standing in the way are the New Orleans Saints. Even without future Hall of Famer Drew Brees, the Saints will be a formidable opponent, especially in the always-raucous Superdome. In 2018, the Saints traveled to Dallas on a Thursday night and got upset by the lesser Cowboys. One year later, the Cowboys are rolling and viewed as one of the favorites in the NFC. FILE - Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) takes off running in the second quarter of a game against the New Orleans Saints at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Thursday, Nov. With an offense that is finally firing on all cylinders, and a defense schemed to take away what the Saints do best, the Bucs will do just enough to win the only game against New Orleans that will matter this year. Prediction: Bucs 27, Saints 24 Gallery Ranking the most important Bucs for divisional playoff game vs. The Cowboys Opponents are 1-5 vs. Other teams, while the Saints Opponents are 6-0. Still looking on both the sides of the ball the Cowboys are far and away the better team. Dallas is second in the league with a +2.1 Yards Per Play differential. The Saints are 25th in that category with a -0.8 YPP.

Saints vs Cowboys 13 Betting Trends

Over is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings in Dallas
Underdog is 9-2 ATS in their last 11 meetings
Over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings
Home team is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings
Saints are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 meetings
New Orleans is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of New Orleans’s last 6 games
Dallas is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Dallas’s last 6 games

Cowboys vs Saints Last Meeting

In Week 4 of the 2015 season, the Saints beat the Cowboys 26-20 in overtime. Drew Brees hit C.J. Spiller with a short pass that the running back turned into an 80-yard touchdown on the second play of overtime. Brees completed 33 of 41 throws for 359 yards and two TDs. Mark Ingram gained 128 yards from scrimmage.

New Orleans Saints Betting Preview

Drew Brees has been know for his home/road splits and he has not been as good on the road. This season in five road games he has nine touchdowns and one interception with just one 300-yard passing game. At home he has twenty touchdowns with one interceptions and he has gone over 300 passing yards four times. This week he will be facing a Cowboys team have been good against the run but terrible against the pass. At running back the Saints are back to a time share between Kamara and Ingram. It has been about 60/40 with Kamara getting a slight majority of touches. The running game might take a back seat to the passing game as the Cowboys rank well in run DVOA. I like the pass catching upside of Kamara this week with Ingram coming in to vulture touchdowns. At receiver Tre’Quan Smith might play depending on his foot injury. Michael Thomas didn’t have a big game against the Eagles with a four catch for thirty-eight yards and no touchdowns performance. I like him here as I expect 8+ targets and at least one pass play of 25+ yards. Tight end Dan Arnold had four catches for fourty-five yards and one touchdown against Philadelphia. However, I still prefer Ben Watson against the Cowboys. If Tre’Quan Smith plays I like him to get 6+ targets and 70+ yards.

Saints Prop Betting Picks

Using Fanduel Lines

Drew Brees Passing Yards Over 298.5 (-110)

Michael Thomas Receiving Yards Over 88.5 (-110)

Alvin Kamara Receiving Yards Over 36.5 (-134)

Dallas Cowboys Betting Preview

Yes, Dak Prescott now has a deep threat and that has helped opening up the passing game. One thing that many people have missed about his all around performance is that he has also rushed for touchdowns in five of his last six games. Last week he threw for 289 passing yards and he will need to do that again if the Cowboys are going to have a chance to win against a high powered Saints offense. The Cowboys also happen to have one of the best running backs in the NFL. Ezekiel Elliott has proven he can catch the ball which leaves him on the field for more touches. This season he is averaging over four receptions per game and that will be important because the Saints have allowed the fewest rushing yards in the NFL this season (805). They are allowing just 3.6 yards per carry, second lowest in the NFL. The way to attack the Saints is in the air and Elliot should get 5+ receptions Thursday night. At receiver, Amari Cooper had a team high nine targets and ended up with 8 catches for 180 yards and 2 touchdowns. Yes, I know Cooper routinely disappeared in the Raiders offense but I like him to have another 100+ receiving yards against a Saints team that can give up the big pass play. The rest of the Cowboy receivers will be a crap shoot as to who breaks free on a play.

The Cowboys offense comes down to Elliott and Cooper. I like that both will get plenty of touches if it is a close game or a blowout.

Cowboys Prop Bet Picks

Using Fanduel Lines

Amari Cooper Receiving Yards Over 68.5 (-115)

Dak Prescott Completions Over 20.5 (-140)

Saints vs Cowboys Betting Prediction

The Cowboys are 7.5 point home dogs? With the way the Saints have been beating teams (48-7 over the Eagles) I can see why the betting public still backs them on the road by more than a touchdown. However, I do not. I like the Cowboys offense to shine tonight with Ezekiel Elliot showing off his talent on prime time. This game should be another high scoring prime time game and the game will come down to the last possession. In an upset I have the Cowboys getting a close win and keeping their playoff hopes alive.

Score Prediction:

Cowboys 30 – Saints 27

I am betting half on the Cowboys plus 7.5 and half on the Cowboys on the money line.

The New Orleans Saints’ season could end in just a few days. That’s what’s at stake in their Divisional Round game: single-loss elimination. It just adds more pressure onto them to take care of business against a familiar opponent in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Bucs quarterback Tom Brady has never been beaten three times in a single season, a fact that’s been all the rage in the discourse surrounding this matchup. But Brady had never been beaten twice in a single season before the Saints did it, so don’t let that weigh too heavily on your mind. Besides, three-game sweeps are more common than the narratives might suggest.

Anyway: let’s dive into the matchup and take a shot at maybe our final score prediction of the year.

Saints' keys to success

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Will Trey Hendrickson be cleared to play? His neck injury has slowed him down for a few weeks now, but he’s been practicing on a limited basis, so he should at least be questionable for Sunday; we’ll know for certain once the Friday injury report rolls out. But getting him back would be huge. Pro Football Focus credited him with 10 pressures in two games with Tampa Bay this year (including three sacks), and he’s outright taken over drives at times with constant pressure off Brady’s blind side. If he can’t play, it means the Saints will have to manufacture pressure with blitzes and mismatches, like lining David Onyemata and Cameron Jordan up against weak links in the Buccaneers line. Which, to be fair, they should be doing anyway.

On offense, New Orleans should continue to enjoy the mismatches they’ve found against the Buccaneers defense. They’ve targeted linebacker Devin White in the run game, where he’s logged half of his missed tackles on the year in two games with the Saints. Alvin Kamara makes everyone look bad, but he’s a tough matchup for White specifically. Look for the Saints to go after him again on Sunday. In the passing game, it’s best that they avoid Carlton Davis altogether after his strong Week 1 game with Michael Thomas. The rest of the Bucs secondary is vulnerable enough to where trying to win that one-on-one matchup isn’t worth the hassle.

Saints' biggest concerns

AP Photo/Jason Behnken

Can the protection hold up? New Orleans should match up well with the Buccaneers edge rushers, but Ndamukong Suh can win inside much like Akiem Hicks did a week ago against rookie guard Cesar Ruiz. And Tampa Bay should try to dial up more blitzes than in the past to avoid letting their linebackers be picked on in coverage. The interior trio of Ruiz, Erik McCoy, and Andrus Peat must be on top of their game while tackles Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk focus on corralling Shaquill Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul.

On defense, the Saints secondary must compete against every pass. Brady has been on fire since they last saw him, benefiting hugely from the addition of receiver Antonio Brown (who has caught at least one touchdown pass in each of his last four games). While Brown hasn’t put up huge receiving numbers himself, the attention he commands from defenders has freed up opportunities for teammates Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Tampa’s run game is the weakest among teams left in the playoffs — averaging just 94.9 rushing yards per game — so it’s vital for the Saints defense to take that element away quickly and force Brady to step up in the face of their pass rush.

Final score prediction

Cowboys Vs Saints Predictions Picks And Parlays

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Cowboys Vs Saints Score Predictions

Maybe Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles calls a different game than he has in four previous meetings with the Saints and successfully pressures Brees into making too many mistakes. Maybe Bruce Arians takes a different approach on offense and gives Brady more options underneath the New Orleans coverage rather than hoping for the home-run opportunities that just aren’t there.

At this point in the rivalry, the sample size is too broad to ignore. The Saints offense has scored 30.8 points per game since Arians and Bowles were hired (not including a couple of defensive touchdown returns), while allowing just 16.7 points per game on defense against Tampa Bay. It’s possible the vaunted postseason version of Brady finally appears, but this one shouldn’t be close now that the Saints have all of their weapons back.

Cowboys Vs Saints Score Prediction

Final score: Saints 34, Bucs 24